Paraty sits on the coastal road (BR-101) between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, roughly equidistant from both cities at about 250 km from each. The bus from Rio de Janeiro takes roughly 4 hours; from São Paulo, around 5 hours. Several daily departures run from both cities with Util and other operators. The bus terminal is a short walk from the historic centre.
There is no commercial airport in Paraty. Visitors flying in use Rio de Janeiro's airports or São Paulo's Guarulhos, then take the bus. Some travellers arrive by boat from Angra dos Reis to the northeast.