The Centro Histórico is the original colonial heart of Santos, sitting inland from the working port on the higher ground between Valongo and the cathedral. Founded in 1546, it is one of the oldest urban centres in Brazil, and the area still has dozens of substantial nineteenth-century commercial buildings — banks, coffee houses, merchant offices, warehouses, and a few merchant mansions.
After decades of decline, much of the centre has been carefully restored in the last twenty years. The Bolsa do Café (Coffee Museum), the Casa do Café (Pelé Museum), the Estação do Valongo, and the cathedral all sit within walking distance of each other, linked by a heritage tram line. It is the most interesting part of the city for a slow morning of wandering.