Gonzaga is the busiest of Santos's beach neighbourhoods, the central section of the seafront and the heart of the city's tourist trade since the 1920s. The avenue parallel to the beach is lined with hotels, ice-cream parlours, and the slightly faded grand cafés of an earlier age. The Boulevard Calçadão is closed to traffic in the afternoons and is the place to take an evening stroll.
The neighbourhood has the densest concentration of bars and restaurants in the city and is the natural base for a beach-focused stay. Inland a couple of blocks the streets are residential and quiet.