Santos is a city of unexpected layers. On the surface it is a beach town with high-rise apartments and a wide seafront garden. Below that is a working port, the busiest in Latin America, that has shaped the city's wealth and architecture for more than a hundred years. Below that again is one of the oldest cities in Brazil — founded in 1546 — with a fine historic centre, a coffee exchange that doubles as a museum, and a tram line that runs past colonial-era churches.
And then there is the football. Pelé played his entire club career here, and the city's identification with Santos FC is total. A pilgrimage to the Vila Belmiro stadium is more or less mandatory.