This guide is for you if you want a gentle day out of São Paulo, with flowers, a windmill and very little walking. Holambra is a small town in the countryside with Dutch roots, and the main thing to decide is whether to go during its flower show or on an ordinary day. After that come the day of the week, the order of the stops and what to bring.
Expoflora or an ordinary day
Expoflora is Holambra's flower festival, held every year between late August and September. The dates are set each year, so check them before you plan. Its programme has included a shower of petals, a flower parade, Dutch folk dances, music, a children's farm and a sunflower field. Tickets are sold through the event's own website, and prices change with the date.
The festival is large. One travel guide puts it at more than 300,000 visitors a year. Expect a busy town, full restaurants and slower traffic on the way in. If you want to go, tell us when you book and we plan the day around it. Expoflora tickets are not included in the tour.
Outside the festival the town is calm. It keeps most of its attractions open all year, and prices for food and places to stay are lower once Expoflora is over. One local paper picks autumn as the cheapest time to go. The flower fields bloom most in spring, with tulips, roses and sunflowers, so a date from September to November gives you colour without the festival crowds once it has closed.
Which day of the week
The farms that open their fields and greenhouses to visitors do not open every day. We check for your date when you book, and pick the one that is open.
The windmill opens every day, weekends included, from 10:00 to 17:00. Our schedule reaches it at about 09:00, before the doors open. You can see and photograph it from outside then; if you want to climb it, tell your driver and the order changes on the day. Entry is paid on the day. As with any opening hours, check the official site before you go.
How the day fits together
Holambra is about two hours from São Paulo by road. You leave at 07:00 and are back at about 17:00, so roughly four hours of the day are driving and the rest is spent in a small, flat town.
- Moinho Povos Unidos. The windmill stands about 38.5 metres high and opened in 2008. Inside, its floors tell the story of windmills like it, which in the Netherlands were used to grind grain. From the top you look out over the town.
- The Love Deck. A wooden deck over the Vitória Régia lake, opened in 2015. Couples leave padlocks on the bridge with their names or a date.
- The umbrella street. An art installation of hundreds of coloured umbrellas hung above a street in the centre. There is nothing to pay.
- A flower farm. Fields and greenhouses open to visitors. Entrance is not included.
Lunch is Dutch-style food in the centre, and it is not included. The afternoon is free time for shops, gardens and coffee before the drive back.
The town's story is part of the visit. After the Second World War the Dutch government encouraged emigration, and in 1948 a group of around 500 Catholic Dutch immigrants settled on a farm here, the Fazenda Ribeirão. Flowers came later, with a second wave of settlers, and they are what the town is known for today.
On your own or with a driver
You can get to Holambra by bus. Take a coach from the Tietê terminal in São Paulo to Campinas, then local line 693 from Campinas to Holambra. It works, with a change in Campinas, and suits you if you are happy to plan around a bus timetable.
A private car takes you from your hotel to the windmill, the deck, the street and a farm in one loop, without a change of bus. Because the vehicle is yours alone, you can also change the order of the stops on the day. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to bring
- A hat, sunglasses and sun cream for the fields.
- Comfortable shoes. The walking is short and flat.
- A card or some local cash for the windmill, the farm, lunch and plants.
- A padlock, if you want to leave one on the Love Deck.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits families with children, older travellers and anyone who wants a quiet day with little walking. The stops are close together and the town is flat. It suits photographers too, in the spring months.
Think twice in these cases:
- You want something dramatic. Holambra is pretty and peaceful, not spectacular. For mountains, the Campos do Jordão day trip fits better; for the sea, Santos and Guarujá.
- You dislike crowds and your dates fall during Expoflora. Come before or after the festival.
- You are more than 16. Two vehicles travel together on one booking. Message us and we will price it.
Our guide to day trips from São Paulo sets this against the other four.
Questions people ask
Can we climb the windmill?
Yes, on payment, when it is open. Ask your driver to visit it later in the morning so you are not there before opening time.
When are the fields at their most colourful?
In spring, from about September. That is also the Expoflora season, so the colour and the crowds arrive together.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you get a full refund. See our cancellation page.
Booking the day
Decide whether you want Expoflora, then pick your date, and tell your driver if you want to climb the windmill so the order changes. The stops and times are on the Holambra private day trip page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
