1774Founded on 14 July by Francisco Barreto Leme
1.2MResidents; third-largest city in São Paulo state
3.5MPeople across the 20-municipality metropolitan region
~95 kmFrom the city of São Paulo, by highway
History

From a trail stop to a coffee capital

The name means "meadows": open grassland between dense forest that travellers crossed on the way to the gold fields of Goiás and Minas Gerais.

  1. 1774

    The settlement of Nossa Senhora da Conceição das Campinas do Mato Grosso is founded on 14 July by Francisco Barreto Leme.

  2. 1797

    Raised to a town under the name Vila de São Carlos, as sugar plantations spread across the region.

  3. 1842

    Becomes a city and takes back the name Campinas. Coffee soon replaces sugar and the city becomes one of the richest in the Empire.

  4. 1872

    The Companhia Paulista railway reaches Campinas, linking its coffee farms to the port of Santos. Italian and other European immigrants arrive in large numbers.

  5. 1889

    Yellow fever epidemics devastate the city and many residents flee. Campinas rebuilds with new sanitation works and adopts the phoenix as its symbol.

  6. 20th century

    Industry, agricultural research and, from 1966, the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) turn the city into a hub of science and technology.

Historic black and white photograph of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Campinas
The Metropolitan Cathedral in an archive photograph. Centro de Memória, Unicamp.
Bronze statue of composer Carlos Gomes on his monument-tomb in central Campinas
The monument-tomb of Carlos Gomes, in the city centre.
Culture

The city of Carlos Gomes

Antônio Carlos Gomes (1836 to 1896), the most celebrated Brazilian opera composer of the 19th century, was born in Campinas.

His opera Il Guarany premiered at La Scala in Milan in 1870 and made him famous across Europe. His remains rest in a monument-tomb in the heart of the old town, a few streets from the cathedral, and the city's main theatre and many of its landmarks carry his name.

Why Campinas matters

One of Brazil's engines of science, industry and health

Campinas is often called Brazil's Silicon Valley. Universities, national laboratories and hundreds of technology companies sit side by side, with one of the country's busiest airports at the edge of town.

Aerial view of the Sirius synchrotron light source building in Campinas
Sirius, the synchrotron light source at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM).
Science

Sirius and CNPEM

Sirius, inaugurated in 2018, is a fourth-generation synchrotron and one of the most advanced light sources in the world, used for research from new materials to proteins and medicines.

Education

Unicamp and PUC-Campinas

Unicamp, founded in 1966, is one of Latin America's leading research universities, and its Hospital de Clínicas is a major teaching hospital for the region. PUC-Campinas, founded in 1941, also trains doctors and health professionals.

Research

Agriculture and telecoms

The Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC), created in 1887 by Emperor Pedro II, helped modernise Brazilian farming. CPqD and Embrapa units continue the tradition in telecommunications and agricultural technology.

Economy

Industry and logistics

The metropolitan region is one of the largest industrial centres in Brazil, home to multinational plants in automotive, electronics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and served by the Anhanguera and Bandeirantes highways.

Connectivity

Viracopos Airport

Viracopos International is the main hub of Azul airlines and one of Brazil's most important cargo airports. It handled about 12.8 million passengers in 2025.

Health

A medical hub

University hospitals, specialist clinics and day hospitals draw patients from across the interior of São Paulo, which is why ISASE and the Aesthetic Global Training fellowship are based here.

Attractions

What to see in Campinas

Most of the historic sights are in the walkable city centre. Parks and the old coffee-farm districts are a short drive away.

Gilded and carved wooden interior of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Campinas
Centre

Metropolitan Cathedral

Built between 1807 and 1883 with rammed-earth walls, it is known for its richly carved wooden altars and interior.

Striped red and white facade of the Municipal Market of Campinas
Centre

Municipal Market

Opened in 1908 to a design by Ramos de Azevedo. Stalls of fruit, spices, cheese and cured meats, plus the classic pastel and fresh juice.

Red brick building and clock tower of the Estação Cultura, the former railway station
Centre

Estação Cultura

The old Companhia Paulista railway station, a red-brick landmark of the coffee era, now a venue for fairs, concerts and exhibitions.

Tiled facade of the Palácio dos Azulejos in central Campinas
Centre

Palácio dos Azulejos

A 19th-century mansion covered in Portuguese tiles, once the seat of the city government and now a cultural space.

Lagoon of Parque Portugal (Lagoa do Taquaral) on a sunny day
Parks

Lagoa do Taquaral

Parque Portugal surrounds a large lagoon with running and cycling paths, pedal boats and a replica Portuguese caravel. The city's favourite weekend spot.

Aerial view of the Bosque dos Jequitibás forest surrounded by city buildings
Parks

Bosque dos Jequitibás

A patch of native Atlantic Forest in the middle of the city, opened to the public in the 1880s, with century-old jequitibá trees and a small zoo.

Cobblestone street with colonial houses in the district of Joaquim Egídio
Countryside

Sousas and Joaquim Egídio

Two leafy districts with cobbled streets, historic coffee farms, waterfalls and country restaurants, popular with cyclists on weekends.

Entrance sign of the State University of Campinas (Unicamp)
Science

Unicamp campus

A green university town in the Barão Geraldo district, with museums, cafés and a lively student scene around it.

Campinas lit up at night
Football

The Derby Campineiro

Guarani, Brazilian champion in 1978, and Ponte Preta, founded in 1900, play one of the oldest and fiercest local rivalries in Brazilian football.

For visiting surgeons

Practical notes

Fellows usually stay one or two months. The ISASE office is in Chácara da Barra, next to Cambuí, the city's main residential and dining area.

Getting there
Fly into Viracopos (VCP), about 30 minutes by car, or São Paulo Guarulhos (GRU), about 1 h 30 to 2 h by road.
Climate
About 680 m above sea level. Warm, rainy summers (Dec to Mar); mild, dry winters (Jun to Aug).
Getting around
Ride-hailing apps are cheap and widely used. Cambuí and the centre are walkable.
Where to eat
Cambuí for restaurants and bars; Sousas and Joaquim Egídio for country cooking at weekends.
Currency and language
Brazilian real (BRL); cards accepted almost everywhere. Portuguese; English is common in hospitals and hotels.
ISASE office
Rua Oriente, 91, 8º andar, Chácara da Barra, Campinas, SP.
See the fellowshipContact the society
Campinas skyline with residential towers among green trees
Campinas from above: a green city of high-rises and tree-lined streets.

Photo credits

Images resized for the web. Population figures: IBGE estimates; airport figures: Viracopos.