In which quarter house in São Paulo?

On a trip to Brazil, how not to miss Sao Paulo? Here are the best areas to stay in Sao Paulo!

Huge town of 1,523 km2, São Paulo is home to almost 12 million inhabitants and nearly 29 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area. It is the largest city in Latin America, Brazil, and the third largest city in the world. Brazil's commercial, industrial, financial and economic centre, Sao Paulo is also considered a tense, dangerous city (some quarters).

Sao Paulo is divided into 31 districts and nine areas. The most popular neighborhoods are Paraiso, Vila Madalena, Jardins, Vila Mariana and Higienopolis. Here is our non-exhaustive selection of the accommodations in Sao Paulo.

Centro Velho

The historic district of São Paulo welcomes various architectural styles. The Catedral da Sé, located in Praça da Sé, is the most lively square in the city centre. There are also the skyscrapers of multinational companies and investment banks, shops, pick-pockets and – like anywhere in Brazil – huge gaps in wealth. Some buildings such as the Edificio Martinelli (26 floors), the Edificio Italia or Banespa can be penetrated into the megalopolis. Attention: staying at Centro Velho can be dangerous if you leave at late hours.

Vila Madalena

Vila Madalena – or Vila Madá – is the Bohemian district of Sao Paulo. Focus on countless bars where to go out every night of the week. International tourists flock to attend the cultural events and events that are held throughout the year. For example, the Carnival, which is held in February. Many streets are dedicated to street art, like the famous Beco do Batman between rua Harmonai and rua Aspicuelta. Restaurants, concert bars – the samba, an institution here! -, cafes and discotheques will beat your Brazilian life if you are an amateur of the danced and festive evenings. It is therefore a safe neighborhood, ideal for visiting, eating, partying: a good compromise to stay in Sao Paulo.

Granja Julieta and Alto da Boa Vista

Very quiet residential areas, Granja Julieta and Alto da Boa Vista are very quiet, lined with large houses and buildings of great standing. A life of a small town in the city where the inhabitants like to ride by bike and enjoy the time that passes, nature and its tranquility. They are also lively neighborhoods where we find all the shops necessary for everyday life. We also note many bars and restaurants to go out, convenient to taste the nightlife.

Gardens

Further north, Jardins is one of the most attractive areas in Sao Paulo. On the avenue Paulista, you can enjoy a majestic view of the skyscrapers in the city centre. Here you will find a large amount of shops to go shopping, bars and restaurants to go out and museums to discover the culture of Brazil.

Liberdade

Historically, it is the Japanese quarter. Sao Paulo is home to the largest Japanese community outside Japan, with 57,860 inhabitants. Located near the city centre, the area is a small piece of Japanese archipelago in a Latin ocean. Created in the 1950s, it is one of the tourist attractions of Sao Paulo. Here, the writings in Portuguese were replaced by Japanese Kanji and the influence of Japanese culture is well felt. Asian shops, restaurants, karaoke bars and cultural events beat the social life of the neighborhood. Note that the Japanese are not the only one here: many Koreans and Chinese settle there and tourists from all over the world flock there by thousands. A good housing plan to stay in Sao Paulo.

Main photo credit: Flickr – Gus Kasaoka