Visit São Paulo: what are the best things to do and see in the Brazilian locomotive?
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and you may have difficulty taking it in hand during your stay here. If you are looking for them best things to do in São Paulo So this list is a good start. Despite all the ideas offered below to visit São Paulo, you will hardly notice the amount of activities to experience in the capital paulista . Yet you will find what to take care of for several days.
Unlike Rio where you can find many activities in the same place, the city of São Paulo is very wide and some parts are not sure. Knowing that visiting São Paulo before arriving can help you greatly. Good discovery!
1. MASP (Museu de Arte de São Paulo)
Flickr – c.alberto
São Paulo has many great museums, but the MASP is the best art museum in the city. It holds the most beautiful Western art collection in Latin America and houses fantastic temporary exhibitions. The Tuesday is free for the audience, but it’s better to come here on a Sunday as you can see it just below.
2. Antiquities, handicrafts and street food
On Sunday, the surroundings of the MASP animates on the Avenida Paulista where are organized two large outdoor markets . The space under the museum becomes a huge antique market, and on the other side of the street there is a craft market where excellent street food is sold.
3. Danser le Samba on Saturday
An experience to live! Samba music is played live in many bars in the city on Saturday. Lunch, take a drink and dance on Samba is a way for them paulistanos relax after a busy week of work. The best place to eat and spend a moment listen and dance the samba is the Bar Samba in Vila Madalena. It opens in the early afternoon and it’s an excellent place to taste a feijoada (traditional Brazilian flat) and meet the premises.
4. The Parque Ibirapuera
Flickr – Rodrigo Soldon
The Parque Ibirapuera (Parc d’Ibirapuera) is the largest green space in the city and one of the largest urban parks in Latin America. True lung of São Paulo , it allows many activities: walking or cycling, watching people from the lawns, visiting museums, admiring the architecture of Niemeyer, strolling around the lake, and much more.
5. Discover the most beautiful architecture of the city
One of the greatest architects of the 20th century, Oscar Niemeyer , was Brazilian. There are several places where you can see his work in São Paulo (and at Brazil ). The most striking features of his works are the curved lines (which he compared to the body of the woman) and the creation of the defiance effect of gravity. These interesting buildings are pleasantly changing towers of endless apartments in São Paulo. In addition to some examples of modern architecture, the city also has some examples of colonial and historical architecture.
6. The Museu Afro Brasil
Wikimedia - Dornicke
It is one of the most beautiful museums in the city, which is not to say, because São Paulo has several excellent museums. It is located inside another building designed by Niemeyer. Inside, it is possible that the information is still only in Portuguese, but even if so, the exhibits on the history of African culture in Brazil are fascinating.
7. Memorial of Latin America
Flickr – Mike Slichenmyer
The Memorial da América Latina is a complex designed by Oscar Niemeyer for honour the struggles of the Latin American peoples and host festivals or public events. The complex includes a library, a research centre, art exhibitions (including Latin American popular art), and the Brazilian Centre for Latin American Studies. It is a pleasant place to walk and observe the interesting architecture. Try entering the buildings, if possible.
8. Street art local
Flickr – Wally Gobetz
São Paulo is considered to be one of the best cities in the world for creativity street art . The streets of the city are filled with wonderful examples of street art, especially in the city centre. To admire the most beautiful frescoes, visit the Vila Madalena district, especially the Beco do Batman (Ruelle de Batman), close to Rua Harmonia , just before Rua Luis Murat .
9. Pinacoteca de l’État de São Paulo
Flickr – Rodrigo Soldon
Another charming museum in São Paulo, the Pinacoteca do Estado houses a vast collection of Brazilian art that visually tells the history of the country and its cultural evolution, as well as a beautiful collection of French sculptures of the 19th century. The museum has a nice coffee on the ground floor and it overlooks the Parque da Luz , a public park that includes outdoor sculptures and a European-style garden.
10. The Museu do Futebol
Flickr – Wally Gobetz
The Museu do Futebol is located in the Estadio Pacaembu (which was used until 2013 by the SC Corinthians), one of the largest football stadiums in the city. If you love football, you will certainly like to watch the videos of the time, and see interactive exhibitions and documents in the history of the World Cup and Brazilian football stars. The museum is open every day from 9am to 5pm except Monday. Entry: 6 R$
11. Ipiranga
Flickr – DORIVAL ELZE
The Paulista Museum (Ipiranga) was built in 1895 to preserve 400 years of history in Brazil and it houses old maps, photographs, paintings and furniture. It is located inside an impressive neoclassical palace with European-style gardens. Unfortunately, Ipiranga is located far from the centre but is accessible by bus and metro. (At the time I write this article, the museum is closed for renovation. To learn more, visit official website ).
12. The Benedito Calixto market on Saturdays
The outdoor market in Calixto takes place all day on Saturday. An ideal place to stroll, eat and capture the musical atmosphere of chorinho a style of music that is influenced by the samba. You can find amazing things like Brazilian music instruments for example. It’s really to be done, go on Saturday at noon.
13. Instituto Butantan
Flickr – a natural thing
One of the largest biomedical research centres in the world, Butantan Institute was founded in 1901. It is open to the public and it is pleasant to walk there, see snakes in the serpentarium , and learn more about it vaccine development and anti-venin.
14. L’Edifício Copan
Flickr – Victor Sounds
One of the many famous models of Niemeyer, the Edifício Copan is a known site in São Paulo due to the characteristic curve of the skyscraper. Many artists and rich inhabitants of Sao Paulo lived here but the building has been a bit confused over the past two decades. It is worth the detour, but you can do even better by visiting the Edifício Itália nearby. Hop on the top floor where Terraço Itália is located to have a panoramic view of the city (and Copan), especially at sunset. Access is Monday to Friday from 3pm to 4pm , but you will have to pay something or buy a drink if you go there at another time.
15. Le Mercado Municipal de Sao Paulo
Flickr – Luiz Felipe Castro
The huge municipal market in the centre of São Paulo is unmistakable, especially because it is located within a neo-classical building very nice with stained glass , but also because there is a wide range of products for sale (including exotic fruits). Around the market, pay attention to your business... This market is not very far from the Edifício Copan and its surroundings have a lot of old buildings to see.
A few nice neighborhoods and streets in São Paulo
- L’ Avenida Paulista is the city’s largest boulevard, filled with a fun mix of historical and modern buildings and many shops, museums, place to go out (nightly life) and a primary forest in Parque Trianon (in front of the MASP). The biggest show in the Gay Pride world takes place here in May/June. It is also on this avenue that real estate is the most expensive in all Latin America. The avenue is lined by a metro line, so it is easily accessed.
Flickr – Fernando Stankuns
– Parallel to the Avenida Paulista, Alameda Santos is a little less lively, but it is a central location for renting an apartment for example (see below how to stay in Sao Paulo).
- The neighborhood Vila Madalena is the bohemian district of SP with art galleries, beautiful craft shops, and bookshops. Nightlife there is very lively in its restaurants, bars and botecos (small bars/restaurants). Go for the samba or simply to mix with the inhabitants and listen to music ao vivo and for petiscos (tapas) to botecos.
- Brazil houses the largest population of Italians outside Italy, many of whom live in São Paulo in the neighbourhood Bixiga or elsewhere. Their ancestors came to work in the coffee plantations inside the state of São Paulo. If you like good food, don't miss the restaurants in this neighborhood.
- Brazil also has the largest number of Japanese living outside Japan and many of these Japanese Brazilians live in São Paulo. The Japanese quarter, called Liberdade , is a nice place to explore to see how Japan has influenced local life Here. Come on Sunday when a huge market takes place in the public square of Liberdade, and where thousands of people are expected.
Test local specialties
In the many markets of the city, some of which are quoted here, you will find a wide choice of local specialties, typical fruits and many other things... Don’t hesitate to venture into one of these markets by curiosity.
Flickr – Joanne Wan
A stay in São Paulo and even in Brazil would not be complete without eating in a churrascaria : expect to eat really much (don't eat at noon in forecast). The meal price includes all dishes at will except drinks and desserts. The meal usually starts with various inputs and fillings (I recommend you book for meat). Shortly after, servers often dressed as gauchos and known as passadores , come to your table regularly with different cuts of meat on giant pins . You must indicate where you want them to cut the meat. On the menu: chicken hearts, sausages, beef, lamb, pork, but also grilled pineapple, grilled fish, etc...
Know that despite the excellent meat served in the restaurants of Sao Paulo, there are many vegetarian restaurants with buffet at will.
Think about drinking coffee : Brazil is the world's largest coffee exporter! Stop in a Café or a Café padaria (pastry) and order one cafezinho (espresso), one coffee com leite or coffee pingado (hot with an added espresso, slightly stronger than coffee com leite).
Flickr – Tania Ho
♪ padarias , precisely, are a good place to eat on the thumb. Taste for example pão de queijo (hot cheese bread), one pastel (pluriel: pasteis, an ovened fried paste with tomato/basilic/ cheese or chopped beef/palm heart. You'll have more chance to find them in some pastelerias . ♪ paulistas Also love pizza, and you will not have trouble finding an excellent pizzeria.
For drinks , why would you not try coconut water directly in the coconut with a straw? Also, enjoy being in Brazil to drink fresh fruit juice delicious.
Stay in São Paulo
São Paulo is one of the most expensive cities in the world in terms of housing. You will easily find a hotel in this gigantic city but it is up to you to check the prices well in advance not to pay your nights out of price. For the little ones budgets , you will find many hostels. To find the best hotel prices in São Paulo, check out our Compare hotels .
Another solution consists of rent an apartment , which can be much less expensive and much more comfortable, especially if you choose neighborhoods according to your tastes. Several sites offer apartment rentals to directly contact the owner as Airbnb Wimdu or Bedycasa.
Have you visited São Paulo?
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