Cheap flights to Sao Paulo, Brazil from £299

City overview

Sao Paulo can seem intimidating and cold to first-time visitors, but Paulistanos make every effort to welcome tourists and their alegria (joy) is infectious.

The first thing travellers coming off their Sao Paulo flights will notice is that the city is a true melting pot. Immigrants from Japan, Italy, Portugal and Lebanon have settled here over the years. The Liberdade neighbourhood, for example, has the largest Asian community with the best dim sum this side of China. It’s precisely this cultural diversity that makes the city so cosmopolitan and exciting to visit for a few days.

Exploring the city on foot is really the best way to avoid the unbearable traffic. Stop by its world-class art museums. Art collectors and enthusiasts from all over the globe come here to visit the Pinocoteca do Estado and Museu Arte Sao Paulo (MASP), both of which house some stunning Brazilian art as well as Picassos and Monets. The city is also a shopper’s heaven and you can find just about anything from international designers to local crafts. After a long day of touring the city treat yourself to some cold chopp (beer) and picanha in an “all you can eat” Churrascaria.

Sao Paulo climate

Sao Paulo’s climate is described as high-altitude tropical. Summers are rainy and temperatures range between 19 and 27 degrees. Locals like to say that you can experience four seasons in one day, and are expert at layering. Spring and autumn are warm and dry; autumn temperatures average 23 degrees. Winters are sunny and dry with temperatures in the 15-degree range.

Getting around Sao Paulo

Between Sao Paolo’s convenient public transport and walking, you won’t have any trouble getting around town. The subway can take you almost anywhere on its two main lines between 5am and midnight. For the rest of the town, you can take a bus. They run frequently, so just flag one down when you need to hop on. During the day the city is safe, but you should check with your hotel about where to walk safely at night. Taxis are the safest way to get around at night. Don’t worry about finding a taxi – there are plenty in Sao Paulo, and they can be hailed on the street or picked up at a taxi stand.

Getting from the Airport to the City

The main airport for travellers taking flights to Sao Paulo is Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) which is located 15.5 miles (25 km) northeast of Sao Paulo. Taxis are available outside the terminals; visitors are advised to take the prepaid taxis, they are usually a little more expensive but give peace of mind. There is also an airport shuttle bus, which drops passengers off at the main hotels. Public buses are also available.

What is good to know if travelling to Sao Paulo?

• See the city from the Banespa Tower’s observation deck on the 35th floor. The Edificio Italia is said to be the city’s second-tallest building. The Terraco Italia restaurant is on the top floor and offers 360-degree views of Sao Paulo.
• The Parque do Ibirapuera covers more than one thousand miles. The Modern Art and Contemporary Art museum is here, as are the planetarium – shaped like a flying saucer, the first in the Southern Hemisphere – and Japanese Pavilion. See the Monument to the Bandeirantes, who left the city in the 17th and 18th centuries to explore Brazil. Other parks in the city include: Burle Marx, Jardim Botanico and Aclimacao.
• Parque Zoologico de Sao Paulo is one of the largest zoos in the world. There are more than 3,000 reptiles, birds and mammals in residence here. Also Simba Safari offers the chance to see animals including lions, zebras and monkeys roam freely in their natural environment.
• The Mercado Municipal is a large covered market that sells all sorts of food items.
• Cathedral Se is one of the five largest Gothic-style churches in the world, modelled after Notre Dame in Paris. The Metropolitan Cathedral is a mix of Byzantine and High German Gothic.
• The Jardins district is a great place to stroll around. The charming narrow streets boast several cafes and restaurants.
• Sao Paulo’s oldest museum is in Independence Park. Its collection dates from the mid-19th to the early 20th century. There are landscaped gardens modelled after those of the Palace of Versailles in France.
• The Museo de Arte Sacra has a fine collection of wooden and terracotta masks, jewellery, and religious art and objects from all over Brazil from the 17th century to the present day.
• The Sao Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) boasts a great collection of European and Brazilian art from the Renaissance to Contemporary Modern.

Sao Paulo airport overview

Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, officially called Governador Andre Franco Montoro International Airport, is Sao Paulo’s main international gateway. Located about 25km (18 miles) northeast of Sao Paulo, it is Brazil’s busiest airport, serving almost 27 million passengers in 2010. However, the airport was also rated as having the third-highest number of flight delays among major international airports, with 25 per cent of all flights experiencing delays greater than 15 minutes.

Fortunately, these frustrations should soon come to an end as the airport is undergoing extensive development in order to prepare for Brazil’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2014. Plans include the construction of a third runway and a third terminal, as well as an express railway line linking Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International to the city centre.

Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport is work in progress. Queues and delays are common and the terminals are in dire need of a makeover. Rest assured, though; 2014 will see the airport rising up to meet international airport standards.

Flights to Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport come from destinations around the world, including Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Toronto, Beijing, Paris, Dubai, Los Angeles, Johannesburg and New York.