A concrete jungle with a warm soul: Sao Paulo. The world’s second largest city 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 sim 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 haven where 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.
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Sao Paulo is mild year-round. July is the coolest winter month, when temperatures can go down to the 50s (F). February is the hottest summer month with high temperatures in the low 80s (F). Heavy rains are common from November through March, when it rains nearly every afternoon.
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Peak Season:
The business capital of Brazil, 75 per cent of the country’s fairs and congresses are held in Sao Paulo so the city is busy year-round.
April through December the city also hosts film and music festivals, and fashion and art exhibits. If you are planning on visiting Campos do Jordao in June or July, book your stay in advance. Sao Paulo flights and hotels book up fast during the summer season so it's a good idea to book ahead.
In summer, also make reservations for beach vacations as far in advance as possible.
Off Season:
Rain is likely during the winter months, but cheap Sao Paulo flights and accommodations can be found.
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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 off at the main hotels. Public buses are also available.
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Sao Paulo has neighbourhoods perfect for walking and convenient public transportation to take you around town. The subway has two main lines, and runs from 5am until midnight. There are, though, some places that you need a bus to reach. The buses run frequently, and you have to flag down a bus for it to stop.
The city is very safe during the day, but check with your hotel before deciding where to walk at night—some areas are safe but others are best avoided. At night, the safest mode of transportation is by taxi. Taxis are reliable and plentiful in Sao Paulo. You can hail a taxi anywhere on the street and there are taxi stands.
Traffic in Sao Paulo is frustrating to put it mildly. There are frequent traffic jams, the streets are flooded when it rains, and parking is expensive if you can find any. The traffic is so bad that Sao Paulo has the world’s largest fleet of civilian helicopters ferrying commuters from the suburbs to their offices. The city has also instituted a traffic rotation system that determines on which days cars with license plates that end in specific numbers can drive in rush hour.
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- 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.
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