São Paulo

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Photo by Gustavo Minas
Time:: GMT-3
Currency:: R$

These vtravellers love São Paulo

Overview
Guide
Reviews
Attractions
Sleep
Eat
Shop
Events

Overview

The sheer scale of São Paulo can be daunting for the first time visitor. Home to 11 million people, the urban sprawl is criss-crossed by six-lane highways and concrete flyovers, with few natural landmarks to guide the visitor.

The city’s countless skyscrapers are home to the banks, insurance firms, industrial giants and media empires that make this Brazil’s most prosperous city.

São Paulo has an energy all of its own, very different from laid-back Rio with its beach culture. Paulistanos are known as hard workers, but they make up for it at the end of the day.

Cuisine from around the world is given a distinctive Brazilian twist in restaurants to suit every budget and taste. The vibrant cultural scene is bolstered by ever-changing exhibitions and a host of annual festivals; while the city’s bars and clubs can rival any that Rio has to offer.

There are more helicopters here than in Manhattan and the wealthy elite fly back and forth from their mansions to city centre helipads, avoiding the traffic and poverty below. Inequality is a big problem, and in recent decades violence and petty crime has spread inwards from the slums that surround the city.

Avoid wearing fine jewellery on the street and keep expensive cameras out of sight. With sensible precautions like these, São Paulo is a city that can be enjoyed day and night. And with a climate that is mild throughout the year, there is never a bad time to visit.

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Feature

Guide

Public Transport

The underground Metrô (tel: (11) 3371 7411; website: www.metro.sp.gov.br) is modern, clean and efficient. It is also one of the safest and quickest ways to get from A to B in São Paulo. The two main lines run north-south and east-west, with a smaller line running from northwest to southeast, and two further sections under construction. The Metrô connects with overground rail stations (giving access to a further six lines) and with all the city’s bus stations.

Buses take the majority of the city’s huge population to and from work. Routes can be difficult for the visitor to understand, and petty crime and overcrowding are perennial problems. To cope with rush hour crowds, São Paulo recently introduced the world’s longest bus: a 25m- (82ft-) long Volvo built in three sections and with doors on both sides.

Visitors should look out for the Bilhete Único, which is a rechargeable smartcard ticket giving access to discounted journeys on all public transport. Trains and the Metrô run from 5am till midnight, and buses stop running at 1am.

Taxis

Rádio Táxi Vermelho e Branco (tel: (11) 3146 4000) have a large fleet of red and white taxis which can be pre-booked. Taxis hailed on the street or at a white taxi rank are slightly cheaper.

Car Hire

Hire cars are available from Avis, Rua Da Consolaçao 382 (tel: (11) 3259 6868; website: www.avis.com), Hertz, Rua Da Consolaçao 431 (tel: (11) 3258 9384; website: www.hertz.com) and Sixt, Alameda Barao de Limeira, 943 (tel: (11) 3669 5000; website: www.e-sixt.com). Getting behind the wheel in São Paulo can be a fraught affair, with endless traffic jams and confusing one-way systems. Constant lane switching and noisy aggressive drivers add to the mix.

Bicycle Hire

Reliable bikes can be hired from the cycling association Sampa Bikers, Rua Baluarte 672, Vila Olímpia (tel: (11) 3045 2722; website: www.sampabikers.com.br), who also run city and park tours as well as night runs for the adventurous.

Introduction

São Paulo has the most dynamic cultural scene in the country, if not the continent. World-class opera and dance companies and orchestras regularly perform in the city.

Classical music concerts, dance and opera performances take place at the Theatro Municipal, Praça Ramos de Azevedo s/n (tel: (11) 3222 8698; website: www.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/theatromunicipal) and Sala São Paulo(tel: (11) 3337 5414; website: www.salasaopaulo.art.br).

The city’s official ballet company, Baléllet da Cidade (website: www.baledacidade.com.br) performs at the Theatro Municipal. Teatro Abril, Avenida Brigadeiro Luis Antonio 411 (tel: (11) 3105 2665; website: www.teatroabril.com.br) is a concert hall hosting some of São Paulo’s most important concerts as well as big name international musicals.

Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Rua Álvares Penteado (tel: (11) 3113 3600; website: www.bb.com.br) is a cultural centre that puts on cutting edge contemporary art exhibitions, films and shows.

The cultural guide, Guia da Folha, in the newspaper Folha de São Paulo, is a Friday supplement carrying weekly cultural listings.

Cinema is very popular in São Paulo. Kinoplex Itaim, Rua Joaquim Floriano 466 (tel: (11) 3078 9960; website: www.kinoplex.com.br) and Cine Bristol, Avenida Paulista 2064 (tel: (11) 3289 0509; website: www.playarte.com.br) are two multi-screen cinemas that often show English-language movies with Portuguese subtitles.