Travel guide for SAO PAOLO

Information

Climate

Sao Paulo city temperatures are moderate in winter and warm but not excessively hot in summer with a tendency towards often uncomfortable humidity levels. Heavy rainfall sometimes occurs in December/January and some local flooding can result.

Location

Sao Paolo is the largest city of Brazil, with a city population of about 10 million and 23 million in its metropolitan region. It is the capital of the Southeastern state of Sao Paolo.

Money Issues

The currency is the R$. The US dollar is also welcome is most tourists establishments. You can exchange cash and travellers cheques at banks or cambios. Finally the major international credit cards are accepted in ATMs.

History

Sao Paulo was founded on January 1554 by Jose de Anchieta and Manoel da Nobrega. Sao Paulo officially became a city in 1711. Due to coffee exports, it experienced a tremendous economic prosperity during the 19th century and many immigrants from Japan and Italy moved to the city. Sao Paulo now is home to a large number of local and international banking offices, law firms, multinational companies and consumer services.

How to get there

By plane which brings you to the Guarulhos International Airport (also known as Cumbica) 30Km northeast of Sao Paulo. Some of the international airlines companies that operate at Guarulhos are Delta, Air France, British Airways, Alitalia, Iberia, KLM and many others. Buses are available from the airport to the Praca de Republica, Paulista region, Barra Funta bus station and Tiete bus station (all of them are connected to the underground). You may also take a taxi and you can ask the taxi driver the price for the location you are interested. Travel from the airport to the city center is one hour and a half at the peak times and 40 minutes at nights or early in the morning.

Trasportation

I advise you to use the underground (known as Metro) while visiting Sao Paulo. It is safe, clean, and reliable and considered one of the best subway systems in the world. It has four lines (Green, Red, Blue and Purple) and links to the metropolitan train network. Tickets costs 2.30 R$(counters and vending machines exists in every station) and working hours are from 4:30 am to 12:00 am. An alternative way of transport is to use the local buses. Tickets costs 2.30R$ and travelling with bus around Sao Paulo is the best way to reach every neighbourhood. Avoid rent a car in case you are a visitor. As in every big city, traffic is heavy and there are no parking facilities. If you don’t case for these objections, companies like Avis and Hertz provide all the information you need to rent a car in their website. Despite the fact that I prefer to walk on foot, while staying at Sao Paulo I realized that pedestrians are not the priority at Sao Paulo and I advise you not to walk a lot at least at the main streets and roads. Take care whenever crossing the streets and watch out for cars that may come unexpectedly.

While there

Accomodation On-line hotel reservations in SAO PAOLO

You can easily find a hotel room on Expedia.com or go to the hotel’s website and make your reservation. I stayed in a pretty good hotel, called Matsubara hotel (costs me 200 R$). Satellite TV, internet connection exists in every room.

Children

There are plenty of activities to keep children busy in Brazil. Local Brazilians take their children everywhere and you'll feel comfortable doing the same. Visit the zoo, the science museum and the Butanta (a snake study centre). You may also take a walk at the Siqueira Campos Park which offers a good break from the bustle of the city with its several small play areas featuring swings, teeter-totters and slides.

Food

Try the Pao de Queijo (cheese bread), Acaraje (Fried shrimp pie), Feijoada (A stew of black beans and a variety of meats, served with rice and kale.), Churrasco (Excellent quality barbecued meat), Virada Paulista (Rice, beans and banana served with meat) ,Pastel (Fried pies eaten with various fillings like meat, cheese, guava, and condensed milk) and Bauru ( hot sandwich filled with sliced roast beef, cucumber and four kinds of melted cheese ).

Amusement

In Sao Paulo, you can find nightclubs offering every beat in Brazil, as well as jazz and disco. The Sao Paulo nightlife is quite spread-out , so it is better to pick a place of your choice , enjoy dinner and then have a drink at a club nearby. Vila Ol?mpia is where the 18 to 30 years olds go for nightlife, with a number of large dance clubs located and some of the city's best bars. Vila Madalena is more in vogue with the 25 to 45 years olds who enjoy bars and restaurants more than dance clubs. Besides Sao Paulo, has a superb diversity of restaurants, and the prices can be relatively low compared to European and American Standards. Do not miss to visit the Churrascaria (the most famous type of Brazilian restaurant). They serve beef, chicken and pork and usually there is a salad bar included in the price as well. Personally I still remember an excellent dinner at the Figueira Rubaiyat restaurant (I should mention that i was a little expensive) which is built under a marvellous fig tree. The quality of every plate that is served is excellent. The menu includes seafood, salads and meat. I also suggest you to try the national dish Feijoada (it is described in the local dishes section).

Beaches

Sao Paulo is only one hour driving from the Paulista Coast which is a region full of nice beaches and great seafood. It’s better to visit Paulista at a weekday, since the weekend is usually much crowed. The Ubatoba (3hours by car) with many leisure activities like scuba diving, surfing and mountain biking. Another nice excursion (but little far from Sao Paulo, 3 hours ) is the island lhabela with many leisure options such as sailing, camping and walks.

Activities

Sport Events

Sao Paulo is the place where the final race of the Formula One season takes place. Interlagos circuit is located 16km away from the city centre. The stands are often filled with Brazilian green and yellows as locals cheer on their native driver called Felipe Massa. Besides if you like soccer try to view a match of the great Brazilian team called Sao Paolo.

Leisure

If you like walking ,you should spend some hours at the Ibirapuera Park. It has paths for walking and jogging, bikeways, woods, lakes, sport courts and areas for relaxation that attract city residents of all ages. It receives up to 150 thousand visitors on weekends. Buy the sweet and tasty coconut/nougat-sweets that are sold by many vendors in the park. Nearest Metro is Vila Mariana.

Shopping

Every region in Sao Paulo has its shopping area. Usually the imported products can be expensive, so concentrate on Brazilian goods. The most known shopping streets are the Rua Teodoro Sampai (Clinicas underground station) for furniture and musical instruments, Rua Oscar Freire (Consolacao station) for famous designer clothing brands and Rua Santa Ifigenia for electronic equipment. Shops are usually open at 10am and close at 6pm, including Saturdays, and close on Sundays. In shopping malls, opening hours are 10am to 10pm from Monday to Saturday, and 12pm to 8pm on Sundays.

Monuments

Galleries

Visit the Museum of Art which features the work of the most famous European artists during the last 500 years. It is open all days and entrance is free every Thursday. Displays a collection of works ranging from the Renaissance to Contemporary Modern. Visitors walk through rows of paintings that are hung from the ceiling.

Museums

The Sacred Art Museum near the Tiradentes subway station is considered to be one of the best in its subject. The Ipiranga Museum, located near the place where the Brazilians declared their independence from Portugal. The Crime Museum, contains a collection of artefacts used to perform crimes and a number of conserved cadavers and body parts. The Pinacoteca, near to Mercado Central has a great art collection with more than 4000 works. The Museum Paulista, with approximately 100,000 pieces, comprises works of art, furniture, clothing, and appliances that once belonged to famous people who took part in the Brazilian history.

Modern museums

The Brazilian museum of coffee includes a coffee preparation center, works of arts by Benedito Calixto (panels and stained glass windows) and a library. The Modern Art Museum, it has two exhibition halls and it is located at the city centre close to the Ibirapuera Park. The Immigration Museum which has a permanent collection of period furniture, documents and photographs, and regularly hosts temporary exhibits relating to particular aspects of immigration history.

Modern monuments

Visit the Mercado Municipal, an imposing hall built at 1933. It is the venue of a huge market which sells local fruit, vegetables and other products. Give a notice at its gigantic strained- glass windows that depict scenes from the coffee plantations. It is located of Praca-da-se.

Other sights

Visit the Sao Paulo Jockey club (free entrance) which has a great view of the River Pinheiros especially around 6pm. The University of Sao Paulo(near Vila Madalena underground station) which is the largest in Brazil. It is a nice place to ride a bicycle, jog or just lay down on the grass, especially in the summer.

Not to miss

In case you are in Sao Paulo during the carnival, you should not miss to parade in the Sambodromo, near Armenia and Tiete underground stations. This is where the typical Carnival parade takes place, with dancers dressed up in colorful costumes and musicians play samba songs.

Be Cautious

Sao Paulo like many big cities in South America has its crime problems. Do not leave valuable objects such as your wallet and mobile phones on the restaurants or bars tables. Do not curry large amount of cash on the public and do not wear extravagant or expensive looking clothing. Avoid talking to strangers, especially those who insist. Besides you should avoid the tap water and ice when you are not sure for the building you are in.

Best routes

Join the Sao Paulo Historical City Tour to introduce yourself to the history, culture and the lifestyle of Sao Paulo. The tour lasts 3 hours and includes the Cathedral of Se, the Monastery of Sao Bento, the Municipal Theatre and many other highlights.

Out

If you have time for a route outside Sao Paulo, visit the Embu das Artes which is located South of Sao Paulo. It is an ideal place for buying authentic Brazilian art , handicrafts and furniture. You may also visit the Santos city ome to Pelé's famous football team Santos. Another nice excursion is the Hopi Hari theme park in a region that enjoys more than 300 sunny days per year on average.

Value 4 money

Sao Paulo has a superb diversity of restaurants, and the prices can be relatively low compared to European and American Standards. You will have no problem eating a perfectly good dinner for less than 10R$.

Impressions

Sao Paulo is a paradise for shopping, eating and nightlife. The city is full of designer shopping malls, top rated restaurants and cultural activities. Those who are unlikely to be daunted by the world’ s third largest metropolis filled with smog and traffic might choose not to travel to Sao Paulo as a first choice holiday.