8 Ways to Experience São Paulo — Beyond the Tourist Track
Most visitors to Brazil from my country (the United States) can’t stop raving about Rio and barely spend any time in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city and the 4th largest city in the world. But I lived in São Paulo for three months last year and fell in love with it. Here are my recommendations for how to explore the city:
1. Stroll on the Minhocão for a quintessential Paulista Sunday.
My favorite place in São Paulo! This 2.2-mile elevated freeway (slang for the “big worm”) closes to cars on weeknights at 9pm, Saturday afternoons, and all day on Sundays. Take a Sunday walk to marvel at the many massive, beautiful murals on the sides of buildings along the route and watch Paulistas (residents of São Paulo) enjoying their city — rollerblading, walking dogs, reading in the sun. Start at the entrance near Tap Tap Bar, where you can even pick up a craft beer to sip mid-walk. (On Google Maps, the Minhocão is a road called Via Elevado Pres. João Goulart; walk north from the entrance next to this.) Also beautiful for a moonlit stroll, though take a local friend as the area can be a bit sketchy at night.
2. Learn about Brazilian social movements at Ocupação 9 de Julho.
Ocupação 9 de Julho is one of over 35 housing occupations in the city. Federal law mandates that if a building is vacant for a certain number of years, people can enter to live on the property. This is the most well-known occupation because they open to the public on Sundays. Highly recommend — you can savor a vegan lunch, listen to live music, see their community-run garden, and look at exhibits about the history of housing occupations. (Your meal purchase also provides a free meal to a resident.) A unique and special way to learn about political activism in Brazil. The occupation is part of the MST (Landless Workers’ Movement), the largest social movement in Latin America with over 1.5 million members.
3. Watch the remarkable talent of Brazilian musicians jamming.
There is SO much amazing music in this city that it is hard to pick any one place — in the evenings, walk into most bars and you will be treated to live samba (ask a Brazilian friend to take you to their favorite spot). But a few places stand out: at Bar do Julinho, musicians gather to jam and drink, often after they’re done at other bars (arrive after 10pm, when the music starts). Casa de Francisca is one of the coolest venues I have ever been to — beautiful low lighting, wood paneled-stage, and intimate space in a historic building downtown that used to be a radio station (in a bit of a sketchy area at night, but you can Uber close to it and they have security guards on the one block walk to their entrance). The aptly named JazzB has excellent jazz (grab a pre-show drink at the beautiful Fel bar at the Copan Building, a 4-minute walk away and a great date spot). Casa Natura also hosts concerts with amazing sound quality. Check the venue websites to see who is playing and book tickets (especially for Casa de Francisca, as they tend to sell out a week in advance).
4. Visit one of the most fascinating museums in the world — Museu Afro Brasil.
A powerful exploration of the history of African cultures around the world and the journey of Black communities in Brazil — told through an extraordinary collection of artifacts such as West African masks, beaded Carnaval costumes, and archival videos and photographs. One room includes an old ship used to transport slaves to Brazil. It is a dark but important way to learn about a key aspect of Brazil’s history. (Museu Afro Brasil is in Parque Ibirapuera.)
5. Walk to key spots in the history of Black Brazilians.
Rebecca runs this excellent walking tour of downtown. For 3 hours, she will explain key moments in São Paulo’s history and guide you to all kinds of amazing places tough to discover on your own — such as the Santander building and a shopping center that is a hub for African immigrants in Brazil. There are many walking tours of the city, but this one is particularly insightful for the way Rebecca teaches you about the role of slavery and the Afro community. This is a critical and often-hidden side of the country’s history (Brazil was the last country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery and imported more slaves than any other country in the world). Book on Airbnb ($10).
(If you like riding bikes, Guilherme also runs an awesome bike tour of the city that will take you to spots like Parque Villa-Lobos and the cycle path next to the Pinheiros River. Book on Airbnb — he will arrange a bike rental.)
6. Explore SESC Pompeia, a beautiful community center/ cultural space.
SESC Pompeia is a former drum factory turned into one of the world’s coolest examples of Modernist architecture. Neat to walk around to see the awesome exhibits full of stunning photos, art, and history (when I went, there was a neat exhibit on the Amazon). Free to enter and a nice place to spend an afternoon. Read a book or the free newspapers, people-watch, or grab a snack at the cafeteria — they even have a public pool! You can also catch one of their plays, classes, comedy, concerts, or other events (check their website for the schedule).
7. Try moqueca de peixe and other classic Brazilian food/drinks.
Like with live music, food-lovers are spoiled with endless great restaurant options in São Paulo. A few of my favorites:
- Consulado da Bahia — mouth-watering seafood from Bahia, a coastal state. Get the acarajé com camarão and moqueca de peixe.
- Grab freshly squeezed juice and coxinha at your neighborhood boteco (bar/cafe on every block).
- In Liberdade — Izakaya Issa for excellent tiny, cozy Japanese spot. Rong He for Chinese, get the gyoza! (São Paulo is home to the largest population of Japanese descent outside Japan).
- Buona Fatia — great pizza in Bixiga, the neighborhood where many Italians moved to after migrating to Brazil.
- Cuia Cafe—cute for lunch and inside a cool bookstore in the historic Copan Building (grab a post-meal espresso at Café Floresta, started in 1940 in the same building).
- Coffee Lab — the city grew as a hub for the coffee beans trade, so it has a lot of great options, but this is my favorite (and one of the rare spots where you can sit for hours working at a laptop with good wifi).
- Get coffee and dessert at a padaria — bakeries common across the city, that often have pães e doces in their name and huge buffets. For a late-night snack, pop into Padaria Bella Paulista, open 24 hours.
- Go to a bustling weekly market — marvel at the produce and get a pastel com palma e camarão and caldo de cana com limão. My favorite is near Santa Cecília metro station on Sundays.
- Al Janiah — delicious Middle Eastern.
- Other cool bars: Riviera, Parajá Faria Lima, Losdos for tacos and drinks on a buzzing street, Bar dos Arcos (underground beneath the Municipal Theatre).
8. Take a Sunday yoga class under the trees at Parque Ibirapuera.
Nathalia teaches a weekly class at 10am on Sundays in the park. A great way to relax. After class, hydrate with freshly cut coconut water (available throughout the park), eat an ice-cold açaí bowl from Oakberry, or walk around to see many Brazilian families biking and kids playing. Opened in 1954, Parque Ibirapuera was the first park in the city and is the main gathering space where people hang out outside. Book on Airbnb ($8 USD); mats available to borrow. (You can find the group in the grass near the entrance to Gate 6 and the sign for Piste de Cooper.)
Getting around: Uber is definitely the easiest (and affordable if you’re used to non-Brazil prices). But the Metro is also clean, safe and cheap. There is also a great bus system, though it’s a bit harder to navigate and cash only for non-Brazilians. Most restaurants and stores take cards — even market stalls. Enjoy!
Runner Ups:
These didn’t make the list because most tourists and locals already hear about them — but definitely make sure to check them out as well!
- Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) — excellent art museum and there is a great restaurant on the lowest floor with dishes from across Brazil. Also a nice park and sculpture garden across the street. On Sundays, Avenida Paulista (next to MASP) closes to traffic, so you can walk down it and enjoy busking musicians and market stalls.
- Mercado Municipal de São Paulo — meat-eaters can get the famous mortadella sandwich.
- Go to a football game at Estadio do Morumbi to see how obsessed Brazilians are with football (called soccer in the US!)
