São Paulo City

South America's largest city, with Avenida Paulista, the graffiti of Beco do Batman and a Japanese immigrant neighborhood. Its dining and art scenes are rich, and it is the main gateway to Brazil.

São Paulo is Brazil's largest city and the biggest metropolis in the Southern Hemisphere, with about 11.5 million people in the city proper and over 20 million in the metropolitan area. It sits on a plateau in southeastern Brazil at about 760 m, roughly 70 km from the Atlantic coast. It is Brazil's financial and business center, home to the world's largest Japanese community outside Japan and to many Italian, Lebanese and Portuguese immigrants, so its dining is extremely diverse: Brazilian churrasco, Italian pizza, Japanese food and Arab cuisine are all excellent. The main areas to visit are: Avenida Paulista (the MASP art museum, the pedestrian street on Sundays); the old city center (Sé Cathedral, the Municipal Theatre, the Mercado Municipal, the Pinacoteca art museum and Estação da Luz); the Liberdade district's Japanese street; Ibirapuera Park and the Niemeyer buildings; and graffiti and bars in Vila Madalena in the west. The climate is subtropical highland and mild year-round: December to March is summer with frequent thunderstorms, June to August is dry and slightly cool winter (lows around 10°C), and April–May and September–October are the most comfortable. Getting there: Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) is South America's largest international gateway, and from China the trip takes about 25–30 hours with a connection in Europe, the Middle East or North America. An airport express train links to the Metro, the Metro covers the main sights, and ride-hailing (Uber, 99) is recommended for taxis. We suggest 3–4 days, and it can be combined with Rio de Janeiro and Iguazu Falls. Notes: Chinese citizens need a Brazilian visa; safety is a real concern, so be careful in the old city center, especially at night and on weekends when few people are around, and do not use your phone openly on the street; hotels are tight during the Brazilian F1 Grand Prix in November and the Pride parade in June.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries