South America’s largest city, São Paulo is often overlooked in favor of its glitzier seaside rival, Rio de Janeiro. But while tourists flock to the cidade maravilhosa for its sun, sea, and samba, the grittier concrete jungle of São Paulo holds a hidden charm. Its beauty may not be as in your fac—on the surface it’s a grey sea of skyscrapers often matched by rainy weather—but it rivals the world’s truly great metropolises when it comes to culture. Its food, art, and music scenes are among the best in Latin America, its soccer teams are fervently supported (catch a Corinthians game if you can, especially if against fierce rivals Palmeiras), and it boasts a wealth of renowned events, such as the São Paulo Art Biennial set in Ibirapuera Park.
São Paulo had just 31,000 residents in the 1870s, but today’s nearly 23 million make up a vibrant melting pot of immigrants: Since the late 19th century, people have flocked from throughout Europe—Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, eastern Europe—and the Middle East, and the Korean and Japanese communities are numerous, while Peruvians and Bolivians have more recently arrived. There’s also been migration from the north of Brazil, where much of the culture has been shaped by formerly enslaved Africans. Today, you can find food representing every community that has left its fingerprints on the city—though their impact extends well beyond the culinary realm.
This São Paulo travel guide is designed to help you make sense of the city’s beautiful chaos. We cover the best things to do, the places to eat and drink now, and where to get a few hours of shut eye amid all there is to see.
Getting to and around São Paulo
From the United States, several airlines fly to Guarulhos, São Paulo’s international airport. LATAM, United Airlines, and others operate direct flights from cities like New York, Houston, Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco From the airport it’s a 45-minute taxi ride to downtown, although the city’s unavoidable traffic means it can take much longer. Consider ditching the roads and taking the train for less than a dollar (Google Maps can help you find your route).
São Paulo’s central districts are well connected by the metro, but taxis are relatively affordable (and yes, your Uber app works here). Walking in neighborhoods like Pinheiros and neighboring Vila Madalena, a hipster enclave, is easy—though hilly—but transport is ideal between neighborhoods in such a massive and sprawling city.
What to do in São Paulo
Tap into the art scene
The city is a cultural behemoth, with scores of museums, galleries, and markets—though its street art scene is a natural place to start. The graffiti-filled alley of Beco do Batman is, unfortunately, full of tourists now and past its best. Head instead for Minhocão, a city center highway that’s pedestrianized on weekends, from where you can look out upon a sea of skyscrapers, many hosting impressively enormous works of street art. For indoor art, check out the Instituto Moreira Salles, which focuses on photography, or the Museu de Arte São Paulo (MASP), both on Avenida Paulista. The latter has a well-stocked permanent exhibition blending all the European big-hitters with Brazil’s finest painters, including Tarsila do Amaral. In early 2025, the MASP opened a new site, the Pietro Maria Bardi building, to host even more exhibitions. It has been wildly popular, with lengthy queues on weekends—book tickets online in advance and consider visiting during the week if you can.
Admire architecture
Architecture lovers know that São Paulo is home to works by Oscar Niemeyer and Lina Bo Bardi. The former designed a string of buildings in Ibirapuera Park, including the Ibirapuera Auditorium, with its giant red tongue signaling the entrance. Bo Bardi, an Italian who arrived in Brazil in 1946, designed the MASP based on her own house in Morumbi, a leafy neighborhood in the west of the city. Her former home, the Glass House, can be visited today, and is an oasis where Bo Bardi planted thousands of trees surrounding a glass house on large concrete stilts. Also worth visiting is Sesc Pompeia, a cultural center in the city’s north where Bo Bardi’s architecture is put to everyday use, housing a swimming pool, theater, music venue, and café. A few minutes’ walk away, grab a pastel, a deep-fried pastry filled with meat or cheese, at Pastelaria Brasileira, an institution celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Feel the beat
For live music (and decent Italian food), check out Casa de Francisca, a gorgeously opulent reconstructed townhouse in the city center with a wide program including jazz and most Brazilian genres. To reach Bona Casa de Música, step into the unassuming entrance on a residential road that leads to a cavernous hall where some of Brazil’s best contemporary bands play. (Book both in advance.) If it’s dancing you’re after, try Julinho Clube or Ó do Borogodó, which celebrate Brazilian music at its finest. Though the latter focuses on samba, stick around and you’ll find a more raucous party atmosphere continueing into the early hours.
Where to eat
Like most things in this city, São Paulo’s food offers something from everyone, whether you’re after no-fuss lunch spots or lengthy tasting menus, staunchly Brazilian dishes or food from a notable diaspora.
International flavors
First things first, you can’t visit São Paulo without going for Japanese food, which is as natural to its residents as Mexican food in LA. Liberdade, a hub of the Japanese community, has a wealth of options from cheap all-you-can-eat sushi to Lamen Aska, one of the best ramen spots this side of Tokyo—prepare for long lines accordingly. Equally popular no-reservations joint Izakaya Matsu in Pinheiros is also a gem. Aim for a counter seat and tuck into katsu sandos, fried chicken, soy-and-sake squid, and mouth-watering takoyaki.
