Brazil, South America

São Paulo

Brazil, South America

South America's biggest city: concrete towers and modernist landmarks, world-class museums, a food scene shaped by Italian, Japanese and Arab immigrants, and nights that start late and end at dawn.

Quick decisions

How many days?

2 days: Avenida Paulista, the historic centre and the Mercadão. 3 to 4 days: add Ibirapuera, Liberdade, Vila Madalena and a big night out. 5 days or more: add a trip to the coast or the mountains.

Where should I stay?

Jardins and Paulista: central, safe-feeling and on the metro. Pinheiros and Vila Madalena: bars, restaurants and street art. Itaim Bibi: business hotels and fine dining. More in our where to stay guide.

Do I need a car?

No. The traffic is notoriously heavy. Use the metro by day and Uber at night. Hire a car only to leave the city, and set off early.

Best for

Food lovers: one of the great eating cities of the Americas. Art and architecture fans: MASP, the Pinacoteca and Niemeyer. Night owls: bars and clubs until sunrise. Beach lovers: the coast is a drive down the Serra do Mar, often slow at weekends, so look to Rio.

Before you go

Visas: an e-visa for US, Canadian and Australian passports, none for EU and UK visitors. Book ahead: popular restaurants and big-event weekends. Safety: keep your phone in your pocket on the street.

Getting around

From Guarulhos: Uber, a taxi, or the express train and the new AeroGRU link. In the city: a large metro network with contactless payment, and Uber. Details in our getting there guide.

Continue your trip

Rio de Janeiro is an hour away on the air shuttle, or about six hours by bus. The coast at Santos and Ilhabela, the mountain town of Campos do Jordão and Paraty are all reachable by road. Iguaçu Falls is a short flight west.

Overview

São Paulo doesn't try to charm you at first sight. From the air it's a grey sea of towers stretching to the horizon, home to more than 20 million people in the metropolitan area. Up close, it's Brazil's engine: the country's financial capital, its most diverse city and, for many Brazilians, its best place to eat, drink and see art.

The rewards are indoors and after dark more than on postcards: museums, concert halls, markets, restaurants of every cuisine and bars that fill up late. Paulistanos, as locals are called, work long hours and go out late. Three or four days is enough for a first visit. Start with our São Paulo travel guide.

Getting there

Most international flights land at Guarulhos (GRU), around 25 kilometres northeast of the centre. Congonhas (CGH), inside the city, handles domestic flights, including the shuttle to Rio. Our getting there guide covers airport transfers, the metro and Uber.

Where to stay

Stay near a metro station on or close to Avenida Paulista, in Jardins, or in Pinheiros for the restaurants and nightlife. Avoid staying in the historic centre, which empties at night. Our where to stay guide compares the options.

Things to do

Begin with MASP and the Sunday street life in our Avenida Paulista guide, then head downtown with our historic centre guide. Ibirapuera, Liberdade and the rest are in our things to do list.

Food and drink

São Paulo eats like a city of immigrants. Pizza is a local obsession, thanks to its Italian community, and Liberdade and its neighbours serve some of the best Japanese food outside Japan. Lebanese and Syrian families brought esfihas and kibbeh. Paulistano staples include the towering mortadella sandwich at the Mercadão and the Saturday feijoada. Our food guide has more.

Culture

Jesuit missionaries founded São Paulo in 1554. It stayed a small town until coffee wealth in the late 19th century turned it into a boom city, drawing millions of immigrants from Italy, Portugal, Spain, Japan and the Middle East, as well as migrants from Brazil's northeast. The Modern Art Week of 1922, held at the Theatro Municipal, launched Brazilian modernism.

Weather by month

São Paulo is warmest in January, with average highs around 27°C, and coldest in July, when nights drop to about 12°C. January is the wettest month, with rain on about 24 days. For mild weather with fewer rainy days, aim for April, May, June, July, August and September.

Warmest monthJanuary · 27°C

Coolest nightsJuly · 12°C

Wettest monthJanuary · 24 rain days

Average temperature and rainfall in São Paulo by month
Month	Low	High	Rain	Rainy days
Jan	19°C	27°C	224 mm	24 d
Feb	19°C	27°C	168 mm	19 d
Mar	18°C	26°C	146 mm	19 d
Apr	16°C	25°C	58 mm	10 d
May	14°C	23°C	50 mm	8 d
Jun	13°C	22°C	43 mm	6 d
Jul	12°C	22°C	31 mm	3 d
Aug	13°C	23°C	47 mm	6 d
Sep	15°C	26°C	67 mm	8 d
Oct	16°C	26°C	114 mm	15 d
Nov	16°C	25°C	141 mm	17 d
Dec	18°C	27°C	163 mm	21 d