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São Paulo

TRAVEL GUIDE
São Paulo GALLERY
2024 2024 Fodor’s Go List Destination

São Paulo

TRAVEL GUIDE
São Paulo GALLERY
2024 2024 Fodor’s Go List Destination

A sprawling, high-rise megacity, São Paulo might not have Rio's beaches and sultry good looks, but for urban explorers, it's a thoroughly rewarding destination. Blessed with its own unique charisma and a kind, courteous population, it's brimming with culture and boasts some of the most varied options for eating out on the continent. The incessant urban landscape in this 20-million-strong metropolis won't be to everyone's taste, but for most visitors, one taste of São Paulo will leave them wanting more.

São Paulo is Brazil's main financial hub and its most cosmopolitan city, with top-rated nightlife and restaurants and impressive cultural and arts scenes. Most of the wealthiest people in Brazil live here—and the rest of them drop by at least once a year to shop for clothes, shoes,... Read More

A sprawling, high-rise megacity, São Paulo might not have Rio's beaches and sultry good looks, but for urban explorers, it's a thoroughly rewarding destination. Blessed with its own unique charisma and a kind, courteous population, it's brimming with culture and boasts some of the most varied options for eating out on the continent. The incessant urban landscape in this 20-million-strong metropolis won't be to everyone's taste, but for most visitors, one taste of São Paulo will leave them wanting more.

São Paulo is Brazil's main financial hub and its most cosmopolitan city, with top-rated nightlife and restaurants and impressive cultural and arts scenes. Most of the wealthiest people in Brazil live here—and the rest of them drop by at least once a year to shop for clothes, shoes, accessories, luxury items, and anything else money can buy. Paulistanos (São Paulo inhabitants) work hard and spend a lot, and there's no escaping the many shopping and eating temptations.

Despite—or because of—these qualities, many tourists, Brazilian and foreigners alike, avoid visiting the city. Too noisy, too polluted, too crowded, they say, and they have a point. São Paulo is hardly a beautiful city with nothing as scenic as Rio's hills and beaches. But for travelers who love big cities and prefer nights on the town to days on the sand, São Paulo is the right place to go. It's fast-paced and there's a lot to do. So even as the sea of high-rise buildings obstructs your view of the horizon, you'll see there's much to explore here.

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Neighborhoods

Money once poured into and out of the coffee barons' mansions that lined Avenida Paulista, making it, in a sense, the financial hub. And so
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The downtown district is one of the few places in São Paulo where a significant amount of pre-20th-century history remains visible. You can explore the
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Several far-flung sights are worth a taxi ride to see. West of Centro is the Universidade de São Paulo (USP), which has two interesting museums:
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The red-porticoed entryway to Liberdade (which means "Freedom") is south of Praça da Sé, behind the cathedral. The neighborhood is home to many first-, second-
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Ibirapuera is São Paulo's Central Park, though it's slightly less than half the size and is often more crowded on sunny weekends than its New
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Hotels

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Language

Portuguese

Nearby Airports

CGH, SAO, GRU

Electrical Outlets

The current in Brazil isn't regulated: in São Paulo and Rio it's 110 or 120 volts (the same as in the United States and Canada); in Recife and Brasília it's 220 volts (the same as in Europe); and in Manaus and Salvador it's 127 volts. Outlets take Continental-type plugs, with two round prongs.

Currency

Real

Local Weather

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Historic Weather: Powered by Dark Sky
Weather info provided is using averaged daily data within the given month of the previous year.

Language

Portuguese

Electrical Outlets

The current in Brazil isn't regulated: in São Paulo and Rio it's 110 or 120 volts (the same as in the United States and Canada); in Recife and Brasília it's 220 volts (the same as in Europe); and in Manaus and Salvador it's 127 volts. Outlets take Continental-type plugs, with two round prongs.

Currency

Real

Nearby Airports

CGH, SAO, GRU

Local Weather

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{{ monthAverage.month }}
Historic Weather: Powered by Dark Sky
Weather info provided is using averaged daily data within the given month of the previous year.

Discover the best neighborhoods in São Paulo with curated recommendations from our editors.

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Local Weather

{{ monthAverage.f_high }}° {{ monthAverage.c_high }}° {{ monthAverage.f_low }}° {{ monthAverage.c_low }}°
{{ monthAverage.month }}
Historic Weather: Powered by Dark Sky
Weather info provided is using averaged daily data within the given month of the previous year.

Discover the best neighborhoods in São Paulo with curated recommendations from our editors.

Explore All

Local Weather

{{ monthAverage.f_high }}° {{ monthAverage.c_high }}° {{ monthAverage.f_low }}° {{ monthAverage.c_low }}°
{{ monthAverage.month }}
Historic Weather: Powered by Dark Sky
Weather info provided is using averaged daily data within the given month of the previous year.

Discover the best neighborhoods in São Paulo with curated recommendations from our editors.

Explore All

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