Museums and a diverse immigrant population have made Brazil's largest city the most energetic in South America.
Sao Paulo can be intimidating at first. The colossal city is home to almost 20 million people and it has some big problems like air pollution, constant traffic jams and crime. But if you look beyond these problems Sao Paulo can be an exciting, magnetic place to visit. Unlike its sunny counterpart Rio de Janeiro 250 miles to the northeast, Sao Paulo is home to several immigrant groups like Arabs, Italians and Japanese. The influx of different ethnic groups has made Brazil's largest city one of the most colourful and vibrant in South America, and the world.
Things to see and do
Avenida Paulista is one of the city's main thoroughfares and it's a good place to get a feel for how the city is laid out. You can begin your tour by visiting the MASP (fine art museum) and then head to the Parque Trianon for lunch. One of the most interesting architectural wonders in town is the curvy Edificio Copan built by Oscar Niemeyer. To take a look, hop on the Metro and get off at Anhangabau Station. In the evenings you can catch a musical performance at the Teatro Municipal in Centro. The city's ballet and opera companies perform here on a regular basis. Ibirapuera Park is the equivalent of Central Park in New York and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Bosque de Leitura, a kind of outdoor library, lends books and magazines to visitors and they can read them under the cool shade of some trees for the rest of the afternoon.
Eating out
Liberdade is the Asian quarter and is close to the central area of the city. Favourite snacks from Japan like yakitori and sushi are available here, and more Korean and Chinese immigrants are coming to Sao Paulo and setting up their own shops and restaurants. For some Italian fare, head to the Bixiga district where you can find several pizzerias. For a quick lunch look for the famous Bauru sandwich with roast beef, tomatoes and four types of melted cheese. You can eat it at any of the numerous lanchonetes that also serve fruit juice and powerful cups of Brazilian coffee, the cafezinho. Middle Eastern cuisine is popular with the local residents and there is a fast food chain called Habib's. Alberto Saraiva, an immigrant from Portugal with no Arab ancestry started this franchise and its been an enormous success in Brazil since the first store opened in Sao Paulo in 1988. Cheap and delicious, one of the specialties on the menu is esfihas, hot pastries stuffed with ground beef, tomato, onion and other seasonings. For the less adventurous traveller in Sao Paulo, a McDonald's is not hard to find either.
Getting there and away
Guarulhos International Airport is 18 miles northeast of the city and this is where visitors will land when arriving in Sao Paulo. There are regular flights to and from Europe and the United States. To make hotel reservations, go to the tourist information counters on the arrivals floor of Terminals 1 and 2. You can then take a radio taxi or an airport bus into town. Long distance buses offer frequent services from Sao Paulo to other cities in Brazil like Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Belo Horizonte.
