Luxury, sophistication and refinement, from the sleek hotels to the rooftop hangouts, from the funky lifestyle stores to the gigantic malls, São Paulo has them all. This cosmopolitan city is the wealthiest of a country which has symbolized for hundreds of years the great escape into a primordial, tropical paradise, igniting the Western imagination like no other South American country. Sao Paulo has often been compared to the vibrant New World and is the spot where most visitors from abroad land in Brazil.
From missionary village to cosmopolitan area
When talking about Sao Paulo, it is necessary to know the history of its people: explorers who, full of courage, climbed mountains and opened forests to demarcate their territory. 451 years ago, the small village of the so called Sao Paulo’s Plateau made a giant out of Brazil, with its economic power, its multicultural quality and its resistance to adversities. It became the biggest city in Latin America, resulting from very enlightened people, some distinguished, others rarely remembered, roaming about its history. Then, in 1554, the Jesuit missionaries José de Anchieta and Manuel da Nóbrega founded the village of São Paulo de Piratininga and a mission named Colégio de São Paulo de Piratininga aimed at converting the Tupi-Guarani Native Brazilians to the Catholic religion. This new settlement became the State of São Paulo. After 1881, waves of immigrants from Italy, Japan and many other countries emigrated to São Paulo in order to work at the enormous coffee plantations established in the State. At the beginning of the 20th century, the coffee cycle had already dropped down due to a sharp decline in international coffee prices. Sao Paulo's main economic activities have gradually left its industrial profile in favor of the services industry over the late 20th century. The capital of Sao Paulo is one of the few places able to combine harmoniously the contemporary and the past worlds.
Cultural diversity and metropolitan development join hands in today's Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo is a melting pot designed by multi-nationalities, cultures, creeds, developments and ideals, the big “bandeirante” metropolis is truly cosmopolitan, by vocation and adoption. It is Italian, German, Jewish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, French, African, Arab, Spanish, Latin, Brazilian, “paulistana”. These and so many other features imprinted in the architecture of the buildings, in the streets, in its sophisticated gastronomy, in the way people dress and behave.
The most cosmopolitan city in Brazil could only have a central area that is equally cosmopolitan. An universe of diverse people moves through the center of São Paulo.
Business travelers and tourists are typically based south-west of the city’s historic center, around the Avenida Paulista and Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima areas. Once lined with the mansions of coffee barons, Avenida Paulista is now home to skyscrapers, banks and office buildings. Avenida Faria Lima plays host to many investment banks and company headquarters. “Centro”, the old city centre, has the stock exchange and has been revitalised by the return of government offices. South of Avenida Paulista is an area known as Jardim Paulista (or Jardins), one of São Paulo’s most prestigious neighbourhoods, with smart restaurants, designer shops and a few listed buildings. To the west of Jardins lie Pinheiros and Vila Madalena, good areas for bars and restaurants, and only a short hop by cab from Jardins or Avenida Paulista.
Vila Madalena, west of Avenida Paulista, is the centre of a bustling nightlife scene. All taxi drivers know where it is (about 15 minutes from Avenida Paulista by cab). In particular, Rua Wisard and its cross streets (Ruas Fidalga, Girassol and Fradique Coutinho) are dotted with café-bars and restaurants, many with live music. Turn up some time towards midnight and wander around until you find somewhere that takes your fancy. Sao Paulo after dark can feel a bit scary, especially for first-time visitors, but Paulistanos enjoy a lively nightlife, with plenty of clubs and bars, many with bands playing everything from samba to jazz. But most places do not get going until around midnight. The city center has become a relatively safe area in the last decade, even at night, due to the increased number of policemen watching the streets.
The city's most famous park- a destination in itself
Among the city's not to miss locations, there is the Ibirapuera Park. Inaugurated in 1954 to celebrate the city's fourth birthday, and designed by famous architect Oscar Niemeyer together with landscape designer Burle Marx, Ibirapuera Park covers an area of two square kilometers and is considered Sao Paulo's replica of New York's Central Park.
There are plenty of things to see in the area, for both arts or science lovers but also for the tourist in search of a pleasant stroll. Both the Modern Art and Contemporary Art museums are found here, along with the Ibirapuera Planetarium and the Japanese Pavilion, as well as the famous obelisk and the Monumento as Bandeiras. The area also comprises of sports grounds, a jogging track, a children's playground, a restaurant and a snack bar. You can wander the paths beside pleasant lagoons or rent a bicycle and on Sundays you can take advantage of the Bosque de Leitura, a kind of free outdoor lending library that lets you borrow magazines or books to read in the park for the duration of day. In the corner near Gate 3 there's the Museu de Arte Moderna, just nearby there's the excellent Museu Afro Brazil. This new museum, one of the most popular cultural institutions to open in Sao Paulo in recent years, is dedicated to showing the cultural achievements of Africans and their descendants enslaved in Brazil. The museum is not a manifesto against the injustice and hardship of slavery but rather a celebration of the art and accomplishments of the African diaspora.
Notable events hosted by the city throughout the summer
If you choose to visit Sao Paulo at the end of June, you will surely enjoy the Fashion Week, a social event that features catwalk shows from all the top names in Brazilian fashion, from Cavalera to Neon and Oestudio. In July, the public attention is captivated by the Anima Mundi Festival - an annual international festival of animated cinema that presents a program of screenings, workshops, forums and exhibitions at venues in São Paulo. But no matter when you are planning a visit to this fully cosmopolitan area, there's always something to do, sights to see and flavors to enjoy.
Put on comfortable walking shoes, sunglasses, and discover hidden secrets that many Paulistanos may not even know about. And still, you should know that Brazil is not “dollarised”, so don’t expect to pay for taxis, meals and so forth in anything but the local currency, and you'd better avoid the tap water and stick to bottled water.
Laurent Fabier is well known as a partner editor for
online hotel reservation services like PlaniGo, economic and marketing sites. His experience ranges from important contributions in written media to news and
online travel magazines
