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São Paulo: Hub of Diversity
São Paulo is the largest city in the Southern Hemisphere—more than eleven-million people live within its limits, along with another ten-million populating the surrounding areas. While over a quarter of these residents are of Italian ancestry, São Paulo is also home to large Japanese, African, Korean, Jewish, and Arabic communities. It’s not uncommon to find ramen shops, trattorias, and falafel stands on the same block.
Most visitors arriving by air are awed by the city’s endless canyons of skyscrapers. Although it is enormous, the city is surprisingly accessible when focused. For multi-day visits, the Paulista Avenue, Jardins and Parque Ibirapuera sectors are ideal. Here, the city’s famous design hotels, boutiques, performing-arts venues, restaurants, and nightclubs are within easy reach.
São Paulo’s museums rival the best in Latin America. The Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) houses one of the world’s greatest collections of Latin American art. MASP houses works by Diego Rivera, Bruno Giorgi, and Ernesto de Fiori, alongside pieces by European masters including Rembrandt, Botticelli, Degas, Renoir, Modigliani, and Picasso.
Other worthwhile São Paulo museums include:
- Museu da Imagem e do Som (photography, cinema, and music)
- Museu de Zoologia da USP (taxidermy)
- MuseuAfroBrazil (one of our favorites)
- Museu do Ipiranga (cultural artifacts)
- Museu de Arte Moderna
During off-peak hours, visitors to São Paulo can reach the Atlantic coast in about an hour. The best beaches lie another sixty miles northeast, near Ubatuba and on Ilhabela and Ilha Anchieta.
Having traveled this far, you’ll find yourself within close reach of the beautiful colonial port of Paraty; a destination well worth the trip. Helicopter charters from downtown São Paulo to the coast and countryside are a popular alternative to the crowded roadways.
Our Favorite Hotels
What to do in São Paulo
Over the years, we’ve assembled a collection of trusted friends—ambassadors, really—who open the city to our clients, helping them access the city’s leading galleries, studios, workshops, and kitchens.
Whatever your interests, we’ll make the introductions. LANDED can assist arranging the following among other signature experiences:
- Market visits, cooking classes, and chef’s table experiences
- Street-art explorations with graphic designers and graffiti artists at Batman Alley
- Museum and gallery visits with art collectors and curators
- Personal shopping with a fashion designer or fashion show producer
- Photo workshops with master photographers
- Helicopter day trips, with lunch and riding at a private ranch
- Explorations of the city’s street food culture
- Accompanied visits to samba clubs (available on Saturdays)
- Street market visits (available on Saturdays and Sundays)
- Architecture-focused walking or driving explorations
- Herpetologist-led visits to the Butantan Institute—one of the world’s largest producers of anti-venom for the treatment of snakebites and insect stings
- Participation in the Sunday leisure cycle event—when downtown lanes are opened to bicycles and street fairs are held
- Jewish cultural explorations
- Coffee cuppings by master baristas
What is the Weather Like?
São Paulo enjoys a distinctly temperate climate because of its elevation. The summer (December till March) is warm and rainy. The mean low temperature is about 66 °F, and the mean high temperature is near 82 °F. São Paulo’s Winter (June to September) has temperatures that tend to range between 54ºF to 7 °F. Autumn and spring are transitional seasons.
These averages are changing, please check extended weather forecasts using your favorite weather app prior to departure.
Getting There
São Paulo is served by Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil’s primary arrival point for international flights. Overnight flights from most US departure points reach Guarulhos in ten hours or less.
Congonhas, the city’s other large airport, mostly receives domestic flights.
Start your journey today
LANDED delivers the finest in custom, private travel to Central America, South America, and Antarctica. These regions are our passion; we know them first-hand and by heart. Speak with one of our travel designers and let us create a tailored itinerary for you in São Paulo.
How to combine São Paulo
Have some extra time? Here are some options for you to combine with.
