With its verdant, tropical greenery amid a bustling metropolis, there’s no metropolis on the planet fairly like São Paulo, Brazil. Whereas it grew as an outpost for the booming espresso commerce, it’s now residence to some 12 million paulistanos, together with residents of Arab, Italian, and Japanese descent—making the town a multicultural melting pot for eating and tradition alike. São Paulo can be recognized for its iffy climate and site visitors jams, so that you’ll wish to plan your journey rigorously (and perhaps study a couple of phrases in Portuguese that can assist you get round, too). With out additional ado, listed below are one of the best locations to see, eat, drink, and keep within the sprawling monetary heart—no less than in your first go to.
What to See
Ibirapuera Park
Trying to recharge away from luxurious buying malls and museums? Make a journey to São Paulo’s large city park, Ibirapuera, positioned not removed from the town heart. Residents take their R&R critically, and the people-watching is top-notch. Whereas it’s been in comparison with New York Metropolis’s Central Park or Hyde Park in London, Ibirapuera is surrounded by numerous museums and cultural establishments which can be effectively price your time. Should you want a snack, there are meals vehicles and venders promoting contemporary coconut water proper out of the coconut and different South American snacks across the park.
Pinacoteca de São Paulo
Louvre who? The Pinacoteca is a one-of-a-kind museum with a concentrate on Brazilian artwork, and the constructing, based as an artwork college on the flip of the century earlier than being repurposed, makes the expertise actually particular. Along with extra basic gallery-style displays, the house boasts large open, sun-drenched rooms that nearly really feel like open-air sculpture gardens. It’s a sight to behold on a sunny day.
Batman Alley
One of many forces of the Vila Madalena neighborhood’s reinvigoration has been the arrival of road artwork on the excessive partitions of the realm’s properties—together with the vacationers that come to place the graffiti on the ‘gram. Nicknamed “Beco de Batman” for an enormous mural of the well-known bat-themed crime fighter that began all of it, Batman Alley’s artwork, which covers the partitions the place three alleys meet, is continually altering as new artists arrive on the scene, so there’s at all times one thing new to see. Spend a day exploring the adjoining space’s artwork galleries and cafés.
The place to Eat
Vista Restaurante Ibirapuera
After exploring Ibirapuera Park, see the town from a brand new vantage level at Vista Restaurante. This eatery, on the highest ground of the Museu de Arte Contemporânea, options 360 levels of walk-around terrace to provide you an concept of how large São Paulo actually is, full with an out of doors bar. Order the arroz de cogumelo, a paella-like seafood and fish dish, or the carne de sol for a superbly cooked steak. I’m reliably instructed the road will get lengthy at evening—and can be one thing of a nightlife hotspot—so select your individual daytime (or nighttime) journey correctly.
Pintar Materiais Artísticos
Paulistanos love to speak up the town’s love of gastronomy—with good purpose—and Petí Gastronomia is a wonderful instance of among the finest eating the town has to supply. Situated behind an artwork provide retailer, the 42-seat upscale restaurant boasts an ever-changing pre-fixe, three-course lunch menu for round 110 reais, or round $20, making it no shock that Michelin named it a Bib Gourmand decide.
A Casa do Porco
Casa do Porco’s identify interprets to “Home of the Pig,” and boy does this spot ship. With a concentrate on offering elevated delicacies at reasonably priced costs, the downtown restaurant from the husband and spouse staff of Jefferson and Janaina Rueda spotlights native producers to serve up each a part of the pig, “from nostril to tail,” so nothing goes to waste. Select from smaller plates like crispy pancetta with guava and pork jowl or, for those who’re with a bunch, go for the restaurant’s most well-known dish: Porco San Zé, which is gradual roasted for six to 9 hours and comes with conventional Brazilian aspect dishes. It’s ranked among the many world’s finest eating places for a purpose, in any case.
The place to Drink
Bar Caju
You may’t depart São Paulo with out making an attempt a caipirinha, the nation’s ubiquitous cocktail made with Brazilian cachaça, a sugarcane-based spirit much like rum. Reserve a desk and sip one (or a number of) of the mojito-esque drinks and order some delectable small plates for good measure. The town’s inhabitants swells with enterprise individuals throughout the work week, and Caju is called an elevated locale for post-work drinks that stretch into the late night. The bar additionally boasts implausible dwell music from Tuesday to Thursday nights.
Banqueta Bar
Should you’re fiending onerous for a well-crafted cocktail, Banqueta is price searching for out. Seize a Negroni or one of many bar’s signature drinks made with Brazilian components. Sit on the bar and order a conventional appetizer like dadinhos de tapioca, that are perfectly-sized, gentle, and ethereal bites of fried cheese. Belief me on this.
Guilhotina Bar
First named top-of-the-line bars on the planet in 2019, Guilhotina Bar has nonetheless acquired it. This bustling spot will get full of life with the youthful, after-work crowd. Its menu is made up of elevated basic cocktails, remixed with creative touches like marshmallow, house-made inexperienced juice, and edible flowers.
The place to Keep
JW Marriott Resort Sao Paulo
If JW Marriott makes you suppose “enterprise traveler,” suppose once more. Marriott’s luxurious providing, which opened in 2022, is attractive. Black marble, trendy Brazilian artwork, and a surprising red-and-gold gilded staircase anchor the foyer. The resort additionally contains a luxurious restaurant, Neto, by which Chef Ícaro Rizzo fuses Italian and Brazilian cooking; a well-appointed spa; and an indoor/outside infinity pool. Make sure to guide a nook suite for views of the Pinheiros River and the remainder of the town—it’s a sight you gained’t wish to miss at evening.
Rosewood São Paulo
Situated in a historic constructing within the Bela Vista neighborhood, which is residence to the buying and the world-class São Paulo Museum of Artwork, Rosewood’s first resort in South America features a Brazilian-French fusion restaurant, the place the setting is essentially the most luxurious rustic log cabin you’ve ever seen, and a foyer bar good for Brazilian celeb recognizing. Luxe touches like dessert delivered to your door and an ultra-helpful concierge—who will even take requests through WhatsApp—make the place really feel much more particular.
Renaissance Sao Paulo Resort
If you wish to keep steps from Paulista Avenue within the vibrant Jardins neighborhood, you’ll be able to’t go incorrect with the Renaissance. Should you’re a first-time customer, faucet into the concierge’s wealth of information in regards to the neighborhood’s finest off-the-beaten-trail spots to buy, dine, or see world famend artwork in one of many space’s many galleries.