SÃO PAULO ALL OF THE BEST!

SÃO PAULO ENTERTAINMENT – AROUND THE CLOCK
Whether you are in the mood for a cold “chopp” (draught beer), live presentation of MPB (Brazilian Popular Music) or if you are a Rock ‘n’ Roll lover, São Paulo is the place to be! “Samba”, “sertanejo”, “axé music”, we have it all, and more! If you prefer classical music, opera or ballet, São Paulo is where you get it all! And for the kids there are also many amusement and theme parks. There is Mônica Park, Xuxa Park, Playcenter and a few kilometers away the Hopi Hari and Wet’n’Wild! If you feel like dancing, there are hundreds of trendy nightspots, clubs, bars and discotheques! And what about fun cultural outings? The options are many, namely the Zoo Garden, the Safari Zoo, the Science Station, any of the 60 museums, the parks and whatever else the visitor has in mind! There are choices for every taste in entertainment, such as movie theaters, show houses, theaters, bowling alleys, electronic games, amusement parks, skating rings, kart tracks, cable cars, sport courts, panoramic flights, Carnival parties, among others. The hundreds of options are an important highlight for those visiting or living in São Paulo.

BAR SAMBA


TEATRO MUNINCIPAL

SÃO PAULO’S GASTRONOMY – WHERE THE VISITOR FEELS AT HOME
São Paulo is one of the world’s capitals of gastronomy. How many locations in the world house restaurants with menus suiting practically all the culinary cultures on the planet? In São Paulo there are German, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Australian, Scandinavian, Egyptian, Arab, Jewish, Moroccan, Lebanese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Greek, Vietnamese, Mexican and Argentine restaurants, just to mention a few. Not to mention the Brazilian cuisine, a world of delicacies: gaúcha, caipira, mineira, nordestina, litorânea, among others. Who would not feel at home while staying in São Paulo? The enormous variety of tastes, flavors and sensations are the right ingredients to create menus with different meals every day. And the setting? Glamorous and sophisticated restaurants in the Jardins district, fun and noisy “cantinas” in Bela Vista and even the nice and friendly sales points at the Mercado Municipal (Municipal Market). Therefore, no explanation is needed to understand that after the word “Welcome” the second key expression upon arrival in São Paulo is “bon apetit”!

STEAKHOUSE


CAIPIRINHA (TYPICAL DRINK OF BRAZIL)

SÃO PAULO SHOPPING – FROM A NEEDLE TO A FERRARI
São Paulo is a shopper’s paradise. In this giant metropolis you can buy almost anything. Whatever your interests are: from antiques to the last generation devices, from casual day-to-day clothes to sophisticated fashion carrying the best international labels, from handicraft sold by street vendors to the works of great masters displayed in the upscale art galleries of America, from budget cars to dream engines, such as Ferraris and Porsches, from the French escargot to Portuguese olives. São Paulo ranks among the world’s best cities for window shopping. Be it in the elegant shopping centers spread throughout the city or in the trendy streets of the Jardins district, São Paulo visitors fall under the spell of its great variety and excellent deals. During holiday seasons, retailers promote cultural activities and offer a colorful show of richly decorated shops and shopping centers, turning them into tourist attractions. When in a city like this it is impossible to return home empty-handed.

SÃO PAULO ARTS – MATCHLESS!
To speak of São Paulo is to speak of art. The 60 museums around the city make of São Paulo one of the art centers of the world, home to unique artworks produced by great masters of the visual art, such as painting, sculpture and photography. All visual arts, movements, schools and trends one can dream of exist here. The highlights are MAM -Museum of Modern Art, designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer, the Pinacoteca of the State, a red brick building designed by Ramos de Azevedo (NT – foremost Paulista architect, 1851-1928), the Ipiranga Museum, home to the famous painting “O grito do Ipiranga” (The cry of Ipiranga), the Museum of Sacred Art, the Lasar Segall, the Maria Luiza & Oscar Americano Foundation, the MIS (Museum of Image and Sound), and São Paulo’s landmark - MASP – São Paulo Museum of Art. São Paulo also hosts countless musical, dance and theater shows, not to mention the International Art Biennial and the cinema festivals. This, among other reasons, is why São Paulo is regarded as Latin America’s cultural capital.

MASP - SÃO PAULO MUSEUM OF ART


LATIN AMERICA MEMORIAL

SÃO PAULO ARCHITECTURE – THE CONTRASTS OF A METROPOLIS
The curves in São Paulo are the amalgamation of many generations of architectural trends and the milestones in the history of Brazil. The colonial homes and buildings to the churches built before the 19th century. The French influence at the beginning of the 20th century, with the Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles. The skyscrapers of the 20’s. The modernist flair surfacing at the start of the 30’s and post-moderns, steering during decades the architectural approach in São Paulo. Today, the city’s architecture is focused on buildings with reflective glass and futuristic design. Among the symbols of all these trends are the classic colonial Museum of Sacred Art, the former Julio Prestes Railway Station and the Viaduto do Chá, both built in pure Art Deco, with a strong French influence; the São Paulo Museum of Art – MASP (on Paulista Avenue) and the Oca on the grounds of Ibirapuera Park; the modernist architecture, and the hightech buildings on Berrini Avenue and Vila Olímpia. Also worth mentioning are icons such as the Edificio Copan, and the Banespa buildings, both downtown.

OCA ON THE GROUNDS OF IBIRAPUERA PARK

MERCADO MUNINCIPAL

SÃO PAULO FACES – THE SUCCESSFUL BLEND
What does a paulistano (NT - Resident of São Paulo) look like? What is his identity? The answer can be found in the life story of each individual who has helped build and shape-up the face of Latin America’s most important city. At the early stages of immigration, men and women from over 60 countries settled in São Paulo looking for opportunities, and they found a hospitable city that took them in with a warm welcome. Today, São Paulo is cosmopolitan. It is the world’s third largest Italian metropolis, the largest Japanese city outside Japan, the third largest Lebanese city outside Lebanon, the largest Portuguese city outside Portugal and the largest Spanish city outside Spain. The “melting pot” of races, ethnicities and cultures molded and transformed São Paulo’s cultural, social and economic life. It is a typical trait of the “paulistano” to welcome visitors with open arms. No wonder the people visiting always end up coming back. As they say “para matar saudades” (NT – “to call back happy moments” // “for sake of auld lang syne”)

SÃO PAULO GREEN – A GIANT KEEPER OF ECOLOGY
The giant metropolis also loves green. The city has 21 spaces where nature plays the leading part. It houses the Cantareira Park, the world’s largest urban forest that has over 136 thousand m², from where the visitor has one of the most stunning views of city. There is also the Jaraguá Park, with a 1,135m hill of the same name, the highest point in town, the Núcleo Curucutu of Serra do Mar State Park, the Tietê Ecological Park and the Guarapiranga Park. Within the urban areas of São Paulo, interspersed amidst districts and avenues you will find the country’s most vibrant and colorful spaces for urban leisure. The most famous one is Ibirapuera Park, created during the city’s four hundredth anniversary; it is a landmark for the “paulistano”, featuring some of the city icons, such as the Obelisk, the pond with its dancing fountains and the Bandeiras Monument. Several other parks form the green belt area of São Paulo, such as: Aclimação Park, Carmo Park, Juventude Park, Villa-Lobos Park among others.

IBIRAPUERA PARK

BANDEIRAS MONUMENT

SÃO PAULO CITY OF BUSINESS – A NATURAL VOCATION
Cradle of the Brazilian industrialization and the country’s economic Capital, São Paulo is Brazil’s and Latin America’s largest business hub. This explains the typical image of the “paulistano” – an executive carrying a briefcase, and always rushing. The city attracts the world’s largest and most important international fairs and congresses, as well as top cultural and sporting events. Today, São Paulo counts on a comprehensive infrastructure with well located and fully equipped venues, enormous hotel infrastructure encompassing all categories, a wide-range gastronomy (40 countries have their cuisine represented about town), transportation facilities, leading edge communications technology and, of utmost importance, qualified professionals trained to render excellent services that will ensure successful events. The events held in town amount to 90 thousand a year, representing an average of 250 events a day. The turnover of the event and exhibition industry is R$ 8 billion per year and it attracts over 15 million visitors to town.

PAULISTA AVENUE - SÃO PAULO ECONOMIC CENTER

SÃO PAULO AND SPORTS – A CITY THAT SWEATS
Sports of all kinds are practiced by thousands of professionals and amateurs in the city’s daily life - from athletics to basketball, from swimming to volleyball, from rowing to tennis, from skating to golf, from equestrian sports to soccer. Regardless of age, social bracket, creed and fitness. São Paulo has daily sporting activities taking place in sophisticated academies, gyms or on plain bare soccer fields in the outskirts of the city. Every year the metropolis, in its leadership role, hosts some of the world’s most important sports events: the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the São Silvestre Marathon (NT – urban marathon – on December 31st) among dozens of other international competitions in different modalities. And when it comes to soccer, the nation’s passion, we take pride in being home to some of the most traditional and championship winning soccer teams in the world. São Paulo is an easy going and democratic city. Just notice the amount of people mingling in the city parks seeking fresh air and a place to exercise in order to stay fit and maintaining good health.