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São Paulo, the capital of São Paulo state, is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city recognized for iconic landmarks like Paulista Avenue and Ibirapuera Park. With a diverse population of over 12 million people speaking many languages, it is a global financial hub and a blend of historic architecture and modern innovation.
São Paulo is the capital of the surrounding state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest state in Brazil. It is the world's 12th largest city proper by population and also the largest Portuguese-speaking city in the world. São Paulo is located in Southeastern Brazil, in southeastern São Paulo State, approximately halfway between Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro. The city’s name derives from its having been founded by Jesuit missionaries on January 25, 1554, the anniversary of the conversion of St. Paul.
São Paulo is a cosmopolitan, melting pot city, home to the largest Arab, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese diasporas. São Paulo is also home to the largest Jewish population in Brazil, with about 75,000 Jews. In 2016, inhabitants of the city were native to over 200 different countries. People from the city are known as paulistanos, while paulistas designates anyone from the state, including the paulistanos. The city's Latin motto, which it has shared with the battleship and the aircraft carrier named after it, is Non ducor, duco, which translates as "I am not led, I lead."
As the capital of the state of São Paulo, the city is home to the Bandeirantes Palace (state government) and the Legislative Assembly. The Executive Branch of the municipality of São Paulo is represented by the mayor and his cabinet of secretaries, following the model proposed by the Federal Constitution.
São Paulo is divided into 32 regional prefectures, each with a regional administration ("prefeitura regional") divided into several districts ("distritos").The city also has a radial division into nine zones for purpose of traffic control and bus lines, which don't fit into the administrative divisions. These zones are identified by colors in the street signs. The historical core of São Paulo, which includes the inner city and the area of Paulista Avenue, is in the Regional Prefecture of Sé. Most other economic and tourist facilities of the city are inside an area officially called Centro Expandido (Portuguese for "Broad Centre", or "Broad Downtown"), which includes Sé and several other regional prefectures, and areas immediately located around it.
São Paulo is considered the "financial capital of Brazil", as it is the location for the headquarters of major corporations and of banks and financial institutions. São Paulo is Brazil's highest GDP city and the 10th largest in the world, using Purchasing power parity. Having the largest economy by GDP in Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere, the city is home to the São Paulo Stock Exchange. Paulista Avenue is the economic core of São Paulo.
It represents alone 10.7% of all Brazilian GDP and 36% of the production of goods and services in the state of São Paulo, being home to 63% of established multinationals in Brazil, and has been responsible for 28% of the national scientific production in 2005.
As of 2014, São Paulo is the third largest exporting municipality in Brazil after Parauapebas, PA and Rio de Janeiro, RJ. In that year São Paulo's exported goods totaled $7.32B (USD) or 3.02% of Brazil's total exports. The top five commodities exported by São Paulo are soybean (21%), raw sugar (19%), coffee (6.5%), sulfate chemical wood pulp (5.6%), and corn (4.4%).
São Paulo is home to 75% of the country's leading business fairs. The city also promotes one of the most important fashion weeks in the world, São Paulo Fashion Week, established in 1996 under the name Morumbi Fashion Brasil, is the largest and most important fashion event in Latin America. Besides, the São Paulo Gay Pride Parade, held since 1997 on Paulista Avenue is the event that attracts more tourists to the city.
Luxury brands tend to concentrate their business in São Paulo. Because of the lack of department stores and multi-brand boutiques, shopping malls as well as the Jardins district, which is more or less the Brazilian's Rodeo Drive version, attract most of the world's luxurious brands.
Most of the international luxury brands can be found in the Iguatemi, Cidade Jardim or JK shopping malls or on the streets of Oscar Freire, Lorena or Haddock Lobo in the Jardins district. They are home of brands such as Cartier, Chanel, Dior, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Tiffany & Co.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, São Paulo has been one of the main economic center of Latin America. From a population of only 32.000 people in 1880, São Paulo now has 8.5 million inhabitants in 1980. The rapid population growth has brought many problems for the city.
São Paulo is practically all served by the water supply network. The city consumes an average of 221 liters of water/inhabitant/day while the UN recommends the consumption of 110 liters/day. The water loss is 30.8%. However, between 11 and 12.8% of households do not have a sewage system, depositing waste in pits and ditches. Sixty percent of the sewage collected is treated. According to data from IBGE and Eletropaulo, the electricity grid serves almost 100% of households. The fixed telephony network is still precarious, with coverage of 67.2%. Household garbage collection covers all regions of the municipality but is still insufficient, reaching around 94% of the demand in districts such as Parelheiros and Perus. About 80% of the garbage produced daily by Paulistas is exported to other cities, such as Caieiras and Guarulhos. Recycling accounts for about 1% of the 15,000 tonnes of waste produced daily.
Automobiles are the main means to get into the city. In March 2011, more than 7 million vehicles were registered. Heavy traffic is common on the city's main avenues and traffic jams are relatively common on its highways.The city is crossed by 10 major motorways. Rodoanel Mário Covas (official designation SP-021) is the beltway of the Greater São Paulo, Brazil. Upon its completion, it will have a length of 177 km (110 mi), with a radius of approximately 23 km (14 mi) from the geographical center of the city. Bus transport (government and private) is composed of 17,000 buses (including about 290 trolley buses). The traditional system of informal transport (dab vans) was later reorganized and legalized.São Paulo Tietê Bus Terminal is the second largest bus terminal in the world.
São Paulo has two main airports, São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport (IATA: GRU) for international flights and national hub, and Congonhas-São Paulo Airport (IATA: CGH) for domestic and regional flights. Another airport, the Campo de Marte Airport, serves private jets and light aircraft. The three airports together moved more than 58.000.000 passengers in 2015, making São Paulo one of the top 15 busiest in the world, by number of air passenger movements. The region of Greater São Paulo is also served by Viracopos-Campinas International Airport, São José dos Campos Airport and Jundiaí Airport. São Paulo has the largest number of helicopters in the world.
São Paulo has three urban rail transit systems: the São Paulo Metro (locally known as the Metrô), an underground system with six lines, which includes the monorail of the Line 15 (Silver), and the commuter rail system of the Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM), with seven lines that serve cities in the metropolitan region. The underground and railway lines carry some 7 million people on an average weekday together. The systems combined form a 370 km (230 mi) long network of urban rail transit.
The city of São Paulo is home to research and development facilities and attracts companies due to the presence of regionally renowned universities. Science, technology and innovation is leveraged by the allocation of funds from the state government, mainly carried out by means of the Foundation to Research Support in the State of São Paulo (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo – FAPESP), one of the main agencies promoting scientific and technological research.
Outdoor enthusiasts will love hiking along the Atlantic Forest all the way up to São Paulo's highest peak where tourists can boast the most magnificent viewpoint in town in contrast with nature. Going to Jaraguá state park 40 minutes away from downtown São Paulo, you will get a breath of fresh air and appreciate the endless São Paulo from different perspectives amidst one of the last remnants of Atlantic Forest in town. The hike has the main target of reaching two lookouts where tourists have a 360 degree view of São Paulo, in a 1,135 meters altitude, surrounded by an incredible landscape. The trail has 3,600 meters, round trip, is mostly in the shade, ranging from light to medium level of difficulty, only at the end becomes steeper. The mount's summit is about 90 minutes walk away from the park’s main entrance at a slow pace. Animals, particularly small marmosets bounce around the trees, capuchin monkeys, toucans, sloths and many others, can be seen during walks, lush landscape.
A photo walk combining culture and photography through São Paulo’s downtown area. Improve your photo skills by walking around important streets of Latin America's largest city. We are going to explore the coolest places in downtown area with a local photographer, looking for beauty not only in the tourist places, but also in the routine of daily life. We are going to walk where the most important buildings are like: Teatro Municipal, Copan building, among many others. We also take a break to have a traditional Brazilian coffee and we take this opportunity to see photos and get inspired. Please note that we offer two different times, but if you'd like our recommendation, we prefer starting at 8:30 am, as the morning light is very beautiful. *If you need to start at a specific time, please send us a message
São Paulo is known for making the biggest LGBTI+ Parade in the WORLD and is at the forefront when it comes to gay-friendly tourism. In addition, the city is a pioneer in many affirmative actions that brought it an excellent reputation being recognized as one of the 30 cities in the world with the Rainbow City seal, for being friendly to the LGBTI+ population. The city is friendly not only during gay pride parade, but also throughout the whole year, especially in alternative city areas, gay bars, clubs, attractions, and open-minded establishments. There is nothing more pleasant than being welcomed well in the destination. Much better if it's by an expert local gay-friendly guide who will ensure you have an exciting and safe experience. This tour is designed to be totally flexible. Take full advantage of the one-on-one experience customizing your day or nighttime on a private tour. Explore the local gay scene or just visit São Paulo’s major attractions having an overview of it.
Take a private walking tour in the São Paulo downtown to understand the amazing historic process of São Paulo that in 465 years of existence, marked by relative inexpressiveness for more than three centuries, has become the largest city in the Southern hemisphere. Begin your tour at Pátio do Colégio, where your guide will provide you with some historical background about the area. Then, move on to visit the Manor of the Marchioness of Santos, Sé Cathedral, Sé Square, Largo São Francisco Law School, the FECAP and more. Continue to see Brazil Bank's Cultural Center. Make a quick stop here to use the toilets or grab a drink, before walking to the Stock Exchange. Take in a great view of the city at the Altino Arantes building and Farol Santander. Other sites you will pass on the tour include: the Martinelli building, the Monastery of Saint Benedict, the Sampaio Moreira building, and City Hall. The tour will finish at the Municipal Theater and you can admire its beautiful architecture.
Located in the Land of Wine, the Morro do Saboó trail is an option that goes beyond wine tourism. It is ideal for those looking to escape the obvious, contemplate and connect with nature, and enjoy an unforgettable sunset.
The city of Sao Paulo is a melting pot of colonial, modern, contemporary and art deco buildings; discover all of this and more on this architecture tour. Delight the lines, curves and details of well-designed pieces art that may seem common in the eyes of some, but in the company of an expert guide can be mind-blowing. Start at Higienopolis area, one of the best places to observe the contrast between old and new. Admire old colonial houses and modern architecture that coexist without altering the harmony of the landscape. Walk through the center of Sao Paulo and see how the 19th-century European styles combine with more recent architecture. We can't finish without mentioning Paulo Mendes da Rocha, an architecture master and winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Or Oscar Niemeyer, whose modern designs can be found all over São Paulo. Continue along the Paulista and Faria Lima ave. to see their modern and iconic skyscrapers and Jardim America, the first planned area in town.
Discover the flavors of Brazil through a guided tasting session designed to go beyond surface-level tourism. This small-group experience introduces you to 34 local foods and drinks, explained in context by a knowledgeable local host. Instead of just eating, you’ll understand how, when, and why locals enjoy these foods in their daily lives. - Learn more about Brazilian cuisine than by eating out alone. - Small group for a personal, social experience - Ideal for food lovers, curious travelers, and culture seekers - All tastings and drinks included
