THE CITY OF SÃO PAULO The City City Facts Itineraries Virtual Tour Send a Card Online Reservations Safety Tips THE BUREAU Fundação 25 de Janeiro About Us EVENTS Events Register your Event ICCA Membership MEMBERSHIP RELATIONS Associates Benefits Become an Associate PRESS Press Releases Journalist Registration MULTIMEDIA Downloads	Itineraries SÃO PAULO OF THE ARTS - INCOMPARABLE!  Art is the essence of São Paulo, as it is impossible to disassociate one from the other.  The São Paulo State capital has 88 museums, which bears witness to its status as a world art capital.  It is home to unique masterpieces produced by great maestros of painting, sculpture, photography and all the visual arts and trends imaginable.  Some highlights are the Modern Art Museum (MAM), designed by the famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, the State Pinacoteca Museum located in a building designed by Ramos de Azevedo, the Ipiranga Museum, the Sacred Art Museum, the Lasar Segall Museum, the Maria Luiza and Oscar Americano Foundation, the Image and Sound Museum - MIS and São Paulo’s picture postcard, MASP. São Paulo also hosts numerous music, dance and theater performances, not to mention the International Arts Biennial and film festivals.   SÃO PAULO ARCHITECTURE - THE CONTRASTS OF A METROPOLIS  The curves of São Paulo are a mixture of architectural trends from important periods in Brazilian history. From colonial style houses and churches built before the 19th century to the French influence at the beginning of the 20th century in art deco and art nouveau styles.  From 1920s skyscrapers to the modernist style starting in the 1930s and post-modernism.  Today, mirrored buildings with futuristic characteristics predominate.  Among the symbols of these trends are the Sacred Art Museum, in classic colonial style, Júlio Prestes Station and the Viaduto do Chá or Tea Viaduct, with a definite French influence, and the modernist MASP and Oca Exhibit Hall in Ibirapuera Park, as well as the high tech buildings in the region of Berrini and Vila Olímpia, not to mention the iconic Copam and Banespa buildings.  SÃO PAULO FACETS – A MIXTURE THAT WORKS  What is the essence of a Paulistano? What is his or her identity?  The answer lies in the history of every individual who contributes to the daily life of Latin America’s most important city.   When mass immigration began, men and women from 70 countries settled in São Paulo in search of opportunity and were met with open arms.  Today São Paulo is the third largest Italian city in the world, the most Japanese city outside Japan, the third most Lebanese city outside Lebanon, the largest Portuguese city outside Portugal and the largest Spanish city far from Spain.  The mixing of races, ethnic groups and cultures has shaped and transformed the city’s cultural, social and economic life.  Hospitality to visitors is characteristic of the people of São Paulo.  This is why it’s easy to understand that those who visit always want to come back.   GREEN SÃO PAULO – A GIANT THAT PRIZES ECOLOGY  This giant metropolis also loves green space.  The city has 52 parks and open space areas and is home to the largest urban forest in the world, Cantareira Park, covering an area of 136,000 square meters, with one of the most beautiful views of the city.  Jaguará Park, whose namesake peak, the highest in the municipality at 1,135 meters, is another option, as well as the Curucutu Visitor’s Center at Serra do Mar State Park, Tietê Ecological Park and Guarapiranga Park.  Brazil’s most joyful and colorful urban leisure spaces are nestled amongst avenues and neighborhoods.  The most well known is Ibirapuera Park, built to celebrate the city’s 400th Anniversary, famous for its Obelisk, lake and dancing fountains and the Monument to Pioneering Immigrants.    Aclimação, Carmo, Juventude and Villa-Lobos parks make up the city’s green belt, as well as other smaller, though no less important, parks.   SÃO PAULO BUSINESS – A NATURAL VOCATION  The birthplace of Brazilian industrialization and the country’s economic capital, São Paulo is the most important and largest center for business in Brazil and Latin America.  It is not surprising that the typical image of a Paulistano is an executive with briefcase in hand, almost always in a hurry.  The city attracts the biggest and best international fairs and congresses, as well as large-scale cultural and sporting events.  It also stands out for its well located and equipped events centers, its wide range of options for accommodations and dining (cuisines from more than 40 countries), efficient transportation system, highly advanced communications technology and qualified professionals.  Every year São Paulo hosts 90,000 events – almost 250 per day, generating R$ 8 billion per year and more than 10 million visitors.   SÃO PAULO SPORTS – A CITY IN GREAT SHAPE  Almost any sport imaginable is practiced every day by thousands of professionals and amateurs in São Paulo.  From track and field to basketball, from swimming to volleyball, from rowing to tennis, from skateboarding to golf, from horseback riding to soccer, age, social status, religious beliefs and physical condition are no matter.  A veritable Olympics takes place in São Paulo every day in its sophisticated fitness centers, gyms or simple open-air fields on the outskirts of town.  The metropolis, taking first place on the winners' podium, hosts some of the world’s most important sporting events: the Formula 1 Grand Prix and the São Silvestre Marathon.  And when the subject of soccer comes up, we are proud of being home to some of the most traditional and winning clubs on the planet.  São Paulo is democratic in this regard.  Just take a look any weekend to see how many people go to city parks to exercise and keep in shape.   SÃO PAULO EXCITEMENT – NONSTOP, DAY AND NIGHT Got cold beer on tap? We’ve got it! Want to hear live MPB music? Whatever you want! And if I like rock? You’re in the right place! And samba, sertanejo and axé style music? We’ve got all this and more! What if I like classical music, opera, the Swan Lake ballet? No problem! And for the kids? We’ve got fun theme parks such as Mônica, Xuxa and Playcenter as well as Hopi Hari and Wet´n´Wild just outside the city! And for dancing? Hundreds of nightclubs and discos! And to have fun while learning? The Zoo, Zôo Safári, the Science Station, 88 museums and the parks! That’s right! São Paulo has something for everyone when it comes to having a good time.  Movies, performance halls, theaters, bowling alleys, arcades, amusement parks, skating rinks, gondolas, sports courts of all types, as well as cart racing, panoramic flights, carnival balls…   SÃO PAULO FINE DINING – VISITORS FEEL RIGHT AT HOME How many places in the world are home to restaurants serving cuisines from almost every culture on earth? In this world gastronomy capital, visitors can enjoy German, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Australian, Scandinavian, Egyptian, Arab, Jewish, Moroccan, Lebanese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Greek, Vietnamese, Mexican and Argentinean restaurants, among many others.  Not to mention the many styles of Brazilian cuisine including dishes from the south, the State of Minas Gerais, the Northeast and the coast.  In São Paulo visitors never feel far from home.  With so many palates, flavors and sensations, it’s possible to have a different dish every day for a year.  And where does all of this take place?  In glamorous restaurants in the neighborhood of Jardins, the upbeat cantinas in Bela Vista and even in the friendly eateries at the Mercado Municipal.  After “welcome” the first word visitors hear when arriving in São Paulo is “Bon appetite!”   SÃO PAULO SHOPPING – FROM A THIMBLE TO A FERRARI In this giant metropolis it’s possible to purchase almost anything, from antiques to cutting edge technology items, from daily casual wear to top-notch international brands, from street crafts to works of art by great masters in the most sophisticated galleries found anywhere in the Americas, from economy cars to dream machines, such as Ferraris or Porsches, from French escargot to authentic Portuguese olives.  It is said that São Paulo is among the best cities in the world for window shopping.  During the holiday season, retailers really put on a show, transforming shops and malls into veritable tourist attractions, thanks to the decorations and cultural activities.  With all this to choose from, it’s almost impossible to head home empty handed.
Fundação 25 de Janeiro São Paulo Convention & Visitors Bureau Alameda Ribeirão Preto, 130 - 12º andar - CEP 01331-000 - São Paulo - SP Tel.: 55 (11) 3736-0600 - Fax: 55 (11) 3285-1520 © Copyright 2007 - www.visitesaopaulo.com - All Rights Reserved