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Jardim Zoológico
Located in Parque do Estado, Jardim Zoológico is Brazil's largest zoo. It's home to some 3000 animal species and is spread out over some 900 hectares, much of which is old-growth Mata Atlântica (Atlantic rain forest).
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Memorial da Liberdade
The ground floor of the Estação Júlio Prestes houses the Memorial da Liberdade, a simple but powerful exhibit occupying cells used to imprison and torture political dissidents during Brazil's military dictatorship of the 1960s and '70s.
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Memorial do Imigrante (Immigrant Memorial Museum)
For an understanding of São Paulo's diversity, the Immigrant Memorial Museum has a collection of photos, documents and period furnishings which explores migration and national identity. The biggest attraction, however, is the building. Built in 1887, it was called the Hospedaria dos Imigrantes; it functioned as a holding place for 4,000 immigrant laborers, but at times housed up to 10,000 people.
Read more about Memorial do Imigrante (Immigrant Memorial Museum)
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Mercado Muncipal
The recently refurbished Mercado Muncipal is a Belle Epoque confection of stained glass and a series of vast domes. Inside is a humble but delightful market specializing in fresh produce and dried goods. It's also a great place to sample a classic Sampa delight: pasteis, pockets of dough stuffed with meat, cheese or fish and then fried.
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Monumento Bandeiras
At the north entrance of Parque do Ibirapuera, stands Victor Brecheret's huge Monumento Bandeiras, erected in 1953 in memory of the city's early pioneers.
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Mosteiro São Bento
At the northern edge of the Triângulo, you'll find the austere but impressive Mosteiro São Bento, which is among the city's oldest and most important church, though its neo-Gothic façade dates only to the early 20th century. Step inside the church to witness its impressive stained glass.
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Museu Afro-Brasil
This remarkable museum (opened in 2004 in another winningly open Niemeyer pavilion) sheds light on the lives of Brazil's African diaspora, from slave times through the present. Its permanent collection of some 5000 objects ranges from paintings to religious objects. If you understand Portuguese, check out their fantastic website.
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Museu da Casa Brasileira
Occupying an extravagant Palladian-style villa built by a local tycoon and his wife in the 1940s, Museu da Casa Brasileira has a hodgepodge collection of Brazilian and European furnishings from the 17th to 20th centuries. The museum's café-restaurant is its best feature, with good food and lovely outdoor seating.
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Museu da Imigração Japonesa
This modest but fascinating Museum of Japanese Immigration, on the 7th floor of a Liberdade office building, documents the arrival and integration of the Japanese community. Photos, period objects and a full-scale reconstruction of a typical immigrant's farm lodging tell a poignant story, from the arrival in Santos of the first 781 settlers aboard the Kasato-Maru in 1908 through to today. Signage is in Japanese and Portuguese only.
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Museu da Língua Portuguesa
Half of Estação da Luz has been given over to this recently inaugurated Museu da Língua Portuguesa museum, with fascinating permanent exhibits documenting the rise of the Brazilian language as distinct from European Portuguese, as well as creative temporary installations celebrating Brazilian literature. Note, though, that all accompanying signs are in Portuguese only.
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Museu de Arte Contemporânea
A small branch of the University of São Paulo's Museu de Arte Contemporânea displays a rotating collection of mostly local, contemporary artists in the same Niemeyer building that houses most of the Bienal's exhibits. If the current show is not to your liking, concentrate on the building's huge spaces and Niemeyer's distinctly curving ramps.
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Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP)
Sampa's pride, the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) museum possesses Latin America's most comprehensive collection of Western art. Hovering above a concrete plaza that turns into an antiques fair on Sundays, the museum, designed by architect Lina Bo Bardi and completed in 1968, is considered a classic of modernism by many and an abomination by a vocal few. The collection, though, is unimpeachable, and ranges from Goya to El Greco to Manet.
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Museu de Arte Moderna
Brazil's oldest modern art museum, Museu de Arte Moderna, possesses a fine collection of Brazilian modernists such as Anita Malfatti and Di Cavalcanti as well as works by Miró, Chagall, Picasso and Dufy. However, the public spaces are devoted exclusively to temporary exhibits. Check the museum's website for current offerings.
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Museu de Arte Sacra
The best of its kind in Brazil, the Museu de Arte Sacra includes works by renowned 18th-century sculptor Antônio Aleijadinho, along with some 2000 other ecclesiastical works from the 17th to 20th centuries. The museum is housed in the 18th-century Luz monastery, which is one of São Paulo's best-preserved buildings of the period and also a fine example of Portuguese colonial architecture.
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Parque da Luz
Parque da Luz has undergone a careful restoration, with spreading, tropical trees, discreetly placed modern sculpture and a generous police presence.
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Parque do Estado
In the southern suburb of Cursino, Parque do Estado is far from the action but worth seeking out if you find yourself craving greenery in cement-heavy Sampa.
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Parque do Estado
In the southern suburb of Cursino, Parque do Estado is far from the action but worth seeking out if you find yourself craving greenery in cement-heavy Sampa.
The best way to get to the park is by metro to the São Judas station, where you can catch bus. 4742 'Jardim Climax.'
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Parque do Ibirapuera
The biggest green space in central São Paulo, Parque do Ibirapuera makes a fine escape from the city's seemingly infinite stretches of concrete. In addition, the leafy 2-sq-km park serves as a thriving center of the city's cultural life, with a series of museums, performance spaces and the grounds for São Paulo's renowned Bienal.
Inaugurated in 1954 to commemorate the city's 400th anniversary, the park was designed by renowned landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. A series of landmark buildings in the park are the work of modernist master Oscar Niemeyer; most of them are linked by a long and distinctively serpentine covered walkway.
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Parque do Ibirapuera
The biggest green space in central São Paulo, Parque do Ibirapuera makes a fine escape from the city's seemingly infinite stretches of concrete. In addition, the leafy 2 sq km park serves as a thriving center of the city's cultural life, with a series of museums, performance spaces and the grounds for São Paulo's renowned Bienal.
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Parque Siqueira Campos
Just off Paulista across from Museu de Arte de São Paulo lies Parque Siqueira Campos, a beautifully designed and maintained park that recreates the Atlantic rainforest that was leveled to build São Paulo. It's a remarkably tranquil refuge just off the city's busiest street.
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Páteo do Colégio
Just up the street from Solar da Marquesa lies Páteo do Colégio that occupies the exact spot where São Paulo was founded in 1554 by Jesuit brothers José de Anchieta and Manoel da Nóbregra. The current structure is actually a 1950s replica of the monastery that once stood here, although inside it does possess a nice little collection of original relics from the city's first days. The museum's café also makes for a tranquil pit stop.
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Pinacoteca do Estado
This elegant neoclassical Pinacoteca do Estado museum houses an excellent collection of Brazilian - and especially Paulista - art from the 19th century to present, including works by big names such as Portinari and Di Cavalcanti. Extensive renovations have made it a pleasant place to while away a rainy afternoon, and there is an attractive café that spills out into the adjacent Parque da Luz.
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Praça da Liberdade
Praça da Liberdade is the neighborhood's main square and also the location of its metro stop. It hosts an open-air market on Sundays. A short walk south on Rua Galvão Bueno takes you past many Asian shops and restaurants as well as some rather neglected Japanese-style gardens.
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Praça da Sé
The old heart of the city, Praça da Sé has seen better days but still draws animated crowds, from street hawkers and nose-down business types to - unfortunately - more than its fair share of pickpockets.
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Rua Augusta
North of Paulista, Rua Augusta is São Paulo's traditional red-light district, and at night the traffic slows to a crawl as johns troll the sidewalks from their cars. The area is slowly being taken over by the city's alternative crowd, however, and its simple bars and restaurants are packed after 10pm with the young, high-minded and multiply pierced.
