Sights in The Southeast
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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.
The Impressionist collection is particularly impressive. There are also a few great Brazilian paintings, including three fine works by Cândido Portinari. The museum hosts temporary exhibits, and there is a bright, pleasant cafeteria o…
reviewed
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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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Beaches
Within the district of Ubatuba, there are some 74 beaches and 15 islands. Regular buses run along the coastal road. Some of the best beaches south of Ubatuba include Praia Vermelha (3km), Enseada (8km), Flamengo (12km, on the Ponta do Flamengo), do Lázaro (16km) and Domingos Dias (18km). The big, loud party scene is 6km south of Ubatuba at Praia Grande.
North of town, the beaches are hidden away down steep hillsides. They're harder to find, but good for boogie boarding and surfing and well worth the effort. Among the best are Vermelha do Norte (9km); Itamambuca (15km), Promirim (23km) and Ubatumirim (33km).
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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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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.
reviewed
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Museu Histórico Abílio Barreto
The free Museu Histórico Abílio Barreto, southwest of Savassi, features a renovated colonial farmhouse, the solitary remnant of Curral del Rey, the rural village destroyed in the 1890s to make room for Belo. There are some fascinating historical photos and other bric-a-brac.
reviewed
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Parque Municipal
One of Belo's most appealing spots is Parque Municipal, an enormous sea of tropical greenery with artificial lakes and winding pathways, just 10 minutes southeast of the bus station along Av Afonso Pena. It's especially fun on Sunday, when everyone's out strolling and socializing.
reviewed
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Banespa Skyscraper
For one of Sampa's best panoramas, head to the top of the Banespa skyscraper, Brazil's version of the Empire State Building, completed in 1939. Ride free to the observation deck on the top floor for views of the city. Note, you will need some form of ID to sign in.
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Mina do Chico-Rei
Mina do Chico-Rei, or Encardadeira, is an abandoned mine. There’s little to see as you stoop through the low passageways, but it’s the perfect place to meditate on the fascinating story of Chico-Rei.
reviewed
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Igreja de São Francisco de Assis
The Igreja de São Francisco de Assis is an architectural delight and the paintings by Portinari are beautiful.
reviewed
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Beaches
In general, the southern beaches are trickier to get to, but they're prettier and have better surf. The northern beaches are more sheltered and closer to the towns.
Going counterclockwise from south of Manguinhos, the first beaches are Geribá and Ferradurinha (Little Horseshoe). These are beautiful beaches with good surf, but the Búzios Beach Club has built condos here. Next on the coast is Ferradura, which is large enough for windsurfing and Lagoinha, a rocky beach with rough water. Praia da Foca and Praia do Forno have colder water than the other beaches. Praia Olho de Boi (Bull's Eye) is the area's only nude beach. It's reached by a little trail from the long, clean be…
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Praia Lopes Mendes
Outdoor adventure options on Ilha Grande just don't quit. The tourist office gives out a free map showing 16 different signposted trails leading through the lush forest to several of the island's 102 beaches. When visiting some beaches, it's possible to hike one way and take a boat the other. The most popular hike is the three-hour, 6.1km (each way) trek from Abraão to Praia Lopes Mendes. This seemingly endless beach with good surfing waves (shortboard/longboard rental onsite R$25/40 per day) is considered by some the most beautiful in Brazil.
Before hitting the trail, let people at your pousada know where you're going and when you'll be back, stock up on water and bug r…
reviewed
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Igreja de Santa Efigênia dos Pretos
The Igreja de Santa Efigênia dos Pretos, built between 1742 and 1749 by and for the black slave community, sits atop a steep hill east of town. Santa Efigênia, patron saint of the church, was the queen of Nubia, and the featured saints – Santo Antônio do Nolo and São Benedito – are black. The slaves prayed to these images that they wouldn’t be crushed in the mines. Despite its relative lack of gold ornamentation, the church is very rich in artwork. The altar is by Aleijadinho’s master, Francisco Javier do Briton, and the exterior image of NS do Rosário is by Aleijadinho himself. The church was financed by gold extracted from Chico-Rei’s mine. Slaves contributed to the ch…
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Pampulha District
Fans of modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer won't want to miss his creations dotted around a huge artificial lake in the Pampulha district. Juscelino Kubitschek, mayor of Belo at the time, commissioned the recent architectural school graduate in the early 1940s. Niemeyer's Igreja de São Francisco de Assis is an architectural delight, with some beautiful Portinari paintings inside.
The Casa do Baile, a former dance hall that has had extensive renovations and now holds temporary art exhibits. Its on-site cafe is a lovely place to take a break.
The Museu de Arte de Belo Horizonte, with its cute garden designed by renowned landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, is also worth …
reviewed
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Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP)
Sampa’s pride, this 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. The impressionist collection is particularly impressive. There are also a few great Brazilian paintings, including three fine works by Cândido Portinari. The museum hosts temporary exhibits, and there is a bright, pleasant cafeteria on the lower level which hosts a …
reviewed
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Centro de Arte Contemporânea Inhotim
Centro de Arte Contemporânea Inhotim, greater Belo’s new tourist attraction, is an impressive, sprawling complex of gardens dotted with 16 modern art galleries and numerous outdoor sculptures, 50km west of the city, near the town of Brumadinho. Much of the international artwork on display is monumental in size. The gardens, which were opened to the public in October 2006 and are expanding constantly, boast 1600 different species of plants (including 200 types of palm alone), peacocks and lakes with swans. You can wander at will, or attend daily scheduled programs led by guides trained in visual arts and natural science. The on-site restaurant and café are both excellent.…
reviewed
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Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima
Extra-wide Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima (called just 'Faria Lima') marks the southwestern edge of the Jardins neighborhoods, and is the main corridor connecting Pinheiros with the ritzy neighborhoods of Morumbi, Vila Olímpia, Itaim Bibi and Moema. These areas are largely congested streets, forbidding luxury high-rises and glittering complexes that house the majority of the city's most-profitable businesses, from banking to technology.
That said, there are plenty of fine restaurants, nightclubs and shopping opportunities that die-hards may want to seek out. Unfortunately, poor public transport makes a taxi or your own vehicle a necessity.
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Colônia Penal Cândido Mendes
Dois Rios served as the site of the Colônia Penal Cândido Mendes, Ilha Grande's last functioning prison, used to hold political prisoners during the military regime that took power in 1964, and finally destroyed (literally blown up!) by order of the state government in 1994.
Before hitting the trail, let people at your pousada know where you're going and when you'll be back, stock up on water and bug repellent and bring a flashlight, as darkness comes swiftly under the jungle canopy. Guides are advisable for exploring beyond the most heavily traveled routes - poorly marked trails and poisonous snakes can make things challenging.
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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.
The best of its kind in Brazil, this museum includes works by renowned 18th-century sculptor Aleijadinho along with some 2,000 other ecclesiastical works spanning the period from the 17th to 20th centuries.
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Praia de Parnaioca
Praia de Parnaioca also ranks up there among the most beautiful beaches in Brazil, accessible via an 8km (each way) trail that passes through Dois Rios, a picturesque beach where two separate rivers flow into the open Atlantic.
Before hitting the trail, let people at your pousada know where you're going and when you'll be back, stock up on water and bug repellent and bring a flashlight, as darkness comes swiftly under the jungle canopy. Guides are advisable for exploring beyond the most heavily traveled routes - poorly marked trails and poisonous snakes can make things challenging.
reviewed
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Edifício Copan
Architecturally remarkable Edifício Copan was designed by modernist master Oscar Niemeyer. The building’s serpentine facade and narrow brises soleil (permanent sunshades) have become a symbol of the city. You can visit its snaking, sloping ground-floor shopping arcade, but the upper floors are made up of private apartments and thus off limits. Note that the leftist architect designed the building to bring together all classes by including sprawling apartments for the rich as well as tiny studios for the working poor – a real rarity in class-conscious São Paulo.
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Instituto Butantan
Highly respected for its groundbreaking biomedical research, this institute is best known as a venom farm. Researchers milk a total of tens of thousands of snakes of their poison, which is used to make antidotes to snake and spider bites, as well as in research for other medicines. Located in the leafy Cidade Universitária, the small museum displays snakes in dozens of shapes and sizes. At the time of research a devastating fire had destroyed almost half a million preserved specimens, though no live animals. Check ahead to ensure that the museum is operating normally.
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Bosque da Leitura
A meandering duck pond takes up much of the western half of Parque do Ibirapuera, and around it are arranged a series of shaded walks, including the Bosque da Leitura - a woodsy section that on Sundays turns into an open-air library where you can check out books for the afternoon.
To get the park, take the metro to Vila Mariana station and then bus 775-A 'Jardim Aldagiza.' There are lots of snack stands throughout the park, or you can get a full meal at the Green, between the Museu de Arte Moderna and the Museu Afro-Brasil, which serves a hearty per-kilo buffet.
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Instituto Butantan
One of the city's most popular attractions - at least among non-ophidophobes - this institute is internationally respected for its ground-breaking biomedical research. However, the biggest draw is its venom farm - researchers milk some 1000 snakes of their poison, which is then used to make antidotes to snake and spider bites, as well as in research for other medicines.
You can see the snakes in their cages, which attempt to recreate their native habitat - because apparently happy snakes produce more poison. Yet further proof the universe has a sense of humor!
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Parque Nacional de Itatiaia
Parque Nacional de Itatiaia is Brazil’s oldest national park, and one of its most ruggedly beautiful. Its lush, dark foliage contains more than 400 species of native birds and is also home to monkeys and sloths. Divided into upper and lower sections, the park features lakes, rivers, waterfalls, alpine meadows and primary and secondary Atlantic rain forests. Don’t let the tropical plants fool you; temperatures drop below freezing in June and, occasionally, the park even has a few snowy days! Bring warm clothes, even in summer.
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