Farol Santander

Top choice in São Paulo


For one of Sampa’s best panoramas, head to the top of this 161m-high skyscraper, Brazil’s version of the Empire State Building – completed in 1939 and most famously known as the Banespa (Banco do Estado de São Paulo) building. Book tickets online in advance.

The observation deck on the top floor offers spectacular views of the city and renovations have added cafes, a 21st floor skate park and exhibitions – highlights include a panorama of São Paulo's skyline made up of junk by Vik Muniz and a three-minute historical film screened in a mirrored cinema room. There's also a trendy R$4000 per night loft bookable on Airbnb.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby São Paulo attractions

1. B3

0.02 MILES

Latin America’s largest stock exchange. There is no longer a live trading floor to visit, but the lobby serves as a de facto museum, with small artifacts,…

2. Edifício Martinelli

0.06 MILES

São Paulo’s first skyscraper, in a gorgeous 1929 beaux-arts building, features a mansion built on top of its 26th-floor viewing terrace. However, the…

3. Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil

0.12 MILES

Housed in an extraordinarily and lovingly restored beaux-arts building, this cultural center holds innovative exhibitions of contemporary art over five…

4. Mosteiro São Bento

0.14 MILES

Among the city’s oldest and most important churches, São Bento dates to 1598, though its neo-Gothic facade dates only to the early 20th century. Step…

5. Páteo do Collégio

0.17 MILES

Occupying the exact spot where São Paulo was founded in 1554 by Jesuit brothers José de Anchieta and Manoel da Nóbregra, this mission is actually a 1950s…

6. Edifício Matarazzo

0.21 MILES

The seat of São Paulo's city government sits inside this 1930s neoclassical 'palace' designed by Italian architect Marcello Piacentini (who is well-known…

7. Igreja de Santo Antônio

0.21 MILES

On the small Praça do Patriarca at the southwestern entrance to Triângulo, the modest, well-preserved Igreja de Santo Antônio retains many of its original…

8. Casa da Imagem

0.21 MILES

Beautifully curated from some 84,000 historical photographs, this museum inside a restored colonial downtown mansion is a must for those interested in the…