The old heart of the city, palm-fringed 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 and unsavory types (but police presence is strong).
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.78 MILES
Copan was designed by late modernist master Oscar Niemeyer. The building, with its serpentine facade and narrow brises soleil (permanent sunshades), is…
0.65 MILES
This covered market is a belle epoque confection of stained glass and a series of vast domes. Inside, a fabulous urban market specializes in all things…
1.63 MILES
Sampa’s pride, this museum possesses Latin America’s most comprehensive collection of Western art. Hovering above a concrete plaza that turns into an…
0.46 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…
0.33 MILES
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…
1.11 MILES
This elegant neoclassical museum, formerly known as Pinacoteca do Estado but modernly rebranded 'Pina_Luz' (with the underline!) in 2017, houses an…
1.98 MILES
Relatively unknown and blissfully uncrowded, the unassuming Casa Amarela is part NGO handicraft shop, part two-table romantic cafe and part tiny Museu…
1.06 MILES
Across the street from the Parque da Luz sits one of São Paulo's most stunning structures, a classic late-Victorian train station constructed with…
Nearby São Paulo attractions
0.07 MILES
Crowning the Praça da Sé is the domed Catedral da Sé, a huge neo-Byzantine concoction that, for better or worse, replaced the original 18th-century…
0.09 MILES
This cultural center occupies a grand neoclassical-style building with an imperious facade of black marble that served as Caixa Econômica Federal's…
0.15 MILES
Down a set of narrow downtown side streets stands one of the city’s last surviving 18th-century residences. This simple but delightful villa was once home…
4. Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo
0.15 MILES
On Praça da Sé stands the modest Igreja do Carmo, which dates to the 1630s and still preserves its original high altar.
0.16 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…
0.18 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…
7. Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil
0.22 MILES
Housed in an extraordinarily and lovingly restored beaux-arts building, this cultural center holds innovative exhibitions of contemporary art over five…
0.24 MILES
Next to Igreja de São Francisco de Assis is the prestigious College of Law. Founded in 1827, it is considered to be Brazil’s oldest institution of higher…