| Page Views: 355 Last Visit to São Paulo: December, 2007 I Visit Here Frequently | Sao Paulo by mircaskirca - last update: Feb 17, 2009 |
Nicknamed Sampa - the title of a well-known Caetano Veloso song about the city, in which he admits that, "when I arrived here I didn't understand the hard concrete poetry of your streets and the discreet casual beauty of your girls" - is the capital of the state of Sao Paulo. The city is the largest in Brazil and fourth in the world by population. Often described as the New York of the Tropics, Sao Paulo is the main financial hub in the country. It's also Brazil's most modern and cosmopolitan city with top-rate nightlife and restaurants and impressive cultural and arts scenes. Most of the wealthier people in Brazil live here and the rest of them drop by at least once a year to shop for clothes, shoes, accessories, luxury items and anything else that money can buy. The inhabitants of Sao Paulo work hard and spend a lot.
Sao Paulo is, first of all, a major business mecca. Just about everything that comes into or goes out of Brazil goes through Sao Paulo. Keep in mind that the pleasure of doing business in Sao Paulo comes from all those incredible business lunches and dinners you'll be enjoying. The city's central area alone has more than 1400 restaurants. The food is often excellent, in part thanks to immigrants from so many areas of the world and a new wave of imiginative cooks.
And if you are in Sao Paulo to take in some sights, you won't be disappointed. The city offers some charming neighborhoods (including several ethnic centres as Bela Vista, known as 'Little Italy' and Liberdade, traditional home of the city's large Japanese comunity); museums focusing on Latin America art and culture; performance halls with internationally-renowned music groups, dance and theatre groups; street fairs; shopping centres and many parks and open spaces.
Despite, or because of, these qualities, many tourists avoid visiting the city. Too noisy, too polluted, too crowded. Sao Paulo is hardly a beautiful city. Yet, even as the smog reddens your eyes, you'll see that there's much to do and explore here. When you get tired of laid-back beaches, Sao Paulo is just the right place to go. |
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mircaskirca's São Paulo Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 3 - Photos: 9 | | | Restaurants
Tips: 1 - Photos: 5 | Hotels & Accommodations | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | | Transportation | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping
Tips: 1 - Photos: 5 | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 mircaskirca's São Paulo Travelogues | | | |
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 Comments for mircaskirca about São Paulo | | | | |
Nemorino Thu Apr 24, 2008 15:51 UTC
Everybody's been commenting on the museum of the Portuguese language, and I must say it really sounds fascinating. I can read a bit of Portuguese (similar to Spanish and French) but can't understand a word when it is spoken. | atufft Sun Mar 2, 2008 07:54 UTC
Mira, you are certainly a language learning nut! Visiting a museum dedicated to one language? :-) | paragianna75 Wed Jan 23, 2008 07:50 UTC
really amazing museum! | Bwana_Brown Fri Jan 11, 2008 18:39 UTC
I had never before heard of a museum like this one! You certainly know which part of the world in which to spend your winters :)) |
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