São Paulo

Three days between the Sé, Paulista and Vila Madalena

São Paulo splits neatly into three days: the old centre around the Mosteiro de São Bento, the Sé, the Mercado Municipal and the Pinacoteca; Avenida Paulista's museums, MASP and Japan House, then lunch in Liberdade; and the bars and street art of Vila Madalena and Pinheiros on the third.

Day one: the old centre. Start at the Mosteiro de São Bento, where the monks sing at Sunday morning mass, then walk via the Pátio do Colégio, the site of the 1554 Jesuit founding, to the Catedral da Sé. Lunch at the Mercado Municipal. In the afternoon take Line 1 to Luz for the Pinacoteca and the Jardim da Luz, then see the Theatro Municipal. Head back to Paulista before dark.

Day two: Paulista and Liberdade. Spend the morning at MASP, then walk the avenue to the Instituto Moreira Salles and the Japan House. Go down to Liberdade for lunch and its shops; on a weekend, catch the street fair. Evening in Bixiga for an Italian cantina dinner.

Day three: west side. Morning in Parque Ibirapuera, with the Museu Afro Brasil and the Oca. Afternoon in Pinheiros and Vila Madalena: the Beco do Batman, galleries and the bar streets around Rua Aspicuelta. In February, check the São Paulo Carnival calendar first, as blocos take over this area.

Mortadella, virado à paulista and pizza on a Sunday

São Paulo eats like no other Brazilian city because it absorbed so many cuisines. The Mercado Municipal is the place to start: order the mortadella sandwich, piled absurdly high, and a pastel de bacalhau, a crisp salt-cod pastry, then browse the fruit stalls.

The city's own dish is virado à paulista, served in lunch counters on Mondays: rice, tutu de feijão (beans thickened with manioc flour), sautéed kale, pork chop, fried egg, banana and crackling. Beans here are usually brown; Rio cooks black ones. Late at night, paulistanos queue for a pastel at a street market or a bar snack of coxinha.

Pizza is a Sunday ritual, with Italian-style pies in Mooca and Bixiga. Liberdade serves ramen, sushi and Japanese sweets, Bom Retiro does Korean food, and the north-east of Brazil is represented by baião de dois in the centre. For drinks, Vila Madalena and Itaim have the densest bar scenes, and a caipirinha or cold draught chopp is the standard order.

Blocos, Sambódromo nights and the dry winter

São Paulo's Carnival runs on two tracks: samba-school parades at the Sambódromo do Anhembi on carnival Friday and Saturday, and hundreds of free street blocos in Vila Madalena, Pinheiros, the centre and Ibirapuera. In 2027 carnival falls on 6 to 9 February. December to March is hot and wet, with 230 to 290 mm a month.

Carnival in São Paulo has two sides. At night the samba schools parade at the Sambódromo do Anhembi, on the Friday and Saturday of carnival weekend. By day hundreds of street blocos, free and open to all, fill Vila Madalena, Pinheiros, the centre and Ibirapuera from the weekend before. In 2027 carnival falls on 6 to 9 February. Our page on the São Paulo Carnival has the full picture.

The weather changes the city more than you might expect. December to March is hot and wet: highs near 29C and 230-290 mm of rain a month, falling in short afternoon storms that flood streets and snarl traffic. From April to September rain drops sharply, to 32-60 mm in winter, highs settle around 23C and nights in June and July fall to 13-14C, so bring a jacket.

Winter is also the season of the Festas Juninas, with quentão and pine nuts in June and July. Other big dates include the São Paulo Art Biennial in Ibirapuera in even-numbered years and the Virada Cultural, a 24-hour arts festival held across the centre, usually in May.