São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP)
Art museum on Avenida Paulista, in a bold concrete-and-glass building raised on two red frames. It holds a wide collection of European paintings alongside Brazilian and other works.
Sao Paulo
A big food scene, shopping, nightlife and museums feature in the business hub and largest city of Brazil.
Attractive locations
Ibirapuera Park
The city's best-known park, with lawns, lakes, paths and modernist pavilions designed by Oscar Niemeyer. It is where residents jog, cycle and picnic, and it hosts several museums.
São Paulo Cathedral
Large neo-Gothic cathedral on the central square Praça da Sé, with a tall dome and twin spires. The vast interior is calm and a counterpoint to the busy streets outside.
Pinacoteca de São Paulo
Brazilian art museum in a historic brick building next to Luz Park, with galleries around bright interior courtyards. It focuses on art from the 19th century to today.
Ipiranga Museum
Grand 19th-century palace set above a formal garden, on the hill linked to Brazil's declaration of independence. It holds a large collection on the history and daily life of the country.
Paulista Avenue
The main business and cultural avenue of São Paulo, lined with skyscrapers, museums, cafes and bookshops. It is closed to cars on Sundays and fills with walkers, cyclists and street performers.
Municipal Market of São Paulo
A large covered market from the 1930s with stained-glass windows, stalls of fruit, spices and cured meats, and snack counters. The mortadella sandwich is a local favourite.
Airports
Congonhas–Deputado Freitas Nobre Airport CGH
It is about 9 km in a straight line from Sao Paulo.
São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport GRU
It is about 21 km in a straight line from Sao Paulo.
Viracopos International Airport VCP
It is about 79 km in a straight line from Sao Paulo.
Scams and safe taxis
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan22.3 °C230 mm
- Feb22.4 °C175 mm
- Mar21.6 °C145 mm
- Apr20.0 °C84 mm
- May17.1 °C67 mm
- Jun16.3 °C58 mm
- Jul15.9 °C61 mm
- Aug17.2 °C36 mm
- Sep19.2 °C68 mm
- Oct20.7 °C104 mm
- Nov20.9 °C148 mm
- Dec22.1 °C177 mm
Driest months: Jun, Jul, Aug. Wettest months: Jan, Feb, Dec.
Costs
Prices here are about 46% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Festivals and events
sport
Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix (Interlagos)
Interlagos is the venue of the F1 race.
Official sitesport
Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix (Interlagos)
Interlagos is the venue of the F1 race.
Official siteWho can help
Emergency
Police 190. Ambulance 192. Fire 193.
local government
Military Police emergency number 190
Helps with: Brazil's national telecom regulator lists 190 as the Military Police code. The same list gives 192 for the SAMU ambulance, 193 for fire, 194 for Federal Police and 197 for Civil Police.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Brazil who needs the police urgently, including visitors.
Phone: 190
local government
Civil Defence (Defesa Civil) number 199
Helps with: Brazil's civil defence service for floods, landslides and other disasters, listed by the national telecom regulator and the Ministry of Communications as the Defesa Civil emergency number.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Brazil affected by a disaster or at risk from one.
Phone: 199
ngo
Brazilian Red Cross (Cruz Vermelha Brasileira)
Helps with: Brazil's national Red Cross society, headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. Its site describes first aid courses, health care in disasters, disaster risk management and work reconnecting migrants with their families.
Who qualifies: People in Brazil who need its first aid, health, disaster or family-reconnection services.
Address: Praca Cruz Vermelha 10, Centro, Rio de Janeiro
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Brazil
Helps with: The UN migration agency, in Brazil since 2016. It supports migrants, returnees, displaced people and host communities, and works with governments on migration. Its office is in Brasilia.
Who qualifies: Migrants, returnees and displaced people in Brazil. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Address: SAUS Quadra 5, Bloco N, Ed. OAB, Salas 401 a 412, Asa Sul, Brasilia-DF, 70070-913