Attractions São Paulo

São Paulo - Attractions region São Paulo

Centro

Pátio do Colégio

The Pátio do Colégio marks the place where the city of São Paulo was founded in 1554 on a hilltop between 2 rivers, the Tamanduatei and the Anhangabaú. It is now a center for cultural activity. Initially a Jesuit mission school was built in this spot with the help of the local Guaianas Native American inhabitants.

Besides the school itself and a church, the Achieta Museum is also housed here, displaying original sculptures by the Guarani native inhabitants, and a model reproduction of São Paulo in the 16^th century.

Praça de Sé

In the middle of the square is situated the Marco Zero, that indicates the directions of the bordery states of São Paulo and from which is counted the distance from any other point of the city.

In the square is situated the Catedral Metropolitana da Sé (Sé Cathedral). With a modified gothic style, its construction started in 1913 and only finished 4 decades later. It is the biggest church in São Paulo and its crypt contains artistic works of the sculpture Francisco Leopoldo.

Martinelli Building

This 30-story building was the city's first skyscraper, inaugurated in 1929. Stylistically it's an interesting mixture; Italian palazzo with a mansard roof. It is an important landmark.

São Bento Basilica

The present basilica, which is part of the São Bento monastery, was inaugurated in 1922. It is the 5^th religious construction on the site, where the chapel of Our Lady of Montserrat was first erected in 1598. The church has an eclectic style, with neo-Gothic architectonic details. Among the rich ornaments, such as stained-glass windows, paintings and sculptures, the Baroque crucifix from 1777 and the image of the Virgin of Kasperovo stand out. Gregorian chants are chanted and accompanied by an ancient 6 thousand pipe organ at Sunday masses.

Praça da República

Praça da República is now largely an area of offices, hotels and shops, but was once the site of the lavish mansions of the coffee-plantation owners who began to take up residence in the city from about 1870. However, no sooner had the mansions been built - constructed from British iron, Italian marble, Latvian pine, Portuguese tiles and Belgian stained glass - than they were abandoned as the city center took on a brash and commercial character, and the coffee barons moved to new homes in the Higienópolis district, a short distance west of Praça da República. The central mansions were all knocked down, though a few remain in Higienópolis: the Art Nouveau-influenced Vila Penteado, on Rua Maranhao, one of the last to be built in the area, is a fine example.

Pinocoteca do Estado

The Pinacoteca has one of the best art collections in the city. It's the perfect place for anyone wanting to see and understand Brazilian art. Though unfortunately none of the signs are in English, the Pinacoteca does an excellent job of displaying some of the best Brazilian artists from the 19^th and 20^th centuries. The 20^th century work starts to break free of European influence and includes some interesting examples of expressive Brazilian pieces, colorful and bursting with energy. In addition to paintings, the Pinacoteca collection contains sculpture including a lovely statue by Raphael Galvez entitled O Brasileiro, as well as works by Alfredo Ceschiatti, the artist who designed many of the sculptures in Brasilia.

Teatro Municipal

Inaugurated in 1911 with the opera "Hamlet" of Ambrósio Thomas, it was the beginning of a new stage of the cultural life in São Paulo. The building's eclectic style blends its facade's renaissance architectonic lines with the internal decoration's details in art nouveau.

It was the stage for one of the most influential events of 20^th century Brazilian culture, Modern Art Week, in 1922. It regularly holds erudite music concerts, operas, dance presentations and plays.

Sacred Art Museum

Sacred Art refers to objects; chalices, crosses, statues, paintings, and sculptures, created to adorn churches or for use in Catholic service. Built in 1774 the Monastery of the Light (which still functions as a monastery on the upper levels) provides the perfect setting to view these works. Outside in the garden of the Luz convent is the Presepio, a lovely miniature village composed of over 1,600 hand-painted figurines depicting life in an 18^th century Neapolitan village.

Copan Building

This building, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, was erected in 1951. Its scale, its celebration of raw concrete, and its curvilinear shape were all quite advanced for the time. It remains a city landmark, though whether it's a thing of beauty is another question.

Italia Building

Built in 1965, the 42-story Edifíçio Itália, located near Praça da República, features a 41^st floor restaurant, the Terraço Itália, which offers a great vantage point from which to view the city.

Liberdade

This is a characteristic oriental-influenced neighborhood and home to Japanese immigrants since the 1940s. Here you can find the largest population of Japanese outside of the country itself. Liberdade got its name after the 1888 abolition of slavery when the neighborhood's main square, which had once had the official city whipping post of Pelourinho, was renamed Praça da Liberdade. Italians were the first immigrant group to settle here, but as they moved into other neighborhoods Japanese immigrants gradually moved in.

The main entrance to this district is the City of Osaka Viaduct with its monumental and colorful gateway. Once inside, you will find all the main streets decorated with traditional and original Asian lamps and rattles. Here every kind of Asian product is available in the local markets. Also here you can find some of the best Japanese, Chinese and Korean restaurants in São Paulo.

Museum of Japanese Immigration

This specialized little museum tells the history on the growth of the Japanese community in São Paulo, from the first arrivals in 1898 to the increasing integration of today.

Higienópolis (Healthy City)

At the beginning of the 20^th century wealthier Paulistas were starting to move out of Centro to get away from the mosquito swamps around the banks of the Anhangabaú River. Green and leafy Higienópolis was one of the most sought-after destinations. Even today the neighborhood still retains some of the elegant mansions that were built 80 years ago.

Museu de Arte Brasileira (FAAP)

This Museum is not what its name suggests to be. It does not show Brazilian art, but is an ever-changing parade of grand international exhibits. The grand hall and both wings of the museum are transformed for each new exhibit. The museum claims to house a number of the Brazilian greats; Portinari, Di Cavalcanti, and others, but they're never actually on display.

Jardins

What is currently called Jardins (gardens) is a combination of a number of neighborhoods, such as Jardim Europa, Jardim Paulista, and Jardim America, that extends southwest in a regular grid pattern (mostly) from the towers and offices of the Avenida Paulista. Built after the Avenida Paulista developed at the end of the 19^th century, these neighborhoods were carefully planned according to the principals of the British Garden City movement.
In Jardim Paulista the lots were built with laneways for cars, and apartment buildings were not allowed.
Jardim America was even more exclusive; lots were not to be subdivided, and row houses and apartment buildings were not allowed. Some of these regulations have fallen by the wayside. Jardim Europa is still home to mostly villas and mansions, but the Rua Augusta, which runs through the heart of the Jardins, now boasts many hotels and some of the best restaurants in the city. The little enclave where Rua Augusta meets Rua Oscar Freire is now the prime shopping area in São Paulo.

Parque do Ibirapuera

Located southeast of the Jardins, this is the most famous park of São Paulo and is the main sports centre for the city. The park, officially opened in 1954, was created to mark the 400^th anniversary of the founding of the city of São Paulo. Most of the buildings were designed by Oscar Niemeyer and impressive designs for landscaping were produced by Roberto Burle Marx. Unfortunately, these plans remained on paper only. There are paths for walking, bike trails, an enormous wooded area, museums and restaurants as well as 4 enormous lakes connected by canals.

The park contains the peaceful and unusual Bosque de Leitura (reading woods), where you can borrow books and sit amongst the trees reading them.

The Park is also home to several of the city's museums, like the Museu de Arte Contemporânea and the Museu de Arte Moderna.
Also there are a few other museums nearby that are well worth visiting; the Museu da Imagen e do Som, the Museu Lasar Segall and the Museu Paulista.

The park is also significant as the site where, in 1822, Brazilian independence was declared; in the park is a monument celebrating the event; a replica of the Casa do Grito, the simple house where Dom Pedro I slept, and the chapel where he and his wife were later buried.

Museu de Arte Contemporânea

The MAC was established in 1963 and today it has one of the most important collections of contemporary art. With more than 5,000 works in its collection, the MAC is the biggest museum of Latin America.

This museum has many of the big names in modern art and a good collection of modern Brazilian artists. It's housed, at least part of it, in the Bienal building, which also has a couple of enormous exhibition halls. The rest of the collection is at the Cidade Universitaria.

Museu de Arte Moderna (MAM)

Small but intriguing, the Modern Art Museum has 2 galleries which is mainly devoted to temporary exhibits of the work of Brazilian artists. Surrounding the museum is a sculpture garden featuring 28 works by different Brazilian artists, created between 1973 and 1997.

Museu Lasar Segall

Lovers of modern art, particularly of cubism and Klee and Kandinsky, will enjoy a visit to the Segall museum. Born in the Jewish Ghetto of Vilnius in Lithuania in 1891, Segall started his painting career in Europe. His work is similar to Klee and Kandinsky, cubist and increasingly abstract and geometric. Segall moved to Brazil in 1923; the museum that now exhibits his work was also his residence from 1932 until his death in 1957.

Museu Paulista

Located at the birthplace of Brazilian independence; it was here that D. Pedro I in 1822 declared Brazil's independence from Portugal. The museum is a classic European-style museum: a grand neoclassical building with perfectly manicured Versailles-like gardens out front and a botanical garden out back. The collection houses some real gems of Brazilian art and some interesting exhibits telling the history of São Paulo.

There are also a number of photo exhibits showing São Paulo as it developed. Upstairs in the grand salon hangs one of Brazil's most famous paintings, a canvas by Pedro Americo entitled Independence or Death. The remainder of the exhibit consists of period furniture, household objects, and clothing.

Avenida Paulista

According to city estimates, as of 2,000 to 1 million people and 100,000 cars make their way along the Avenida Paulista on any given business day. Even back in 1891 its original designers intended it to be a grand ceremonial boulevard. The street was then home to São Paulo's elite, the place where coffee barons and factory owners built their magnificent villas. Beginning in the '30s, however, and then with a vengeance in the '50s, the old mansions gave way to office buildings and commercial skyscrapers. There was little time for creativity, and along the entire length of the avenue it would be difficult to single out more than one example of decent modern architecture. There are, however, about a dozen Art Nouveau or Art Deco mansions along Avenida Paulista, one mansion that is well worth visiting is the French-style Casa das Rosas.

Casa das Rosas

This pretty mansion was built in 1928 by Ramos de Azevedo, the same architect who designed the Teatro Municipal and the Pinacoteca. The house is now a cultural center with a number of rooms also set aside for art exhibits. The lovely rose garden makes for the perfect escape from the busy Avenida Paulista.

Museu Arte São Paulo (MASP)

The MASP contains an excellent selection of Western art, from 14^th century Italian religious imagery to the early 20^th century works of Picasso. Every period and country has a representative sample; Dutch Rembrandts, English Turners, Spanish El Grecos, and French everythings (Rodin, Renoir, Degas, and Monet), but with the exception of 1 room dedicated to Candido Portinari, Brazilian art is entirely absent.

Siqueira Campos Park

Almost directly across Avenida Paulista from MASP is one of São Paulo's smallest but most delightful parks, the Parque Siqueira Campos (also known as the Trianon Park), created in 1912 when building in the area began. It was planned by the French landscape artist Paul Villan, based around local vegetation with some introduced trees and bushes, and in 1968 underwent thorough renovation, directed by the great designer Roberto Burle Marx. The park consists of 45,000 m² of almost pure Atlantic forest with a wealth of different trees, and there's a network of trails, as well as shaded benches to sit and relax on away from the intense summer heat.

Itaim Bibi/Pinheiros

Now prime residential neighborhoods with excellent restaurants, good hotels, and some of the city's better nightlife, these areas didn't get developed until well into the 20^th century. Itaim Bibi is set on a large flood plain periodically swamped by the Pinheiros River. Its first streets were laid out in the 1920s, and not until the '40s did the original 1-hectare lots (used for extensive backyard orchards and gardens) begin to give way to something more urban.

Pinheiros, too, was once a flood plain as well as a landing point for canoes delivering goods across the Pinheiros River. In 1904 a streetcar line connected this part of town to Centro, encouraging this neighborhood to grow. Its wide, busy street is not as fashionable as Rua Augusta but is dotted with shopping malls. Avenida Rebouças boasts a number of restaurants and bars with live music.

Vila Madalena

Tucked away behind Pinheiros, Vila Madalena became popular in the '60s and '70s when the University of São Paulo staff and students started to look for affordable housing. The neighborhood still has a slightly bohemian feel, and many artists and designers have both homes and galleries here. Perhaps because of that atmosphere, the Vila is also one of the city's most popular dining spots, featuring many fine restaurants and a number of interesting bars.

Barra Funda

Monument to Latin America

The Monument to Latin America, designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, is one of the most spectacular cultural attractions in Brazil.

The building complex is spread over a total area of 78,000 m² and holds a diverse range of events, exhibitions and resources documenting Latin America's rich culture.

In the Pavilion of Christianity there is a permanent exhibition of Latin American arts. The Art Gallery exhibits famous paintings from all over the continent. The history of the region can be explored in the Library, which stores over a 1,000 motion picture films and documentaries, and contains archives of erudite music, Brazilian Popular music and Hispanic American music. The Memorial Theatre holds musicals, dance performances, plays, congresses and conventions and can hold up to 1679 people.

Playcenter

Playcenter is a large amusement park with Brazil's biggest roller-coaster plus a huge variety of other rides and games.

The only disadvantage is that on weekends the place is very crowded and with the unlimited-ride-admission system, the wait for the better rides can get long. Playcenter also holds special annual events, the most popular of which is the "Nights of Terror".

During the "Nights of Terror" the park hours are extended and visitors enjoy exploring the castle of horror. On this special night Playcenter lets their monsters lurk the grounds, scaring unsuspecting visitors. Sometimes these monsters are hiding behind walls, around corners, or in tunnels, always ready to prey upon unsuspecting souls.