São Paulo

Where should I stay?

Where should I eat?

• Mercado Municipal de São Paulo (Mercadão) · Centro · Food market: The 1933 municipal market is where locals go for the oversized mortadela sandwich and pastel de bacalhau, plus stalls of tropical fruit.
• Estadão · Centro · Brazilian diner: A 24-hour downtown lanchonete famous for its roast pork leg (pernil) sandwich.
• Bar da Dona Onça · Centro (Edifício Copan) · Brazilian: Homestyle Brazilian dishes and petiscos served on the ground floor of Niemeyer's wavy Copan building.
• A Casa do Porco · República · Brazilian (pork): Chef Jefferson Rueda's nose-to-tail pork restaurant, known for its slow-roasted pork and long lines.
• Mocotó · Vila Medeiros · Northeastern Brazilian: Rodrigo Oliveira's family restaurant serving sertão cooking like dadinhos de tapioca, carne de sol and mocotó broth.
• Famiglia Mancini · Bela Vista (Bixiga) · Italian: A cheerful Italian cantina with huge pasta portions, reflecting the city's large Italian heritage.
• Bráz Pizzaria · Moema · Pizza: A reliable place to try São Paulo-style pizza, a serious local tradition with thin crust and generous toppings.
• D.O.M. · Jardins · Contemporary Brazilian: Alex Atala's fine-dining restaurant built around Amazonian and native Brazilian ingredients.

What should I do?

• MASP (Museu de Arte de São Paulo) · Avenida Paulista: Lina Bo Bardi's suspended building holds the best European art collection in Latin America, displayed on glass easels.
• Parque Ibirapuera · Ibirapuera: The city's main park, with Niemeyer buildings, lakes, museums and space for walking or cycling.
• Pinacoteca de São Paulo · Luz: The state art museum, strong on Brazilian art, in a restored 1900 building with open brick galleries.
• Museu do Futebol · Pacaembu: An interactive museum on Brazil's football history set under the stands of the Pacaembu stadium.
• Theatro Municipal · Centro: The ornate 1911 opera house, visitable on guided tours or for opera, ballet and concerts.
• Liberdade · Liberdade: The center of the largest Japanese community outside Japan, with a weekend street food fair and Asian shops.
• Beco do Batman · Vila Madalena: A lane covered in constantly changing graffiti in Vila Madalena, a neighborhood of bars and galleries.
• A football match · Various stadiums: Watching Corinthians, Palmeiras or São Paulo FC play is a loud, passionate local ritual.