The largest city in
Brazil, cosmopolitan, business capital, famous gay destination – first words
that come to my head, thinking about São Paulo. Being home for millions of
immigrants, São Paulo is one of the most diverse cities in the world. Every
year, thousands of planes land in Guarulhos airport with tourists from all over
the world, desiring to visit this cosmopolitan because of its range of sites
and nights life.
Few words about São Paulo. The foundation of the city
happened from 1532 to 1711; one of the oldest cities in
Brazil with big historical heritage. Every year thousands of immigrants from all
over the world come to live and work here; this city has the biggest Japanese community
as well as Italian, German, Russian and etc. This fact influenced a lot on
culture and development. Let’s look at particular points why to visit this
city.
Gay-friendly city
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| Photo by: Wikipedia |
It is a city of contrasts: romantic parks and streets with prostitutes, luxury skyscrapers and getto, this city is a mixture of everything. Various shopping centers with national and international brands. Iguatemi Shopping (Jardim Paulistano district), Ibirapuera Shopping (Ibirapuera street), Bourbon and etc. offer you big range of shops. Plus to all you can go to the movies there, cause in Brazil there are movies translated to Portuguese as well as movies in original languages.
Even considering the whole range of gay-friendly establishments, gays here have their particular places, for example, Rua do Arouche, Praça da Republica, Parque do Trianon, Avenida da Consolação, next to Avenida Paulista, so if you are looking for a hotel, we recommend you to choose something in this area.
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| Photo by: Wikipedia |
Of course São Paulo has an image of perfect city where you can find everything, but we want to say that as any cosmopolitan city with population 20 million people it has its pros and cons, such as awful traffic jams (if you can it's better to use metro) or crime rate. Crime rate in São Paulo is not so high, but you still need to be careful, and better not to use to much jewelry or big accessorizes and keep your money safe!
Business
Significant number of tourists partly can be explained with business purpose of travelling. São Paulo has the 8th biggest stock exchange center, home for headquarters of many international corporations, especially if we are talking about international trade, because Brazil is on the biggest exporters of sugar, coffee, and fruits.
The latest news that provoked a lot of discussions in Brazil is decision of Donald Tramp to open his chain of luxury hotels in São Paulo, because he found the economic situation in Brazil suitable and profitable enough to develop his business. We know that such billionaires as Trump don’t make wrong decisions especially when it influences on their own money.
Anyway if you are interested in investments or business in general, considering World Cup Brazil 2014 and Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games 2016, we would advise you to make a trip to São Paulo.
Sightseeing
São Paulo has an impressive list of tourist attractions; I
think even one week won’t be enough to visit all places. In this article we will
provide you a list of main “must see” sites.
Zoo & Aquarium:
Zoological Park of São Paulo is the largest in Brazil. You can see
824,529 m2 (8,875,156 sq ft)
territory of rainforest with more than 3,200 animals, 102 species of mammals,
216 species of birds, 95 species of reptiles, 15 species of amphibians and 16
species of invertebrates, in enclosures that replicate the natural habitats of
these animals. The zoo also includes a Safari Zoo located in its
southeastern side, in the district Cursino.São Paulo Zoo receives annually around 1 500 000 visitors and its working hours: from Tuesday to Sunday 9h-17h. The price for ticket is R$17, but there are some discounts for children and who are more then 60 years old.
The Aquário de São Paulo (São Paulo Aquarium)
it's one of the largest aquariums in Latin America, with an area of 9,000
square meters and 2 million liters of water. It has approximately 3,000
specimens of about 300 species of animals, and it's located in the Ipiranga neighborhood. It opens during the whole week from 9h to 18h. Ticket price
is R$40.
Museums:
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| Photo by: Wikipedia |
Museu Paulista, known as Museu do Ipiranga, is located close to the place, where Emperor Dom Pedro I proclaimed the
independence of Brazil on the banks of Ipiranga brook. Museu of Brazilian history contains a
huge collection of furniture, documents and historically artwork, especially
relating to the epoch of Brazilian Empire.
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| Photo by: Wikipedia |
Centro Cultural Banco do Brazil – cultural
center, that has branches in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Sao Paulo, was
included recently in the list of most visited places. All branches contain
theatres, cinemas, and multiple art galleries. It opens during the week except
Monday from 9h to 20h. You can check agenda on the web site www.bb.com.br/cultura.
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| Photo by: Dornicke |
The goal of this Museum is to support ideological movements and manifestations among representatives of art sphere and Brazilians in general. You can visit MIS everyday from Tuesday to Friday from 12h to 22h and Saturday, Sunday from 11h to 21h. Prices for tickets vary according to section; check it on the web site www.mis-sp.org.br.
Landmarks:
Paulista Avenue if
you don’t know where to go, or haven’t had enough time to study the map, take
taxi to this avenue. This is one of the most important places of the city and
the site of many cultural centers and museums, such as the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) and Centro Cultural Itaú. Here are also located most of gay-friendly bars,
restaurants, saunas and etc. This is where the Gay Pride is held every
year with upwards of 3 million visitors. This is also a good area to find
accommodation with wide range of national and international hotels/hostels.
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| Photo by: Pesquise na Web |
Copan Building designed by Oscar Niemeyer, a famous Brazilian architecture who also designed a significant part in Brasilia, located in the Centro neighbourhood. The building was constructed between 1951 and 1966, its wavy shape gives the building an impression of movement; inside are located business offices and residential flats.
Italia Building - famous skyscraper 168 meters tall with a view point and a restaurant in 44 floor. Edifício Itália was designed by German-Brazilian architect Franz Heep. It is the 2nd tallest building in São Paulo after Mirante do Vale.
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| Photo by: Amex Travel Planning |
Memorial Latin America is an economic, political and cultural center, designed by Oscar Nieymeyer and inaugurated in 1989. The architectural complex consist of several buildings arranged around two squares. It has: Tiradentes hall of acts, Victor Civita Latin American Library, Brazilian Center of Latin American Studies, Marta Traba Gallery of Latin American Art, Creativity pavilion, the Símon Bolívar Auditorium, and the Latin American Parliament building.
In the main square (Praça Cívica), there is a large sculpture, also designed by Oscar Niemeyer, representing an open hand in vertical position, with the map of Latin America painted in red. It’s a symbol of Latin America’s battles for freedom, with the red map as a reminder of the blood from the sacrifices that were made. The Memorial has a art collection outdoor and indoor. For more details visit www.memorial.org.br.
In the main square (Praça Cívica), there is a large sculpture, also designed by Oscar Niemeyer, representing an open hand in vertical position, with the map of Latin America painted in red. It’s a symbol of Latin America’s battles for freedom, with the red map as a reminder of the blood from the sacrifices that were made. The Memorial has a art collection outdoor and indoor. For more details visit www.memorial.org.br.
Parks:
Besides indoor tourists attractions, São Paulo also has a lot of parks that are perfect for walk in a sunny day. As far as city doesn't have beaches, like Rio or Salvador have, government tried to compensate it with big variety of parks. We will mention some of them.
Ecological Park Tiete is environmentally protected territory and located in floodplain of the Tietê River between cities of São Paulo, Guarulhos and Itaquaquecetuba and has an area of 12.5 million m².
Ibirapuera park is the second largest park in the city and on of the most popular. It's includes several museums and is known for its buildings designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Nieymeyer such as the Oca and the new Ibirapuera Auditorium.
Horto
Florestal de São Paulo is located in the northern side of São Paulo, at about
seven miles from the center of the city, it occupies an area of 174 hectares close to Cantareira mountains. It's connected with Cantareira State
Park in the district of Mandaqui.
Food
São Paulo is a paradise for each gourmand. Being home for millions of immigrant it has the most diverse choice of restaurants in Brazil. Here you can find absolutely everything from traditional Brazilian cuisine to high quality Russian restaurants. We highly recommend you to try famous Brazilian Rodizio de carnes (barbecue), where paying just for entrance you can eat various types of meat as much as you want; I want to remind you that Brazil is one of the biggest exporters of beef, because of high quality of meet.
One the most popular restaurants in São Paulo is Fogo de Chão, which has wide choice from basic file minion to premium ribs plus buffet with salads, Brazilian cheese bread and typical vegetable aipim (manioc).
Besides barbecue, you should try one more typical dish Feijoada (black beens stew with smoked meat, and rice), which was brought to Brazil centuries ago by Africans and became very popular here; usually it served with oranges, don't be surprised, this combination is very taste. The best drink to combine with feijoada is caipirinha, also very traditional in Brazil, that includes limes, ice, sugar and cachaça.
At the Public Market you can't miss the chance of trying the famous Mortadela's (bologna) sandwich. It will be a unforgettable pleasure, if you are not a vegetarian of course.
Traveling to São Paulo another must-try cuisine is pizza. Don't be surprised, we know that pizza is common all over the world, but considering that Italian community is very strong in Brazil, pizza here is very high quality. You can find restaurants that offer you 30-60 types of pizza! Just imagine, pizza with oysters, with salmon, with stroganoff, sweet pizzas with bananas, or strawberries, or chocolate and coconut.
Among pizza restaurants you can visit Bill Pizza - 1st gay restaurant in the city. So don't miss the opportunity. Besides food, Brazil thanks to German immigrants has some local famous beer brands, and the best way to try all of them is visit Frango restaurant, that is located 5-6 kilometers close to center; here you can find some types of beer produced by local breweries, the house special is the coxinha - a small, pear- shaped croquette with a crisp outside and mixture of chicken and cheese within. Very taste.
There is a significant list of restaurants that are considered gay-friendly and welcome gay clients in the city. For example, Tordesilhas restaurant that is famous with typical Brazilian menu, located in Consolação neighborhood. Or Gamelas restaurant with its range of Afro-brazilian food. Also a lot of positive comments has L'open restaurant that is located in Jardins district with nice design and service.
So, as you can see, São Paulo has a lot of things to offer to spend a nice trip. Decide how do you want to spend your time and enjoy!
Festivals and Events
Food
São Paulo is a paradise for each gourmand. Being home for millions of immigrant it has the most diverse choice of restaurants in Brazil. Here you can find absolutely everything from traditional Brazilian cuisine to high quality Russian restaurants. We highly recommend you to try famous Brazilian Rodizio de carnes (barbecue), where paying just for entrance you can eat various types of meat as much as you want; I want to remind you that Brazil is one of the biggest exporters of beef, because of high quality of meet.
One the most popular restaurants in São Paulo is Fogo de Chão, which has wide choice from basic file minion to premium ribs plus buffet with salads, Brazilian cheese bread and typical vegetable aipim (manioc).
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| Photo by: Info Escola |
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| Photo by: Blog Desbodeia |
Traveling to São Paulo another must-try cuisine is pizza. Don't be surprised, we know that pizza is common all over the world, but considering that Italian community is very strong in Brazil, pizza here is very high quality. You can find restaurants that offer you 30-60 types of pizza! Just imagine, pizza with oysters, with salmon, with stroganoff, sweet pizzas with bananas, or strawberries, or chocolate and coconut.
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| Photo by: xgabys |
There is a significant list of restaurants that are considered gay-friendly and welcome gay clients in the city. For example, Tordesilhas restaurant that is famous with typical Brazilian menu, located in Consolação neighborhood. Or Gamelas restaurant with its range of Afro-brazilian food. Also a lot of positive comments has L'open restaurant that is located in Jardins district with nice design and service.
So, as you can see, São Paulo has a lot of things to offer to spend a nice trip. Decide how do you want to spend your time and enjoy!
Festivals and Events
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| Photo by: 3 Dog Hostel São Paulo |
Pride Parade is an annual event, taking place in June, which aims to increase the visibility and social awareness of the community, as well as agitating against discrimination and in favor of positive legislation for homosexuals, bisexuals, transvestites and transsexuals. This year GLS participants were fighting for considering homophobia a crime.
Among previous achievements of Brazilian gay communities we can mention permission of homosexual marriages and opening churches for gay people. The meeting point is at MASP right at the middle of São Paulo's postcard Avenida Paulista. Even though the meeting time is at 12 noon, the parade doesn't start to move before 2 or 3 PM. The parade is 2.6 miles long (4.2 km) and starts at Avenida Paulista (MASP), at around noon. It takes the Rua da Consolação, to end at Rooselvelt Square, in downtown, at around 10 PM.
São Paulo carnival is very famous not only because of awesome street parties, but also because of Samba schools competition, this is something you really must see. The competition usually happens on Friday night, and we recommend you to take care of tickets beforehand, cause the whole country is waiting for this event during a year, so tickets run out very fast.
Besides this, check the list of street parties; it is rare opportunity to have a crazy party on one of central streets, especially cause usually on Saturday during Carnival week Brazilian guys dress like a women according to tradition. Don't miss your chance. Plus to all during Carnival in São Paulo are organized a lot of gay events, shows and open air parties. So check agenda on our blog close to January and don't miss your chance!
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| Photo by: O Boticario SPFW |
Art Biennial - art festival that takes place once per two years, starting since 1951. Since 1957, the São Paulo Biennial has been held in the Ciccillo Matarazzo pavilion in the Parque do Ibirapuera. Every time this event is becoming more and more popular, for example in 2006 it was visited by 1 mil. people. Its initial aim was to make contemporary art, basically from Western Europe and the USA known in Brazil, push the country's access to the current art scene in other metropolises, and establish São Paulo itself as an international art center.
São Paulo international Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in São Paulo,
Brazil since 1976. It is one of the most important Brazilian film festival
along with Rio Film Festival and Brasília National Film Festival.
Cultural Turn is an annual event held since 2005 by the government of São Paulo, promoting 24 hours of non-stop cultural activities held during the month of May, every year, always starting on a Saturday night and ending on a Sunday afternoon. The event was inspired by the annual event named Nuit Blanche in Paris, with many cultural entertainment events throughout the night. The activities include music shows, dance shows, classical & orchestra presentations, theater plays, cinema, poetry, anime/comics fans meetings and acrobatic performances. The event takes place in several parts of the downtown area, as well as some cultural centers, clubs and selected schools.
In 2010, according to São Paulo Municipality, the event attracted around 4 million people. This event is perfect familiarize yourself with Brazilian culture.
Nightlife
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| Photo by: About São Paulo |
Usually, clubs play all this style according to day of week, so check agenda and choose what you like. Among gay clubs we can underline D-edge club that was recognized as one of the most popular night club with its structure (3 dance floor, open area on the roof) and high quality parties. D-edge is not an official gay club, but on Friday night usually most of people are gays. Prices for entrance usually varie from R$ 40 to 120.
Another one of the most famous gay club in Latin America is The Week, which is situated in Lapa neigbourhood. This club opens only on Saturday, except period from November to March, when it organizes pool parties on Sunday from 4 pm to 10 pm. You can check agenda on the web site www.theweek.com.br.
If you don’t want dance all night, just to spend nice time with friends we can recommend you Farol Magdalena, 3 in 1: bar, restaurant and live music. Or becoming more and more popular fashionable lounge bar Sonique, which offers an option, besides everyday party, to make your own private party for 30-60 people with music you will bring!
So, São Paulo has huge choice of places, and we highly recommend you to ask information on reception in your hotel, cause the city is so big and diverse that the best thing to do is ask tips being already there. But don’t forget that not so many people in São Paulo speak good English, so print the dictionary from our blog and have fun!
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