São Paulo

The city of São Paulo officially became a city in 1711. In the 19th century, it experienced a lot of economic prosperity, brought about by coffee exports, which were shipped abroad from the port of the neighbouring city of Santos. It is one of the big 5 cities that exist in the world. It is the business centre of Brazil and, has many of the down sides of any big city: São Paulo is located on a plateau that is part of the Serra do Mar. Although there are no beaches in Sao Paulo there are places along the coast of Sao Paulo State. Rainfall is abundant, especially in the warmer months. One of the ... more

Sao Paulo is a strange city. It is home to the multi million pound grand prix circus that visits Brazil once a year. Yet next to the Sao Paulo circuit's glitz and glamour lies the poverty of the shanty towns that make up the majority of the city. Here people are begging and struggling to feed their families in one of the fastest growing civilisations in the world. People often think of the Rio carnival when they talk of Brazil or the lavely beaches. People often forget the other side to Brazil. The side of disease and poverty and poor quality of living. There is a very distinct "them and us" ... more

São Paulo is one of the biggest cities of the world. Being like that, with so many people, its natural that there is more violence and robbery than in the small, quiet countryside villages. Thats´s obvious, and its a pity people who only see pollution and robberies and poverties in sao paulo. It is yes, a city of contrasts, i agree, but there are much more things to do. and you dont need to be rich to have fun in São paulo. there are restaurants for all the tastes. if you are a limited budget traveller, I wouldnt go to a mc donalds or pizza hut, there are many reastaurants all over the palce ... more

Sao Paolo is the biggest city in Brazil, but it is not the capital, as many >people think. It is a metropolis with people from different origin, and there >are many Asian descendents too. This blend of origins and cultures makes it an >interesting place in terms of restaurants. Sao Paolo is also the largest >financial centre in South America, still, there are shantytowns and poor >people in the streets. In summer Sao Paolo is better avoided due to the >negative effects of the combination of pollution and heat. For those looking for a worn in Brazil, there are plenty of opportunities as an ... more

San Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and also South America. You may think that Brazilians like to stay in the sun and do nothing, but not in San Paolo. They work a lot there and the pollution is very bad. The best thing to do for me in Sampa (San Paulo) is to go out at the restaurant, you have restaurants for each kind of cuisine. My favourite is Porcao, which is actually a Brazilian one, but you can have different food, try in Bisciga the Italian food or the Japanese in an area close to it I do not remember the name of. After you have had your nice meal, you can go out in a disco or a ... more

Sao Paolo is huge. I visited the Museum of Art of Sao Paolo, MASP, situated in Avenida paulista. I also spent a lot of time in the area of Libertade, where the Japanese and Chinese immigrants are based. We stayed at Hotel Isei and visited some of the local restaurants. It gives you a funny feeling to hear all these Japanese and Chinese-looking people talking in Portuguese. One of the shopkeepers told me that his family had gone back to Japan, where his parents and the parents of his wife were originally born. They thought they could make money there, but they soon discovered Japanese people ... more