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25/25

Sao Paulo

As the biggest city in South America, São Paulo is the continent’s melting pot and also its financial powerhouse. The city is defined by its enormity – the traffic jams, the number of bars and restaurants, the amount of helicopters in the air, homes with bodyguards and the scale of the cultural divide.
 

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Essentials

01 Avoid travelling by car between 07.30 to 10.00 and from 17.00 to 20.00 - São Paulo redefines rush hour.
02 Most cab drivers speak little or no English; always have your directions written down before you enter the cab to prevent any confusion.
03 Check the weather forecast. It often pours down in the afternoon and when it does the traffic stops. Avoid cross-town journeys if it looks like rain.
04 Carry a driving license or ID with you at all times. Most buildings won’t let you in without one.
05 Enjoy the nightlife. While other cities pretend that you can go out every night of the week, in São Paulo you actually can.
06 Business is conducted over dinner - everything in the city begins and ends in a restaurant.
07 São Paulo is more formal than Rio, so sandals and Bermuda shorts should not be worn in the city, unless you are in the park.
08 Stay in the Jardins neighbourhood, this is one of the only areas in the city where people leave the car and stroll without threat.
09 If you aim to use a cell phone, bring your own. Don’t expect to come in and buy one here. The bureaucracy makes it impossible for non-residents.
10 If you intend on travelling within Brazil's interior be sure to fly in and out of Congonhas city airport - it's much closer to everything than the international airport at Guarulhos.TD>

Hotels

Independent and easy
Hotel Emiliano
Oscar Freire 384
+ 55 11 3069 4369

Dependable chain
Grand Hyatt São Paulo
Avenida das Nacoes Unidas 13, 301
+ 55 11 2838 1234
goldentulipbellasartes.com

Premium
Fasano hotel
Rua Vitorio Fasano 88
+ 55 3896 4000

Dining

Fast breakfast
Galeria dos Paes,
Rua Estados Unidos 1645, Jardim America
+ 55 11 3064 5900
galeriadospaes.com.br

Business breakfast
Octavio Café
Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, 2.996, Jardim Paulistano
+ 55 11 3074 0110
octaviocafe.com

Mid-morning coffee
Padaria Benjamin Abrahão
Rua Maranhão 220, Higienópolis
+ 55 11 3258 1855
benjaminabrahao.com.br

Working lunch with colleagues
El Tranvia
Rua Conselheiro Brotero, 903, Santa Cecília (closed Mondays)
+ 55 11 3667 8108

Need-to-impress-clients lunch
A Figueira Rubaiyat
Rua Haddock Lobo 1738, Cerqueira César
+ 55 11 3087 1399
rubaiyat.com.br/figueira

Lunch on your own
La Frontera
Rua Cel. José Eusébio 105, Higienópolis
+ 55 11 3159 1197

Afternoon tea/drink
Le Vin
184 Al Tiete, Jardins
+ 55 11 3081 3924

Dinner with colleagues
Kinoshita
Rua Jacques Felix 405
+ 55 11 3849 6940

Private dinner
Dalve e Dito
Rua Padre Joao Manuel 115
+ 55 11 3085 4148

Drink after dinner
SBar da Dida
Rua Dr Melo Alves 98

Late drinks
Filial
Rua Fidalga 254, Vila Madalena
+ 55 11 3813 9226

Late bite
Spots
Alameda Ministro Rocha Azevedo 72
+ 55 11 3284 6131

On the tiles
Love Story
Rua Araujo 232
+ 55 11 3231 2505

Reading

News
Dock News
Rua Haddock Lobo 1503
btw Alameda Lorena & R. Oscar Freire
+ 55 11 3082 9449

Thank yous

Food and wine from Casa Santa Luzia
1471 Alameda Lorena
+ 55 11 3897 5000
santaluzia.com.br

Shopping

Something you can't get anywhere else
Designer clothes from Cris Barros
Rua Vitório Fasano 85, Jardim Paulistano
+ 55 11 3082 3621
crisbarros.com.br

Lost luggage - where to buy dress shirts, socks and undies
Brooksfield
Rua Oscar Freire 690, Cerqueira César
+ 55 11 3083 6584
brooksfield.com.br

Something for the kids
Cool toys from Plastik
Rua Dr Melo Alves 459, Cerqueira César
+ 55 11 3081 2056
plasticsp.com.br

Something for someone you love
Jewellery from
Jack Vartanian
Rua Haddock Lobo 1592

Something for yourself
Classy casual menswear from Richard’s
Rua Oscar Freire 1129, Cerqueira César
+ 55 11 3062 6784
richards.com.br

Two hour tour

01 Museu do Futebol

The city’s new museum of football
Praça Charles Miller, S/N - Estádio do Pacaembu
+ 55 11 3663 3848
museudofutebol.org.br

02 Galerie Vermelho

Contemporary photography gallery with a great restaurant makes for a lovely afternoon outing.
Rua Minas Gerais 350
galeriavermelho.com.br

03 Go to the market

Colourful open air markets sell everything from fish to herbs to fruit
There is a market somewhere in SP every day except Monday

Transport

Get a cab or a private driver, or check the distance and walk.

Limousine/car
Norbert Car Service
+ 55 11 9951 4500

Helicopter Charter
Lider Aviacao
+ 55 31 3490 4667

Fitness

Good Gym
Bioritmo Academia
Conjunto Nacional, Avenida Paulista, 2073, Terraço 2
+ 55 11 3365 0800
bioritmo.com.br

Good running route
through Roberto Burle Marx’s landscapes in Ibirapuera Park

Credits

Writer: Andrew Downie

25/25

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