Sao Paulo – quick travel guide

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Sao Paulo is a big livable non-beach city (Brasil’s biggest)…loved by some, hated by others.

Haters say it’s boring, no beach, no “vibe”, nothing to do, they hate the sprawling. Those who love it (like myself), appreciate that it’s very safe (not dangerous atmosphere like Rio), has many livable neighborhoods to explore, so much more partying (numerous streets of fun bars/clubs unless sporadic lone spots in Rio), feels more local and not full of tourists, feels like everyone enjoys the city (not like a haves-vs-havenots in Rio).

Not only that but there’s just more people in Sao Paulo. Even the people who live in SP (but hate it) can’t help but still live there as it’s nice to live. Those who don’t like Rio can easily leave immediately because it doesn’t offer much other than naturally-beautiful scenery of beaches and rock mountains.

Hostels:

I didn’t stay at any hostels but did research some and then ultimately chose to hang out in my AirBnB longer. But I did have some recommendations.

  • O De Casa Hostel & Bar – great friendly one, great to meet many other travelers. Good mix of both party and chill vibe. Good location just a couple blocks from the party area. But not exactly in the heart of the restaurants area.
  • Conforto MADA Hostel – probably the best rated one in the most desirable neighborhood. I heard many good things about this place.
  • Hostel Calabria – also great ratings and reviews. Cheap prices, too.
  • Selina – overly professional hotel vibe. Not cool.

Generally, you should stay in either Vila Madelena or Pinheiros. Those are the best 2 two districts for first-timers. Full of bars, shops, restaurants, cafes, clubs.

Neighborhoods & Walking areas:

  • Vila Madalena – aka “Vila” for short. The posh neighborhood of SP. Has hippie parts like Beco do Batman (“Batman’s Alley”, typical bohemian graffiti part of the ) and then everything else is super fancy and nice. Tons of bars, clubs, etc…on the streets here. Tons of nightlife areas, people spilling out onto the streets, and so much better than Rio in this regard. Most people would say this is the best place (fancy and safe) to stay for foreigners.
  • Pinheiros – right next to Vila Madalena and also safe and nice. And lots of restaurants, shops, bars. Also popular spots like Nossa Casa nearby. Has upscale as well as local-priced options. Generally Vila & Pinheiros are busy on weekends.
  • Central neighborhoods – closer to center and seeing all of SP. Bela Vista, Higienopolis, Consolacao, Jardins, Bexiga. I didn’t stay at any of these but my friend recommended them. He felt they were great options, safe, and with plenty of nearby things to do.
  • Liberdade – seemed like lots of fun stuff around here, too. But arguably less safe depending which part you’re on.
  • Paulista Ave – this is THE main street to walk. I’d recommend one day starting at Estacao Brigadeiro and walk towards Consolacao. You’ll see 2 museums and a park and whatever random things happen on the sidewalk. Then on another day you go from Estacao Brigadeiro in the other direction towards Paraiso, see the Japan House (and garden), SP cultural center.
  • Sampa Sky – glass deck with overhead views of Sao Paulo. Classic IG photo spot.
  • Other nice neighborhoods – for living a posh lifestyle and super safe. Most popular are Vila Nova Concepcao, Jardims, Moema. Next is Brooklyn, Via Olimpia, Itaim Bibi. Lesser known ones are Morumbi, Fazenda Boa Vista. Lapa, Alphaville, Higenopolis, Santo Amaro.

Activities to do:

  • Iberapuera Park – awesome big park to walk around, hang out and chill. Take note of the gate numbers on a map before you go…so you have an idea of how to get out, hahaha. There’s some museum stuff here, too.
  • MASP – stands for modern art museum of Sao Paulo. Nice to see some contemporary art, they do have both permanent and temporary exhibits. Some days of the week are free (but I’d avoid that so I don’t have to be crowded with students, etc). There’s also a nice little park after here you can walk around in, to get some relief from the urban city noise.
  • Iguatemi Shopping – very nice shopping mall. Tons of options, lots of highend stuff.

Bars & Clubs:

  • Supra – classic foreigners bar. Good place to meet foreigners or English-speaking Brazilians (who want to mingle with foreigners). If you don’t know where to go and don’t speak Portuguese, this is a safe bet. Follow multilingosp on IG to know when events happen. Events used to be small and dry, but now it’s a popular meetup spot for everybody. You can chat, or party, or both.
  • Tokyo – fun local divey spot with dance music on the first floor, and karaoke on the top floor.
  • Nossa Casa – awesome bohemian spot that’s a cross between a bar, a live music stage, and dance club. Grimey, free-spirited, progressive, pro-feminist, pro-LGBT super fun spot. Oh and there’s naked people wandering around. The area around this one has tons of party spots.
  • Skye – fancy terrace, upscale. It’s a very date night, intimate, kind of vibe. Not like a boy’s night or girls night hangout and meet others sort of thing. Beautiful vibe of the city from the upper terrace. Make sure it doesn’t rain the night you go. Also, they treat English-speaking foreigners better than locals. More likely to find a table and make sure that you have the most excellent experience. (Also…the bar area is nice. The restaurant area is not as nice, kinda lame. Don’t worry, you can still order some food from the bar side.)
  • O Pasquim Bar – I haven’t been but a friend recommended.
  • Patriarca Bar – I haven’t been but a friend recommended.
  • Goela Bar – super fun small crowded neighborhood bar. Careful, they don’t let people in (unless you already have friends inside) once it gets full so you have to go early.
  • MaMaeBar – cool neighborhood dive bar with great music. Very alternative, LGBTQ+ friendly. Order inside and then dance or hang out in the streets just outside kinda vibe.
  • SEEN – another highly recommend upscale bar. But can be hard to get a reservation. Visit their site and Instagram to see what I mean.

There are many other great bars and clubs all around these so you can’t go wrong just going to these and scoping the vibe.

Restaurants & Cafes:

  • Casa Jardim Restaurante – great, high-quality buffet style restaurant. Lots of upscale clients and proper dressing.
  • Saigon
  • Peix

I’m not gonna bother for now. It’s a really hip city with tons of great options in every neighborhood.

Miscellaneous tips:

  • Safety:
    • Sao Paulo (THANKFULLY) is not so openly dangerous like Rio. Very safe and free to walk in many areas. Not that I’m saying you should do this, but you really could just wander around day and night and even with your phone in hand. I’m sure there’s dangerous areas but I wouldn’t even know where that is because it felt super safe everywhere that I went.
    • The thing is that Sao Paulo’s dangerous areas are far enough from where the tourists go. Whereas in Rio, the tourist areas are right next to the favelas. This is due to Rio’s landscape with the big beautiful rocks being close to the water (where tourists go). Well those hilly rocks areas are where the favelas are. Their proximity to the tourist beach makes it easy for them to rob tourists and then disappear into the favelas.
  • Rock climbing – we tried Fabrica Escalada, and enjoyed it.

Nearby towns:

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