Sao Paulo attractions

Boasting 23 beaches, Guarujá is undoubtedly São Paulo’s beach city. Though its 300,000+ population is enormous compared to most fishing villages, it's tiny when related to São Paulo’s 12 million—its compact size makes it popular with travelers looking to enjoy its fast-paced nightlife and sandy stretches.

The second-tallest building in São Paulo—and one of the city’s most celebrated architectural landmarks—the Italian Building (Edifício Itália) soars 541 feet (165 meters) above street level. Striking when viewed from the outside, the 1965 skyscraper also hosts a rooftop observation deck as well as the sky-high Terraço Itália restaurant and bar.

Boasting the title of Latin America’s largest aquarium, Sao Paulo Aquarium is home to more than 3,000 creatures. Immerse yourself in different sections of the aquarium—which include fresh water, Antarctica, and the ocean—to discover exhibits that span 300 species of marine life and other mammals.

One of São Paulo’s most storied hotels, the Hotel Unique certainly lives up to its name. Designed by architect Ruy Ohtake as a ship-like building (though some compare it to a watermelon), the hotel’s striking appearance continues indoors. Its rooftop pool and restaurant, Skye, are popular among both guests and visitors.

Sunset Square (Praça Por do Sol) is officially named Praça Coronel Custódio Fernandes Pinheiro, but visit in the early evening and you’ll soon see why it earned its nickname: This small, sloped public green space in São Paulo’s Alto de Pinheiros neighborhood is perfectly aligned to watch the sun set between the city’s many skyscrapers.

A rectangular eye at the center of the urban hurricane that is São Paulo, Republic Square (Praça da República) might have seen better days, but the plaza still holds on to its importance as a focal point for cultural life in the city. Built in 1889 to commemorate a new era in the city’s expansion and development, the square served as the primary location for concerts, political protests, and other gatherings.

São Paulo’s preeminent museum of religious artworks and artifacts, the São Paulo Museum of Sacred Art (Museu de Arte Sacra) is home to a collection of primarily 16th–18th-century paintings, sculptures, altars, and more. It’s housed in the 18th-century Luz Monastery, one of the city’s best-preserved historic landmarks.

Cantareira State Park—one of the world’s largest urban parks, which preserves the region’s Atlantic Forest—is located north of São Paulo, and is an inviting day-trip destination for those seeking time in the great outdoors. One highlight is Pedra Grande (Big Rock), a granite lookout point that stands over 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) tall.

With five zones and more than 35 rides and attractions suitable for all ages, Hopi Hari is one of Brazil’s most popular amusement parks. At the recently renovated park, visitors are welcomed into the fictional world of Hopi Hari, where each brightly colored “village” has its own theme, including a Wild West zone and a Looney Tunes area.

With more than 85 sculptures scattered around its hilltop park, the Felicia Leirner Museum (Museu Felicia Leirner) is an enchanting space where art meets nature. The open-air gallery is the life’s work of Polish sculptor Felicia Leirner and is also home to the Claudio Santoro Auditorium.

Embu das Artes—also known as Embu—is a small, colonial town in São Paulo State, which was founded as a Jesuit settlement in 1554. Renowned for its heritage architecture, the town is also a thriving arts center, home to art galleries, artists’ studios, antique stores, and an ever-popular weekend arts and crafts fair.

One of the world’s largest areas of native tropical forest within an urban setting, São Paulo’s Cantareira State Park (Parque Estadual da Cantareira) sprawls across 20,000 acres (8,100 hectares). Protecting remnants of the region’s Atlantic Forest, the park is home to hundreds of rare plants and animal species, plus 14 hiking trails and a cycling route.

Housed in one of Brazil’s oldest churches, the Jesuit Sacred Art Museum is small but filled with history. The church, Nossa Senhora do Rosário was built in 1690 and is representative of many Catholic churches constructed by the Portuguese at thistime, with its simple, white exterior and windows in neat blue frames.The interior has an intricately decorated altar and some items used by priests centuries ago like candlesticks, crosses and religious scriptures. It holds an impressive collection of religious artifacts and baroque pieces, some dating as far back as the 17th century. This includes paintings of angels, saints, and biblical characters portrayed in various mediums, like woodcarvings, terracotta sculptures and paintings in ornate gilded frames. Another highlight is an 18th-century organ, the second oldest in Brazil.

Immigrants make up a very important part of Brazil’s past and present. Many don’t realize that Brazil was a hub for immigrants from all over the world in the 19th and 20th centuries. Immigrants from Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Japan and elsewhere immigrated to São Paulo by the millions, and today immigrant populations are an important part of the city’s dynamic and cultural identity.The Immigration Museum is set in the same place where many of Brazil’s immigrants were received starting in the late 19th-century. For many of them, this building became a temporary residence. Today the museum preserves many things from everyday life in that period, including the bunk bends where immigrants slept, their clothes, shoes, and other knick-knacks. The museum’s permanent exhibit, ‘Migration: experiences, memories and identities,’ has well-preserved documents and records, as well as photographs and portraits, which give visitors a sense of the lives and struggles of the immigrant population.The exterior has lovely gardens, a small café and nice views of the museum’s beautiful architecture. Paths wind around the gardens and are dotted with antiques from this time, including several early-20th century cars and an old steam train.

A visit to KidZania Sao Paulo offers adults and children a fun-filled and educational day out. At this immersive attraction, children aged 3-14 can take part in more than 50 activities that help prepare them for living and working in the real world.

São Paulo's Latin America Memorial (Memorial da América Latina) is a public space and museum, designed to honor Latin American traditions and educate visitors about the region's historical, cultural and linguistic proximity. The center was conceptualized to celebrate the idea of Latin American unity, inspired by the ideals of Simón Bolívar, José Martí and San Martín. A popular stop on walking and biking tours in São Paulo, the grand open space also hosts outdoor events and cultural celebrations of up to 30,000 people.Designed by famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, the memorial exemplifies his signature, modern style, with large, bold curves, sweeping ceilings and futuristic design. The most distinctive landmark is a sculpture of a hand rising up from the ground, with an angular sketch of Central and South America in red, leaving a trail of imaginary blood from the continent's southern cape, streaming down the sculpture’s wrist. Beyond the sculpture, the memorial is made up of several other structures surrounding the massive Civic Plaza.Other highlights include the Salão de Atos Tiradentes, where six floor-to-ceiling panels portray the history of colonization in Latin America and the Pavilhão da Criatividade, an exhibit of over 4,000 pieces of art from all over the region. There's also the Victor Civita Library, where a wealth of educational material on Latin American culture and history is available.

Against a backdrop of the Mantiqueira Mountains, the gardens of the Jardim dos Pinhais Ecco Parque offer a tranquil retreat and are ideal for strolling and picnicking. Explore gardens with themes ranging from the zen-like Japanese garden to the palm-shaded tropical one and Renaissance-inspired Italian garden.

The brainchild of founder Walter Miguel—who was inspired by his visit to Disney World Florida—Walter World is one of the largest theme parks in northern Brazil. With more than 20 rides and attractions, it’s a great choice for a family day out.

Set amid the lush greenery of the Atlantic Forest, the leisure complex of Magic City has attractions that range from daring water slides and amusement rides to palm-fringed swimming pools. Within day trip distance of Sao Paulo, Magic City is suitable for kids of all ages and has an on-site hotel.

Developed in the late 1970s as an off-price alternative to the sky-high rents along Avenida Paulista, Avenida Berrini (pronounced be-HEE-nee) houses a growing number of shopping and entertainment areas, including American-style malls Shopping Morumbi and Shopping Market Place, as well as the D&D Decoration and Design Center.

Situated in a vast but lovely neoclassical structure dating back to 1933, the Mercado Municipal de Sao Paulo—known colloquially as the Mercadão—houses hundreds of stalls selling fresh fish, exotic fruits, and every other edible delectable you can imagine.

The most recent addition to the gigantic São Paulo Zoo—Brazil’s largest—offers animal lovers a safari-inspired experience right in the heart of the city. More than 380 animals roam through the different habitat zones, with animals ranging from tigers to monkeys.

Home to more than 2,000 animals including rare and endangered species, São Paulo Zoo (Zoológico de São Paulo is the largest zoo in Brazil. Observe a variety of mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and invertebrates, including white Bengal tigers, rhinos, tamarins, and the Lear’s macaw.

The Atlantic Forest, or Mata Atlantica Biosphere Reserve, covers 14 states and spreads over more than 20,000 acres in Brazil. It’s formed of the remnants of a larger terrestrial ecosystem that once ran down the country's eastern coast, extending 3,000 km from Rio Grande do Norte to the Argentine border and as far inland as Paraguay. Located within the biosphere reserve are the urban parks of Tijuca National Park in Rio de Janeiro and Cantareira State Park in Sao Paulo.The Atlantic Forest is known for its expanses of tropical rainforest and is home to extraordinary biodiversity and an especially high number of endemic species; roughly half of all the species of plant and animal life in the Atlantic Forest exist only within its boundaries.At one time, Brazil’s Atlantic Rainforest was twice the size of Texas. But today, nearly 85 percent of this natural habitat has been clear-cut in response to the growing demand for local business, industry and trade. In light of these human impacts, the Atlantic Forest has become an important location for organizations working toward environmental conservation. In particular, there are numerous protected areas in the Atlantic Forest that offer visitors the opportunity for hiking, birding, rafting, and many other forms of environmentally sustainable tourism.

Inspired by the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue that stands watch over Rio de Janeiro, Serra Negra’s own Christ the Redeemer statue sits atop the Pico de Fonseca hill, affording views over the city below.

Hailed as one of the most important museums in São Paulo, the Museum of Image and Sound (Museu da Imagem e do Som, or MIS) exhibits more than 200,000 audio-visual works, including photographs, films, and posters that relate to art, cinema, theater, and music.

Three hours driving from São Paulo, Thermas Water Park is one of Brazil’s most modern water parks and offers tons to do for kids and adults of any age. The main attraction is, of course, the pools and waterslides. The grounds are home to 11 pools, 10 waterslides and the adrenaline-pumping Free Fall slide, which drops over 30 feet (10 meters). A highlight is the warm pools, where heated swimming holes are set among an artificial white sand beach and several waterfalls and grottos. The children’s area features a massive shallow swimming pool, dotted with colorful animal decorations, toys and small waterslides.Beyond the aquatic attractions and wild slides of the park, Thermas also offers the pre-historic world, an exhibit of 30 massive dinosaur replicas, and smaller exhibits with replicas of marine life and insects. Visitors can also experience living animals at the Vô Bráulio Ranch, which is home to farm animals like horses, ostrich, rabbits and pheasants as well as some of Brazil’s tropical creatures like toucans, macaws and monkeys — many of which visitors are allowed to hold and touch.

Teleférico Serra Negra is an open-air chairlift that takes you to the summit of Pico do Fonesca de Serra Negra peak. The single-seat chairs take you 4,600 feet (1,400 meters) to the statue of Christ the Redeemer and offer panoramic views of Serra Negra along the way.

As the largest private butterfly park in Brazil, Borboletário Águias da Serra is home to thousands of butterflies that span 17 different species. The venue was designed to allow you to come into close contact with the butterflies, while also ensuring the protection of the winged insects.

Cidade da Criança (Children's City) amusement park is an ideal choice for visitors with active children. Located in the center of São Bernardo do Campo—in the metropolitan region of São Paulo—it was the first theme park to open in both Brazil and Latin America.