Hotel Unique Garden
For the spa serenity
São Paulo
GRU
Party in the world’s largest Pride parade, samba in the streets during carnival or come any time for São Paulo’s always–on nightlife. A palpable energy can also be felt on the arts scene, with rapidly multiplying contemporary galleries joining the megacity’s acclaimed museums. To find your chill in all the chaos, do as the Paulistanos do and make a beeline for Parque Ibirapuera.
Where to Stay
Guest Urban
For the down-home atmosphere
Hotel Pullman Ibirapuera
For contemporary comfort
Unique Hotel
For the celebrity glamour
Emiliano Hotel
For the luxury features
Eat & Drink
A Casa do Porco
Get ready to wait: Chef couple Janaina and Jefferson Rueda’s restaurant (Portugese for “house of the pig”) is always packed. The duo has accomplished an unlikely feat: getting a place specializing in pork to be considered the best meat restaurant in beef-obsessed São Paulo. The tasting menu is a good introduction to the Ruedas’ take on pork, for a fair price.
Futuro Refeitório
Walk through the corridor packed with plants to reach a revamped parking garage with exposed brick walls. There, communal tables, leather couches and cozy armchairs welcome people for brunch, snacks and organic coffee roasted on the spot. Consider the choripan sandwich (spicy chorizo, chimichurri and pickled red onion on baguette), plus a mimosa spiked with cachaça (Brazil’s most popular spirit).
Fel
Located on the ground floor of architect Oscar Niemeyer’s tilde-shaped Edifício Copan, one of São Paulo’s most famous buildings, this downtown bar offers retro-inspired drinks with recipes going all the way back to the 1800s. Consider the pre-Prohibition-era Criterion Nip, made here with gin, Moscatel and lime syrup.
Frida & Mina
It’s easy to tell when you’re approaching this award-winning ice creamery: The whole block smells of freshly baked wafer cones. Frida & Mina is considered the best ice-cream shop in São Paulo and offers an assortment of daring flavours, like pumpkin-caramel. On hot days, expect a lineup.
Maní
Owner and award-winning chef Helena Rizzo is a favourite with São Paulo restaurant critics, recognized for her creative yet unpretentious take on modern Brazilian cuisine (don’t miss the fish of the day with black tucupi). Given this spot’s popularity, reservations are wise.
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What to Do
Avenida Paulista on Sundays
One of the city’s main arteries, Avenida Paulista is closed to cars on Sundays. That’s when locals take over, biking and walking along the nearly 3-km stretch. Start from Praça do Ciclista (Biker’s Square) and head toward Avenida Domingos de Morais. En route, stop to drink coconut water, dance to drum beats, and bargain at the antiques market held Sundays under the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP).
João Pimenta
João Pimenta is a talented young tailor; book a studio visit in advance to have something custom-made. Three-piece suits hang on racks alongside tailored military jackets and even skirts for men. Pimenta’s designs flirt with femininity and rely on handmade natural fabrics.
Vila Madalena
Once the neighbourhood of penniless artists, Vila Madalena is now the place to find high-end fashion, artisanal markets and specialty food stores. Stop by A Queijaria for stellar local cheeses, visit the studio of fashion designer Fernanda Yamamoto (she regularly shows at São Paulo Fashion Week), and shop perfumes at Brazilian beauty brand Avatim (the name means “smell of the earth” in the indigenous Tupí-Guaraní language).
Feira de plantas e flores CEAGESP
Unless you know a local, chances are you won’t hear about this plant and flower market, the biggest of its kind in Brazil. In the early hours of Mondays and Wednesdays, the huge warehouse receives hundreds of trucks delivering flowers, plants and fruit trees. A sort of transitory nursery, it sells almost a ton of tropical plants every week.
Galeria Melissa
Rua Oscar Freire is where everyone comes to see the latest fashion trends. A favourite stop is Galeria Melissa, a gallery/boutique dedicated to jelly shoes or, as Brazilians call them, melissas. Here, you find whole collections co-created by world-famous designers, architects and artists, including Vivienne Westwood, Jason Wu and Zaha Hadid.
Feira de Liberdade
A true São Paulo tradition, the Feira da Liberdade (Liberdade Street Market) has been happening every Saturday and Sunday since 1985 in Liberdade — home to the world’s largest community of Japanese expats — and it remains a popular weekend spot for locals. At this open-air fair, you can browse more than 200 stalls for reasonably priced Japanese and Chinese dishes, or shop for handicrafts like bamboo cooking utensils.
Pinacoteca de São Paulo
This is the oldest, and one of the most important, art museums in São Paulo. The 19th-century building housed the city’s first art school and was renovated by the famous architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha. Highlights include modernist paintings by Brazilian masters like Cândido Portinari, Anita Malfatti and Di Cavalcanti.
Feira Rosenbaum
Many São Paulo artists, designers and independent makers now use open markets to sell their goods directly to the public. One of the best is Feira Rosenbaum, where you’ll find woodblock prints, pottery and clothing you can’t shop anywhere else. Because it’s an itinerant fair, make sure to check where it will take place when you’re in town.
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