First time in São Paulo — what locals actually recommend
If it's your first weekend in São Paulo, this is the locals' shortlist — the sights worth the queue, the food you can't skip, and the neighbourhood walks that show you the place.
Top spots in São Paulo
MASP
CulturePaulista
Lina Bo Bardi's red concrete masterpiece — paintings float on glass easels.
Vila Madalena Street Art
CultureVila Madalena
Beco do Batman alley — open-air street-art gallery.
Avenida Paulista (Sundays)
OutdoorsPaulista
Closed to cars Sundays — buskers, skaters, MASP open-floor museum.
Ibirapuera Park
OutdoorsMoema
São Paulo's Central Park — Oscar Niemeyer pavilions, MAM museum, Sunday jogging.
Mercado Municipal
Food & DrinkCentro
Mortadella sandwich the size of your head + pastel de bacalhau.
Where to eat
A Casa do Porco
$$$Brazilian · Centro
Jefferson Rueda's pork-everything — Latin America's #1 in 2023.
D.O.M.
$$$$Contemporary Brazilian · Jardins
Alex Atala's Amazonian-ingredient tasting — World's 50 Best.
Mocotó
$$Northeastern Brazilian · Vila Medeiros
Worth the cab — dadinho de tapioca and 400 cachaças.
Z/Deli
$$Jewish-American · Jardins
Pastrami sandwich the city argues over — late-night classic.
Frequently asked
- Standouts right now: Avenida Paulista (Sundays), MASP, Mercado Municipal. The shortlist is curated by people who live in São Paulo and refreshed regularly so it reflects what's actually open and worth your time.