Sao Paulo
DESTINATION GUIDE
Here's what you need to know
about the incredible city of
Sao Paulo...
HIGHLIGHTS
Avenida Paulista, one of the most important roads in Sao Paulo and scene of many celebratory parades over the years, is home to some of the finest cultural institutions in the city.
This includes the striking architectural masterpiece that is the Museum of Art of Sao Paulo (MASP) which houses a fine collection of sketches, paintings and sculptures by artists such as Renoir and Picasso alongside Modernist Brazilian artists.
The avenue is closed to traffic on Sundays to encourage cyclists, runners and walkers to use the wide avenue at leisure, taking in live music performances, outdoor movie screenings and the chance to enjoy the many cafes and restaurants along the way without worry.
In a city full of incredible street art, there is nowhere more impressive than the area where three alleyways meet near Vila Madalena, known as Beco do Batman (Batman Alley).
What began in the 1980s as a single painting of the eponymous comic book superhero soon became a magnet for local and international street artists and now every inch of wall in this small area is covered with colourful and stylised artworks.
An ever-evolving space, new pieces are created on top of old murals (but always with the previous artist’s permission) meaning that there is always something new to see each time you visit.
As one of the most famous artistic spots in Sao Paulo, Beco do Batman is well worth a visit for anyone who appreciates the beauty of street art. Make sure you've got your cameras ready as you'll want plenty of pictures of this amazing art.
FUN FACT
Inspired by the Japanese ‘zori’ sandal which had soles made of rice straw and fabric strips that ran across the foot and between the toe, Scottish businessman Robert Fraser wanted to create something sturdier to withstand the Brazilian beach lifestyle, so he took some good quality rubber (cheap and accessible in Brazil) and moulded his own version, complete with a textured sole as a nod to Japanese inspiration, and the Havaiana was born.
WHAT TO EAT
The tradition of the mouth-watering barbecue style ‘churrasco’ has its roots deeply embedded in the indigenous cultures of Brazil, where marinades and spices were rubbed onto meat before it was skewered and rotated over an open fire.
When the Portuguese settlers arrived with their cattle and other livestock which thrived on the great Brazilian plains, gaucho culture was born and thus the rise of churrascarias serving choice cuts of meat and selected offal ‘rodizio’ style – on long skewers which the waiter presents to you before slicing off a piece for you to take with the tongs provided alongside your cutlery.
The most well-known of the churrascarias is Fogo de Chao which has several outposts across the city, where attentive waiters bustle between long tables perfect for groups, brandishing picanha steak (the best cut) and incredibly strong caipirinhas (the national cocktail of Brazil made from cachaca – a spirit distilled from sugar cane – lime juice and sugar).
If there’s one food to get you hooked on Brazilian cuisine, it’s surely pao de queijo. These tasty small balls of cheese bread are a popular breakfast food but are also eaten throughout the day as a snack.
With a chewy, cheesy exterior and soft, fluffy interior thanks to the tapioca flour from which they’re made, it’s hard to stop at just eating one.
First popularised by surfers in coastal regions as the perfect pre and post-wave riding snack, the small but nutritionally punchy purple acai berry, native to South America, can now be found all over Brazil.
The berries are frozen and pureed to create smoothie bowls and the so-called superfood can be enjoyed unadorned due to its unusually balanced sweetness, but is usually topped with an array of extras – the most typical being crunchy granola, banana slices, peanut butter and other nuts, fruits and seeds.
