Sao Paulo Attractions

Avenida Paulista

Avenida Paulista, originally laid out in 1891 with the villas of coffee barons and industrial magnates, is now a compact mass of concrete consisting of high-rise blocks whose roofs serve as helicopter landing-pads or are crowned by radio aerials. This business and financial center has also developed a lively cultural life. At its four Metro stations are works by Tomie Ohtake, Wesley Duke Lee and other contemporary artists.

Above the Campo de Marte are the districts of Santana (the business and night life center of the Zona Norte), Mandaqui, Tucuruvi, Tremembe and Horto. In Horto is the Horto Florestal (Forest Park; area 174 hectares/430 acres), with lakes, wooded areas and springs of drinking water. Also in the park are the summer residence of the Governor and the Octávio Vechi Forest Museum.

Itália Building

On Avenida Ipiranga, at the corner of Avenida São Luís, is the 47-storey Itália Building. From its roof, at a height of 164m/538ft, there are magnificent views of the whole city.

Largo de São Francisco

On Largo de São Francisco, to the west of Praça da Sé and the Pátio do Colégio, are the church of São Francisco (1644) and the church of the Ordem Terceira de São Francisco, the Third (lay) Franciscan Order (1676-1791). The third building in the complex, the Franciscan friary, has been occupied since 1828, under an imperial decree, by the Law Faculty of São Paulo University.

The State Picture Gallery (Pinacoteca do Estado; opened 1905, also on Praça Tiradentes), is the oldest museum in São Paulo. It contains some 2500 pictures, drawings and prints, mainly by Brazilian artists.

Aclimação

Parque da Aclimação

To the south of the Liberdade district is the districts of Aclimação. In Aclimação is the Parque da Aclimação, with hundred-year-old trees, a lake with fish and birds, sports facilities, keep-fit trails and children's playgrounds.

Tiradentes and Santos Dumont lead to the Ponte das Bandeiras on the Rio Tietà and the roads along the river banks. On the right bank of the river are the bus station (Terminal Rodoviário do Tietà), and Anhembi Park (with halls for functions and exhibitions).

Beyond the Horto Florestal is Cantareira State Park, a forest reserve within which is the Pedra Grande (1050m/3445ft).

Central Market

To the north of the Dom Pedro II Park, in Rua da Cantareira (reached by way of Avenida Mercúrio and Avenida do Estado), is the Central Market (Mercado Central), with fine stained glass windows, built by Ramos de Azevedo and opened in 1933.

Cidade Jardim

To the south of the Cidade Universitária, separated from Jardim Europa by the Rio Pinheiros, is the district of Cidade Jardim (Garden City), in which are the Jockey Club of São Paulo and the Museu do Turfe (Horse-Racing Museum; Avenida Lineu de Paula Machado). The Jockey Club, whose stadium can accommodate up to 12,000 spectators, has a restaurant with a fine view of the racecourse, on which there are races on five days a week.

The Martinelli Building now houses the City Museum (Museu da Cidade), with material illustrating the early days of São Paulo.

Airport

To the south of Vila Mariana and Ipiranga are Congonhas Airport and the Jabaquara and Agua Funda districts. The airport is at present used for regional services and flights to Rio de Janeiro. Access by way of Avenidas Washington Luís, dos Bandeirantes and Rubem Berta, the continuation of 23 de Maio.

Cultural Center

In Rua Vergeiro is the large Centro Cultural São Paulo, which has a total area of 46,500sq.km/55,600sq.yds. It contains a public library, rooms for film, video and theatre shows, music rooms, conference rooms, exhibition areas and a collection of some 1800 pictures.

Beyond the Paraíso district are two areas which play an important part in the life of São Paulo: Ibirapuera Park, the city's green lung, and Avenida Paulista, the "Centro Novíssimo", the heart of the present-day city.

Estação da Luz

Avenida Prestes Maia, which runs under the Santa Efigània Viaduct, is one possible route to the Estação da Luz, a railway station based on British models, all the materials for which were imported.

Freguesia do Ó

Until the second half of the 19th century the colonial settlement of Freguesia do Ó was almost completely isolated from the rest of the city, and some islands of green still survive on the slopes of the Serra da Cantareira. In the old part of the settlement is the church of Nossa Senhora do Ó.

São Paulo's international airport is located 30 km (19 miles) from the city center.

Igreja do Carmo

From Praça Clóvis Bevilácqua, the eastward continuation of Praça da Sé, Avenida Rangel Pestana runs north-east. In this street is the Igreja da Ordem Terceira do Carmo (church of the Third Carmelite Order), in a style very typical of the 17th century, with a Baroque high altar.

Itaquera Parque do Carmo

The Itaim Paulista and Guaianazes districts to the east of São Miguel Paulista lie on the eastern boundary of the city. Farther in, below São Miguel, are Ermelino Matarazzo and Itaquera.

Jabaquara

Sítio da Ressaca

The main sight in Jabaquara is the Sítio da Ressaca, a farm founded by the bandeirantes, now protected as a national monument.

Largo do Arouche

From Avenida Ipiranga, at Praça da República, a number of streets (pedestrians only) go off in the direction of Praça Ramos de Azevedo. On the other side Rua Vieira de Carvalho and Rua do Arouche lead to Largo do Arouche, decorated with sculpture and gay with flower-stalls open round the clock. The square can also be reached by way of Avenida São João, one block south of Praça da República on Avenida Ipiranga.

The Lasar Segall Museum, housed in the former home (Rua Afonso Celso) of the artist Lasar Segall, an immigrant from Lithuania who was one of the driving forces of the Modernist movement in Brazil, contains oil paintings, watercolors, drawings and prints by Segall, his painting equipment, a library, an art workshop and a room for film shows.

Martinelli Building

Rua São Bento, which skirts one side of Praça do Patriarca, continues along the Anhanguera valley. Farther north it runs into Avenida São João, which cuts across the valley and runs west. At this intersection is the Martinelli Building (1929), the first skyscraper in South America.

Museum of Art

At the end of Rua da Cantareira is the Centro Cultural do Liceu de Artes e Ofícios, a Museum of Art which covers the whole range of western art from ancient Greece to the Renaissance.

Mário de Andrade Library

On Praça Dom José Gaspar, immediately south of Praça Ramos de Azevedo, is the Biblioteca (Library) Mário de Andrade, the largest in São Paulo.

N.S. da

Consolação

From the library Rua da Consolação leads to the church of Nossa Senhora da Consolação (1907).

Pacaembu district lies in the Zona Oeste district.

Palácio dos Campos Eliseos

Above Largo do Arouche a number of side streets off Avenida São João lead to the Campos Eliseos quarter, which in the early 20th century was one of the most elegant districts in the city. In this area is the Palácio dos Campos Eliseos, formerly the seat of the state government.

Parque Dom Pedro II

One landmark in the development of the city was the opening of the Dom Pedro II Park. In the park, which extends to the east of Praça da Sé and Largo São Bento, there formerly stood the Patliament Building. The park now lies at the center of a network of streets reaching northward towards the Rio Tietà and eastward into the Brás and Moóca districts.

Parque da Luz

In front of the station is the Parque da Luz, laid out at the beginning of the 20th century, with children's playgrounds, a bandstand, a small lake and a waterfall. It lies in the Bom Retiro district, a stronghold of the Jewish population of São Paulo which now also houses large numbers of Korean immigrants.

On Praça Charles Miller, in the tree-shaded district of Pacaembu, is the Paulo Machado de Carvalho Stadium (also called Estádio de Pacaembu).

There are frequent open-air concerts in the square, which can be reached by way of Avenida Sumaré, which runs between Sumaré and Pacaembu, linking Pinheiros with Agua Branca, and Avenida Pacaembu, which runs from Avenida Dr Arnaldo to Barra Funda.

Praça da República

Praça da República, formerly the Campos dos Curros, in the early 19th century was a halting-place for trains of pack animals and herds of cattle. The tree-shaded square, with a pond in the center, is occupied on Sundays by a craft market, at which stamps, coins and semi-precious stones are also offered for sale. On Saturdays there is a market for the sale of home-made delicacies both sweet and savory. The square is also used for various entertainments, with music from the surrounding region.

Santa Cecília

To the west of Largo do Arouche is Largo de Santa Cecília, with the church of Santa Cecília (1901).

Santa Cruz dos Enforcados

The building of the chapel of Santa Cruz dos Enforcados on Praça da Liberdade (to the south of Praça da Sé and Praça João Mendes) in 1902 is evidence of the rapid growth of the city. The chapel is still used for worship, but since its construction increasing numbers of Asian immigrants - mainly Japanese, Chinese and Koreans - have moved into the district. Many streets are lit by Eastern-style lamps, and innumerable restaurants offer an exotic cuisine with characteristic Far Eastern specialties.

Santo Antônio

Farther west, in the direction of the Anhangabaú valley, is Praça do Patriarca, with the 18th century church of Santo Antônio.

São Gonçalo

To the south of Praça da Sé is Praça João Mendes, with the church of São Gonçalo (1763; national monument).

Tatuapé

To the east of Brás are the Belenzinho and Moóca districts, which also have an Italian stamp. In the Tatuapé district, still farther east, are Piqueri Park, on the banks of the Rio Tietà, and the Casa do Tatuapé, an 18th century house which is now a cultural center.

Viaduto Santa Efigània

One landmark in the development of the city was the construction of the Santa Efigània Viaduct. The viaduct over the Anhangabaú valley provided a link between Largo São Bento and Largo Santa Efigània, on the north of the old town.

Vila Madalena

Feira da Vila

Immediately north of Pinheiros, in the Zona Oeste, is Vila Madalena, a district favored by students, artists and intellectuals, which as a result has the reputation of being a stronghold of the vie de bohäme. The Feira da Vila is held here in the second half of the year (variable dates).