# 13 of the Best Things to Do in Brazil's São Paulo State

> Discover 13 of the best things to do in Brazil's São Paulo State, from big-city skyscrapers to tropical beaches and wine cellars. Find your perfect route.

- URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/13-naikrashchykh-zaniat-u-brazylskomu-shtati-sanpaulu/
- Language: en
- Published: 2024-11-09
- Categories: Culture, Museums, Beaches, Brazil, Food & Drinks

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Brazil's biggest city rightly claims the superlatives for itself: biggest! most populous! tallest! longest! But São Paulo is about far more than its noisy capital and its concrete jungle.

The state of the same name is no slouch either, covering an area slightly larger than the United Kingdom, most of it rolling countryside, Atlantic rainforest jungle and a sun-drenched coastline just waiting to be explored.

Here are our top picks for a trip: the 13 best things to do in the capital and beyond.

## Head up Farol Santander

There are plenty of skyscrapers you can climb for a dizzying view over São Paulo's skyline (the Edifício Copan, the Edifício Itália and the Hotel Unique are just a few of our favorites), but the art deco Farol Santander building is the easiest option for visitors.

Built in 1939, the building has been fully renovated in recent years and now houses a museum and a stunning observation deck on the top floor, where the high-rises that dominate the skyline will simply take your breath away.

Farol Santander, Rua João Brícola, 24, São Paulo, SP; +55 (11) 3553-5627

## Tuck into Paulistana-style pizza

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The city of São Paulo boasts one of the most dynamic food scenes in the Southern Hemisphere, and you can follow your taste buds in just about any direction. The city is famous for its unbeatable Japanese cuisine (São Paulo is home to the largest Japanese population outside Japan), but even more surprising is its standing among the world's great pizza-making cities.

São Paulo-style pizza, or Pizza Paulistana, often breaks plenty of traditional Italian rules in favor of generous cheese and bolder toppings such as boiled eggs or sage leaves.

Bráz Pizzaria, Rua Vupabussu, 271, São Paulo, SP; +55 (11) 3037-7975

## Explore Ibirapuera Park

As city parks go, the beloved Ibirapuera isn't the prettiest or the greenest, but from a cultural and architectural standpoint the city's favorite green space boasts an impressive list of landmarks.

Renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer designed several standout buildings within this leafy 494-acre park, including the magnificent Marquise, a massive undulating canopy supported by 121 columns.

Add in excellent museums such as the Museum of Afro-Brazilian Culture, the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art, and you have the makings of a wonderful day away from the concrete.

Ibirapuera Park, Av Pedro Álvares Cabral, São Paulo, SP

## Beach break in Ubatuba

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The most beautiful stretch of the Paulista coast is monopolized by Ubatuba, an enchanting land of promise blanketed in beaches, set against strikingly green Atlantic rainforest that rises up and over the Serra do Mar mountains like the cloak of the Jolly Green Giant.

At Pousada Picinguaba, understated luxury reigns in an idyllic fishing village that makes the perfect base for exploring the region's 100 beaches and countless islands.

Pousada Picinguaba, Rua G, Picinguaba, Ubatuba, SP; +55 12 99637-7173

## Go shopping in Embu das Artes

Founded in 1554 just 18 miles northeast of the city of São Paulo, this once-tiny village hosts a long-running craft fair on weekends that ranks among the best things to do in the area.

Sustained by a bohemian population of artists, hippies and intellectuals, Embu's colonial center is packed with galleries, antique shops and other artisan stops, along with plenty of fun bars and restaurants to keep the crowds fueled. Sunday is the best day to visit.

Embu das Artes Fair, Largo dos Jesuítas, Embu das Artes, SP

## Wander through the Mercado Municipal

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São Paulo's municipal market, known locally as the "Mercadão" ("Big Market"), is a Belle Époque beauty with stained-glass windows and grand columns, designed by architect Francisco de Paula Ramos de Azevedo.

The huge covered market, which opened in 1933, is a kaleidoscopic mix of tropical fruits, rows of exotic spices and homemade hot sauces, plus a wealth of food stalls. Try local specialties such as the towering mortadella sandwiches from Bar do Mané or Hocca Bar, or pastéis (fried pastries) stuffed with all manner of Brazilian goodies.

Mercado Municipal, Rua da Cantareira 306, São Paulo, SP

## Stroll down Avenida Paulista

The city of São Paulo's main thoroughfare, just 1.7 miles long, is lined with towering modernist skyscrapers, but hidden among the giants are plenty of gems that make Brazil's answer to Manhattan a worthy addition to your city tour.

Whether you're heading up to the 17th-floor observation deck at the new SESC Paulista, taking in the most extensive collection of Western art in Latin America at the famous São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP), or immersing yourself in Brazilian-Japanese cultural exchange at the stunning Japan House, a walk along Paulista feels like crossing the center of the universe.

## Grab a drink in Ribeirão Preto

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About 200 miles northwest of the city of São Paulo, in Ribeirão Preto, beer has been brewing since the early 20th century. Long known as one of the epicenters of Brazilian chope (draft beer), Ribeirão Preto has logically embraced cerveja artesanal (craft beer) too.

A dozen or so breweries (and many more bars) serve this inland city of 600,000, including Colorado, Invicta, Lund, Walfänger, Weird Barrel Brew Pub, Pratinha Nanobrewery and SP 330, the first two of which are among the earliest and most widely distributed craft brands in Brazil.

Hop lovers should head straight to the Invicta taproom for its 1000 IBU, an imperial pale ale packing a powerful punch of bitterness.

Invicta Cervejaria, Av. do Café, 1881, Ribeirão Preto, SP; +55 (16) 3236-1365

## Summer getaway in Ilhabela

If well-to-do New Yorkers spend their summers in the Hamptons, then their Paulistano counterparts head to Ilhabela, the "Beautiful Island," located 126 miles southeast of the city.

With an abundance of gorgeous beaches, volcanic peaks and tropical jungle teeming with waterfalls (360 of them!), it's an idyllic paradise and a UNESCO-protected biosphere, perfect for an upscale escape at the ultra-fashionable DPNY Beach Hotel.

From there, you can set off for beaches and waterfalls to your heart's content.

DPNY Beach, Avenida José Pacheco do Nascimento, 7668, Ilhabela; +55 12 3894-3000

## Unwind in Campos do Jordão

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There aren't many places in Brazil where you'll need winter hats and gloves, but when Paulistanos want to head off to a "winter wonderland," they make for the mountain town of Campos do Jordão, Brazil's highest city, sitting 5,341 feet above sea level.

Set in the Mantiqueira mountains and surrounded by quirky araucarias (monkey puzzle trees), Campos do Jordão is a kitschy town resort full of fondue and fun. Be sure to explore the mazes of Parque Amantikir, perched on a mountainside not far from town.

Parque Amantikir, Bairro Gavião Gonzaga, 215, Campos do Jordão, SP; +55 (12) 9963 46784

## Go caving in Iporanga

In the far southwestern corner of São Paulo, about 200 miles from the city, lies Iporanga, home to the Parque Estadual do Alto do Ribeira (PETAR), Brazil's premier caving destination.

More than 350 catalogued caves, divided into four Núcleos (sectors), are the main draw of this remote 137-square-mile state park. Beyond the caves themselves, PETAR has numerous waterfalls and trails, archaeological and paleontological sites, and quilombos (settlements historically formed by escaped slaves and/or free Africans).

PETAR, SP165, Km156, Iporanga, SP; +55 (15) 3552-1875

## Taste wine at Vinícola Guaspari

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While wine lovers rightly praise the fruits of Chilean and Argentine producers when talking about South American juice, you'll find worthy vinho in Brazil too.

Most of the country's best wines are made in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, but a wine-tasting visit to the Guaspari vineyards, located 123 miles north of the city, is an incredibly pleasant surprise.

Planted on bucolic countryside usually reserved for coffee, Guaspari has managed to produce truly excellent Syrahs that were immediately embraced by the city's top sommeliers. File this one under: Brazilian wonders!

Vinícola Guaspari, Rua Pedro Ferrari 300, Parque do Lago, Espírito Santo do Pinhal, SP; +55 19 3661-9190

## Discover country life at Fazenda Catuçaba

This rural fazenda (colonial plantation) is beautifully set on bucolic pastures in the incredibly peaceful São Luís do Paraitinga, a world away from the city of São Paulo (about 124 miles to the east).

A stay here is an immersion in rural bliss: dining on organic produce from the farm, discovering the finer points of organic permaculture, and idling away the days on horseback, picnicking in remote fairytale spots and hiking in the neighboring Serra do Mar state park.

Leave your cell phone at home.

Fazenda Catuçaba, São Luís do Paraitinga, SP; +55 11 99163-5436