São Paulo Travel Forum

Hi there! I will be in Sao Paulo next week solo, my first time. I'm excited and a bit scared. Any tips on what to do and places to avoid? I want to explore but also stay safe. Any suggestions are appreciated!! Obrigada!

Forgot to mention I will be in the Morumbi area and would really like to check out Liberdade, Bela Vista and others. Seems like getting around may be difficult, are taxis the best bet? I also love good food! That's what I'll be seeking out.

If you have portuguese/spanish fluency your enjoyment would be greater.
The best São Paulo city spots are: Av Paulista, Itaim-Bibi, Pinheiros, Ibirapuera.

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A3o_Paulo_(cidade)

São Paulo is a mega city. The city developed in a plan. So when it rains the water overflow the paved streets. The heavy traffic goes worst. I use to say São Paulo is a traffic jam.
Useing the subway you may be faster and cheaper at some nice city district. In São Paulo you may find some favelas as well. Don't stay near to favelas.

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metr%C3%B4_de_S%C3%A3o_Paulo

A nice tour at São Paulo neighborhood would be São Paulo--> Santos--> Guarujá.
The bus station to Santos/Guarujá is in Jabaquara subway station. If your portuguese is moderate you may take a chance on going for a walk.

Enjoy Brazil! Cassiovieggore

I hope I'm in good time. Morumbi is a lovely place as well.
And you may find some good restaurants in links I have sent to you.
Cassiovieggore

Jimena, you don't have to be scared of Sao Paulo or Brazil. S.P. is a bustling business city, with great restaurants. The metro system is east to use for those locations near it, the buses do take a bit of an art to figure out, but taxis are cheap.
If your visit includes a Sunday, one of my favorite things to do is going to the free concerts by major Brazilian bands/singers in the lovely Ibirapuera park. The MASP museum is OK, as are other smaller ones like Lazar Segall. You can take a day trip to Embu too.

Here is a good article that talks about things to do and see there:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/travel/14hours.html?ref=travel

This one is also a good guide:
http://www.fiquemaisumdia.com.br/home_en.php?lingua=en&pagina=0

Have a happy trip.

Hi Jimena
I am in agreement with the others. Spanish or Portuguese will better you trip by orders of magnitude. But fear not, you can always ask people for help. Even if you don't speak Portuguese/Spanish and they sense you need help, they'll help you. Use your good judgement, it applies equally in Brazil as in any other part of the world. If someone seems particularly insistent, avoid them.

The center of Sao Paulo is interesting. Go to the Praca da Se. Brazilians will tell you not to go there. But there you can see the reality (concentrated) of class and race in Brazil. It's perfectly safe, despite what you'll hear. I like Ibirapuera also, great view of the Sao Paulo skyline. With a little bit of walking, metro and buses you can get around quite well.

Talk to people, ask for help directly. They'll protect you, this I'll guarantee you.

cumprimentos,
Grumpus