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Festival

The Sao Paulo Carnival

The Sao Paulo Carnival, a colorful, festive affair, pays homage to the highly energetic dance genre: The Samba. Many of the city’s Samba schools participate and compete in this weekend carnival hoping to win the Samba Award. While the Carnival is nothing like the one that takes place in Rio de Janeiro, it is still quite popular given that it is cheap and is not very commercial. The parade that finally leads to the Samba competition in the Sambadrome is worth watching -those in Sao Paulo in February should not miss it.

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The Sao Paulo Carnival

The Sao Paulo Carnival, a colorful, festive affair, pays homage to the highly energetic dance genre: The Samba. Many of the city’s Samba schools participate and compete in this weekend carnival hoping to win the Samba Award. While the Carnival is nothing like the one that takes place in Rio de Janeiro, it is still quite popular given that it is cheap and is not very commercial. The parade that finally leads to the Samba competition in the Sambadrome is worth watching -those in Sao Paulo in February should not miss it.

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The Sao Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW)

Activity

The Sao Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW) is one of the world’s most anticipated international events. Started in 1996, the SPFW is held at Ibirapuera Park twice a year. The Fashion Week in January features the fall collection while its June counterpart showcases the spring collection. The SPFW can be described as “fashion for a cause” since it is known for endorsing anti-hunger, poverty, cancer, AIDS and pro-environment-related campaigns. The Fashion Week is attended by the who’s who of Sao Paulo and indeed of the world, as international brands such as Versace, Chanel, and Gucci, among others, show their collections here.

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The Electronic Language International Festival

Activity

The Electronic Language International Festival is the biggest art and technology festival held in Brazil and aims to promote new media art that is gaining popularity. The focus is mostly on digital media.

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The Festa da Achiropita or Achiropita Festival

Activity

The Festa da Achiropita or Achiropita Festival is an Italian festival organized by a church in the city and takes place for roughly ten days. The festival celebrates Italian traditions and sells Italian food, handicrafts, and the like.

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The Salão Internacional da Indústria do Transporte

Activity

The Salão Internacional da Indústria do Transporte Or the International Transport Industry Show takes places once every two years and features the latest trends in the automotive industry. Manufacturers from around the world come here and display their latest products in a bid to seek buyers.

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The Brazilian Grand Prix (F1 Grand Prix Interlagos)

Activity

The Brazilian Grand Prix (F1 Grand Prix Interlagos) is part of the circuit training of the Formula One championship and has seen some of the best Formula One drivers train and compete. The race started in 1972 and has since seen extremely memorable grand prix moments and has introduced what are known as world-class Formula One drivers.

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Mostra Internacional de Cinema Sao Paulo

Activity

Mostra Internacional de Cinema Sao Paulo or the International Film Festival, kicked off in 1977 and is significant because it brings to light some interesting and relevant movies from international cinema.

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The Bienal de Sao Paulo

Activity

The Bienal de Sao Paulo a cultural and arts event, takes place every two years. Each Bienal is based on a certain theme around which all art exhibits are centered. It is one of the biggest Brazilian (as well as international) art exhibitions in the world and has the patronage of many industrialists. Among the aims of this exhibition is the broadening of knowledge and understanding of art that is not native to Brazil. Bienal also aims to promote Brazilian art in other countries.

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The Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre

Activity

The Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre or the Saint Silvester Road Race, takes place on the oldest and one of the most significant streets of Sao Paulo. The race occurs on December 31, the day Saint Silvester (a Catholic saint) died. While the race is shorter than a marathon (9.3 miles), heat and various natural obstacles make the race difficult for competitors.

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Hopi Hari

Park

One of the largest and modern amusement parks, the Hope Hari is actually divided into five separate parks and is located about one hundred kilometers from Sao Paulo. You can either drive there, (which takes about an hour), or you can take a bus to the park. Their website is mainly in Portuguese but your hotel staff will be able to guide you.

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Trianon Park

Park

This park was established in the late 19th century and features the flora and fauna of Brazil. Today, it has trees over three hundred years old and can serve as a peaceful retreat from the commotion of the city. Children can run around freely, play games and take in the natural beauty of Brazil. Perfect for a picnic with the family.

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The Sao Paulo Zoo

zoo

A place worth visiting, the Sao Paolo Zoo has over 3,000 different kinds of animals, including several endangered species. The zoo has a lake in its center containing the monkey islands, which must not be missed.

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Instituto Butantan

Education

The research center was established for the study for poisonous snakes and is now a main attraction among tourists. The center houses spiders, scorpions, frogs, other reptiles, and monkeys.

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Science Center

Education

This is administered by the University of Sao Paulo and offers insights on science, geography, geology, history and more. The center is mostly geared towards the inquisitive minds of children.

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Banespa Tower

Tower

This monumental tower was established in 1947 and takes after the New York Empire State Building. The building has an observation deck and a museum at the top. The observation deck is a great place to see Sao Paulo from a distance and the energy that it imbibes.

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Martinelli Building

Building

Famous for being Sao Paulo’s first sky-scraper and constructed in the 1950s, the Martinelli Building is patterned after Gothic architecture. There is a penthouse at the top which is extraordinary to say the least. The view from the rooftop is also quite breath-taking, but requires special permission.

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Sao Bento Monastery

Churches

This Norman-Byzantine style church was designed by a German architect and boasts a huge pipe organ with 6,000 pipes and an image of the Kasperovo Virgin that is adorned with 6,000 pearls from the Black Sea.

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Museum of Sacred Art

Museum

As the name suggests, this museum has about 4,000 artifacts that are considered sacred in Brazil. There are some fabulous baroque and rococo art pieces that are worth seeing. The artifacts date as far back as the 17th century.

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Teatro Municipal

Theatre

The Municipal Theatre was built in the early 20th century and has various art-nouveau building elements. The theatre has a capacity of 1,500 people and is home to many cultural and performing art events in the city. Guided tours are available but require advance bookings.

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Paddock Jardim

This restaurant boasts one of the best piano bars in the city. The menu includes an excellent combination of classic French and Brazilian cuisine. Here you can order escargot, beef jerky, and scallops.

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Fasano

If interested in a culinary adventure, guests at the restaurant can opt for the five-course tasting menu designed specially by the chef. If not, try some of the best pasta and other Italian favorites such as veal cutlets, roasted tomato soup with shrimp, and tuna steak.

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Antiquarius

Serving traditional Portuguese cuisine hot and delicious everyday. On offer are items that are authentic and difficult to sample out of Portugal.

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Figueira Rubaiyat

A trip to Brazil would be incomplete without trying the country’s specialty: beef. The restaurant is known to serve the best prime beef in the city and for those looking for other options, seafood is on the menu.

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Sushi Yassu

Very popular among the tourists and locals alike, this restaurant serves piping hot Udon noodle soup, teppanyaki, sushi, and sashimi.

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Arabia

A large middle-eastern population lives in Sao Paulo, which is one reason why restaurants serving middle-eastern cuisine are quite popular. You can pick from daily specials or from their regular menu. Food here is mainly Lebanese and is known to be quite delicious.

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Tarraco Italia

If you’re in the mood for a romantic evening with great food, live music, and phenomenal views of the city, this is the restaurant to visit. Located forty-one stories above the street, the views are stunning and the live music as a backdrop to your dinner makes it even more interesting.

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Le Chef Rouge

Classic French cuisine including duck served with a tangy orange sauce and fresh baby greens served with warm mushroom, topped with balsamic vinaigrette.

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Carlota

Located in a small cottage, the restaurant seats very few people but boasts a delicious meal each time. The menu includes a good mix of contemporary cuisine from across the world.

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Quinta do Museu

Family-friendly

A lovely place for even coffee and dessert, this café also offers some light sandwiches, salads, and pasta. The location is child-friendly with a huge garden where children can play around.