Sao Paulo Explorer

On arrival at GRU or CGH, we meet you with a named sign, then escort you to your guide waiting just outside the terminal for a private transfer to your hotel. En route, our knowledgeable guide shares an introduction to Sao Paulo and your hotel’s neighbourhood. After check‑in, the rest of the day is free – you could take a stroll along Paulista Avenue or unwind in Ibirapuera Park.

Later, return to the hotel to freshen up before we head out for an evening tour that blends lively nightlife with key city sights. We pick you up from your hotel and drive through illuminated districts, including Paulista Avenue to see the skyline after dark. We stop in bohemian Vila Madalena for drinks, appetisers and Brazilian live music at a traditional bar, then continue to Skye Bar on the rooftop of Hotel Unique for a drink and sweeping city views from its observation deck. We also visit Ibirapuera Park to watch the lakeside light display and the MAC building’s open‑air viewpoint with 360 degree views. Throughout the evening, your guide provides commentary and assistance, and we return you to your hotel at the end of the tour.

After breakfast, we set out on a seven hour guided city tour to take in Sao Paulo’s most iconic sights. Our vehicle collects you from your hotel with an accredited bilingual guide, and we explore the historical downtown, the Paulista Avenue area, the sophisticated southern and south‑western neighbourhoods, and the business hubs of Brooklin and Itaim Bibi. We pause at the landmark suspension bridge with an X shaped design and pass through the most booming business areas with their striking high rises, with time to see Eataly and Shopping JK Iguatemi. In Itaim and along Faria Lima Avenue we see an admirable contrast between old and modern architecture, before continuing to parks and cultural spaces known for museums, concerts, exhibitions, sports areas, a lake and water fountain, and Niemeyer buildings, plus a museum with art exhibitions, a restaurant and a 360 degree city viewpoint. We also pass a building famed for the world’s largest vertical garden.

We continue through the district first settled by Japanese immigrants in the early twentieth century, and visit the city’s Neo‑Gothic cathedral – one of the world’s five largest – and the zero milestone. We see the founding site and the city museum, and a historic temple that accommodated Pope Benedict XVI in 2007. In the historic centre we take in the first skyscraper in Brazil along with landmarks such as the Sampaio Moreira building, City Hall, the Tea Viaduct, Shopping Light, the Municipal Theatre, the Rock Gallery and the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of Black Men, as well as the famous Ipiranga and Sao Joao avenues. We also see the former Caetano de Campos school building and architectural icons including the Italian Terrace, Copan and Eiffel. There is time to experience a bustling market brimming with fruits, nuts, wines, cheeses, beers and street food – a snapshot of Brazil’s flavours – and browse March 25th Street, the country’s most popular shopping area.

We then head along Paulista Avenue – Brazil’s most important thoroughfare – to view MASP, continue into Jardins with its hotels, restaurants and upscale boutiques, and stroll Oscar Freire Street. We visit the Church Nossa Sra. do Brasil, admire the street art at Batman Alley and explore Vila Madalena’s bars, private galleries and small studios. We also pass Europa Avenue with its imported car showrooms, and the mansion‑lined neighbourhoods of Jardim Europa and Jardim America. Throughout the day we make regular stops to explore on foot, with your guide providing commentary and interpreting as needed, before returning you to your hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, there are no scheduled activities today. We will arrange your transfer from your hotel to GRU Airport, CGH Airport or any address in Sao Paulo, timed to suit your departure. For international flights we recommend arriving at the airport at least 2 hours before take-off – 3 hours for larger groups. If you are extending your stay in Sao Paulo and do not require an airport drop-off today, we will still provide your outbound transfer when you depart.