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MASP (3 hrs)

Sao Paulo MASP
The most important art museum in Sao Paulo is without a doubt the Sao Paulo Museum of Art shortly called: MASP.
If you see the building from the outside you cannot imagine what kind of beautiful art you can watch inside. Pieces of art from the most famous European masters are on display in this museum.

MASP is located on Paulista Avenue. It is well known for its headquarters, a 1968 concrete and glass structure designed by Lina Bo Bardi, whose main body is supported by two lateral beams over a 74 meters freestanding space, considered an landmark of the city and a main symbol of modern Brazilian architecture.
The museum is internationally recognized for its collection of Western art, considered the finest in Latin America. It also shelters an emphatic assemblage of Brazilian art, prints and drawings.

The opening hours are: from Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm, on Thursday from 11 am to 8 pm. The museum is closed on Mondays. A normal ticket costs R$ 15.
The address is Avenida Paulista 1578. You can go there by metro to station Trianon-MASP.

SESC Pompeia (2-3 hrs)

Sao Paulo SESC
SESC is one on of the best cultural places in São Paulo. And in comparison to the price of the cultural life in São Paulo, here it's really cheap. There are theatre shows, concerts, exhibitions and much more.

Between 1977 and 1986, the old brick sheds of the factory were transformed into exhibition spaces, a library and a series of workshops.

The SESC Pompéia also features a curious and interesting theatre, as well as a choperia the serves up a collective lunch alongside inexpensive but equally delicious portions of beer and live Brazilian music.

The buildings in the complex are very interesting. There are two new buildings that are connected to the factory by footbridges. The building with amoeba-shaped windows contains sports facilities like football fields, a swimming pool and a solarium.

The address is Rua Clelia 93. You can go there by metro to station Palmeiras-Barra Funda. From there you can take a cab or you can walk to SESC in 10 to 15 minutes. (We suggest you use the Citymaps2go app to get your directions, or get the free version).

More information about SESC and the line up can be found at their website. The opening hours are from Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 10pm and Sunday from 9am to 8pm. SESC is closed on Mondays.

Nearby is West Shopping Plaza. And the area offers some picturesque moments for architecture lovers. So for sure you can spend some time in the area.

Metro Sao Paulo

Sao Paulo Metro
Sao Paulo may not be known as one of the safest cities in the world, but the metro is very easy to use, safe, clean, fast and brings you nearby most tourist attractions.

The metro system consists of five color-coded lines, all of them operating from Sunday to Saturday from 4:40 am to midnight (1:00 am on Saturdays). A one-way tickets cost 3 Reals.

Use a map or an app to travel around. We suggest you use the Metro app to find your way. Or plan your trip on their website.

Museum of Image and Sound (2 hrs)

Sao Paulo MIS
Museum da Imagem e do Som (Museum of Image and Sound), shortly called MIS is a very nice museum in Sao Paulo. For those interested in photography and video art it is a very inspiring museum.

The museum was founded as a result of a project conducted in the 1960s by Brazilian intellectuals with the purpose of endowing the country with institutions devoted to studying and documenting works of the new media that had been so far ignored by the traditional museum typologies.

The museum’s collection includes more than 350,000 entries, films, videos, records, photographs and works of graphic design. All exhibitions have English signs as well.

The museum is located in between the showrooms of all mayor car brands in the Jardim Europa neighbourhood at Avenida Europa 158. The entrance fee is 6 Real. The opening hours are from Tuesday to Friday from 12 pm (noon) to 10 pm. Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 9 pm.

Guaruja (1 day)

Sao Paulo Guaruja

If you like to escape from the hustle and bustle in the city and like the beach, go to Guaruja, which is located in Santo Amaro island, approximately 1½ hour travelling from the centre of Sao Paulo. Guaruja has dozens of beaches that stretch along its avenues and urban zones.

The sand of the beaches is really white and very soft. There are several beaches near the centre of Guaruja (mainly Asturias Pitangueiras, Enseada, and Tombo).

You can go there by car, or by public transportation. Take a taxi or the metro to Jabaquara Bus Station. There you can take a bus directly to Guaruja. The estimated travel time is 1 hour and 20 minutes. From the bus station in Guaruja you can take a taxi to one of the beaches and enjoy your day of sun, sea and relaxation. Many salesmen will pass by with drinks, food and ice cream.

Pinacoteca do Estado de Sao Paulo (2 hrs)

Sao Paulo Pinacoteca
The Pinacoteca do Estado is a gorgeously restored museum that features some of the country’s best artists. It's the perfect place for anyone wanting to see and understand Brazilian art. Pinacoteca does an excellent job of displaying some of the best Brazilian artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. The architecture of the building is also amazing and was done by Ramos de Azevedo.

You will find Pinacoteca at Praca da Luz 2. You can go there by metro to station Luz.

The opening hours are from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5:30 pm. The entrance fee is R$ 6, and it's free on Saturday. The museum has a nice sculpture garden as well, which is always for free.

Estacao Pinacoteca (2 hrs)

Sao Paulo Estacao Pinacoteca
Another museum in walking distance of Pinacoteca and station Luz is Estacao Pinacoteca. Housed in a former railroad warehouse that later became the headquarters of the Sao Paulo State Department of Social and Political Order -essentially the Brazilian Gestapo- the Estacao Pinacoteca is the modern art wing of the grander Pinacoteca do Estado a few blocks away.
A neoclassical jewel built in 1914 and set behind the shining Luz railway station in the eponymous ramshackle neighbourhood, rotating exhibits of Brazilian and international plastic artists, painters, illustrators, writers and photographers are displayed on three upper levels.

There are many temporary exhibitions with paintings, photography, sculptures and much more. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5:30 pm. The entrance fee is R$ 3, and it is free on Saturdays.

In the same building on the first floor is Memorial da resistencia de Sao Paulo, the Resistance Memorial of Sao Paulo, featuring an important timeline of movements against repression in Brazil and a reconstructed cell for political prisoners. The entrance to this memorial is free.

Parque do Ibirapuera (1 hr -1 day)

Sao Paulo Ibirapuera
Ibirapuera Park (in Portuguese: Parque Ibirapuera) is a major urban park in Sao Paulo. It is one of Latin America largest city parks and its importance to the city is comparable to that of the Central Park to New York.

It covers an area of almost 2 square kilometres and it is the second biggest park in the city. It has a large area for leisure, jogging biking and walking, as well as a convention centre. During Christmas time the park is beautifully illuminated.

It is open all year round from 5 am to midnight and admission is free.

Parque Trianon (1/2 hr)

Sao Paulo Parque Trianon
Suddenly, in the middle of this enormous city you are in a tropical forest. You still hear the sounds of the city, but it is a bit muffled. And that makes it a wonderful green oasis in Sao Paulo.
It was originally created in 1892 as a showcase for local vegetation; in 1968 Roberto Burle Marx, the Brazilian landscaper famed for Rio’s mosaic-tile beachfront sidewalks, renovated the park.

You can escape the noise of the street and admire the flora and the 300-year-old trees while seated on one of the benches sculpted to look like chairs.
The gardens are opposite MASP at Avenida Paulista. The entrance is free and the park is open daily from 6 am to 6 pm.

Horse riding in Itu (1-2 days)

Sao Paulo Horse riding
Had enough of the hustle and bustle in the city? Do you want to enjoy the nature? Go horse riding in Itu. Rural Tours offers a lovely day out in the countryside.

From Barra Funda bus station (Barra Funda Metro station) you can take a bus to Itu. The bus ride is approximately 1½ hour.

Horseriding costs 30 Reals per hour. A lunch costs 30 Reals as well. There is also an option to stay overnight. The Bed & Breakfast costs 80 Reals. More information about the options and contact details can be found at their website.


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Language of the world

Of course you like to speak a few words of the local language onboard the plane or at your destination. Here you find some simple basics of the main language spoken in Sao Paulo.