Samba Sundays in São Paulo

Six Months in South America, Part 9

After an exceptional two weeks in Rio and three months on the road together, my Swedish friend Kim and I parted ways.

Kim and Elise flew to Florianopolis while I took a bus to São Paulo to meet up with my Brazilian friends Esther and Carlos. Later, my friend Vic joined us, and we celebrated her birthday by visiting museums, lounging in parks, and eating our way around the city.

Return to Sampa

São Paulo was the first city I ever visited in South America, touching down in January 2020. The first time I was there, I stayed with Carlos, a friend from Couchsurfing. During the throes of the pandemic, when we were all in lockdown in Brazil, Carlos’s WhatsApp messages and calls helped get me through quaranting alone in a new country. Now, I was back in Sampa and seeing Carlos again after three years. We spent most of the time hanging out, going to neighborhood bars, and visiting the gorgeous Botanical Gardens.

Easter with Esther in Praia Grande

I also reconnected with another friend Esther, the unofficial ambassador of Sampa, who invited me to spend Easter weekend with her family in Praia Grande, a beach town just outside the city. We had an excellent time swimming, riding bikes along the sea, trying her parents’ incredible cooking, and being treated to all-you-can-eat sushi.

Samba Sundays

After Easter and spending two weeks with Carlos, my friend Victoria arrived, and we rented a place together in the city. I met Vic when we were both teaching in southern Spain, and so far we’ve gone on seven international trips together. This trip was special, because we were celebrating Vic’s birthday, which we commemorated with a Samba show and traditional feijoada meal.

Seeing a Samba show is definitely an experience you should have in Brazil. We got a discount for Vic’s birthday, ate delicious feijoada, drank caipirinhas with cachaça from Minas (where I used to live in and the best Brazilian region for food in my opinion), listened to the band, and danced with Brazilians for hours.

Recommendations for Sampa

Many travelers skip São Paulo and head straight to Rio, but you’re really doing yourself a disservice if you don’t make a stop. Sampa is the most populous city in Brazil, the Western Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere as well as the largest Portuguese-speaking city in the world. It’s nearly four times the size of NYC, and there’s something for everyone.

No matter what you like to do or see, you’re going to find it in SP. It’s a great microcosm for trying exceptional food from all over Brazil and the world. (I’ll write about everything we ate next week.)

You can read more here about what I did when I visited in 2020.

Here’s where I recommend from this trip:

Memorials and Outdoor Art

Beco do Batman

This series of alleys filled with graffiti and street art should not be missed. Go early in the morning to avoid the heat and crowds.

Latin American Memorial

Designed by Oscar Niemeyer, this cultural complex is a monument to the cultural, political, and social integration of Latin America. Vic and I checked out the Marta Traba Gallery of Latin American Art and Victor Civita Latin American Library, which were both fantastic.

Parks, Gardens, and Hikes

The Botanical Gardens

You’ll walk through Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest while seeing incredible flora and fauna, Carlos (who studied biology) and I had the best time hiking through the gardens and checking out the different plant displays.

Ibirapuera Park + Japanese Pavilion

One of my favorite parks in South America, this is “the Central Park of Brazil.” Definitely check out the Museu Afro Brasil and Japanese Pavilion within the park.

Pico do Jaraguá hike

Just outside the city, you’ll find a path winding up to the highest point in São Paulo. The Pai Zé Trail is the only trail that takes you to Pico do Jaraguá, reaching an altitude of 1,135 meters (3724 ft.) At the top, Vic, Esther, and I shared coconut juice and took in the sweeping views of the region.

Museums and Theaters

The Portuguese Language Museum

I studied linguistics for my master’s, and this museum was a nerd word paradise for me. You’ll learn all about the origins of Portuguese, as well as about Brazil’s Indigenous languages: there are more than 160 spoken in Brazil today.

Pinacoteca Museum

I recommend this museum for the architecture alone. Built in 1900, the Pinacoteca houses one of the largest and most representative collections of Brazilian art, with more than 10,000 pieces covering the history of Brazilian painting from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Municipal Theatre

In downtown, you can take a tour through the Municipal Theatre, learn about its European-inspired origins, architecture, and decorations. (It was influenced by the French, Nordics, Ottomans, Greeks, and more), and how it was slowly reclaimed by the people from the political elites of São Paulo. Today, anyone can see a show and the São Paulo Municipal Symphony Orchestra, the São Paulo City Quartet, and the São Paulo City Ballet all perform there.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for Part 10, a love letter to Brazilian cuisine.