There’s a line in Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities that could have been written for Sao Paulo: “You take delight not in a city’s seven or seventy wonders, but in the answer it gives to a question of yours.” There are a thousand adventures to be had in the cosmopolitan, cultural smorgasbord that is Brazil’s most populous city; and the fourth-largest conurbation in the world. A symphony of high culture and youth culture, gritty and decadent, Sao Paulo is no postcard at first glance, but its beauty is in its quirks, contrasts, and endless surprises; a beautiful crumbling cathedral set against glittering skyscrapers or a hipster bar hidden in a faded modernist apartment block.

The ethnic, social, and cultural tapestry of the city is made up of over one hundred years of immigration from all over the world. A 19th-century coffee boom followed by a flurry of industrialization has maintained São Paulo’s reputation as the economic powerhouse of the global south ever since.

Sao Paulo comes in at number one on many lists. It’s not only South America’s only truly global city, it has the biggest number of cultural attractions on the continent (there are over 100 museums, and 150 theatres), and the highest concentration of hotels in South America. Due to its sheer size, it can feel impenetrable to an outsider. That’s where we come in. Whether you want to eat the most authentic feijoada, watch a football game with the locals, find the best-hidden flea markets, or drink a caipirinha at the bar with the best rooftop views, we’ll navigate the sprawl to give you a taste of the authentic Paulistano lifestyle.