I’m up for a weekend trip to most anywhere, but I now have a new city I will look forward to returning to: São Paulo, Brazil.
When my friend asked if I wanted to join him in Sao Paulo, for a couple days, I agreed because I thought the fellowship would be great. It was. My hopes for Brazil’s largest city, however, were not as high. But even though I’ve been to São Paulo before, it was like being introduced to the city for the first time.
He knew all the great restaurants. He knew all the great bars. And it turned out to be 36-hours of delicious food and drink. Now I understand why he travels to Brazil at least once a month…just for the weekend.
This will be a brief trip report, but I hope it will be an enjoyable one and offer a valuable insider’s guide to São Paulo. There are far too many travel writers who write about places they have never been to. Here, I am happy to provide not Trip Advisor highlights, but simply a first-hand chronicle of a Thursday and Friday in São Paulo.
The trip report will simply be four parts:
- Review: United Airlines Polaris Business Class To Brazil And Back
- Review: Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo
- 24-Hours In Sao Paulo: A Perfect Itinerary
- Great Coffee In Sao Paulo, Brazil
I flew down to Brazil via Chicago and returned via Houston, allowing me to review eight United Clubs (four in each hub) that you’ve already started to see published earlier this week. As I work my way through every United Club in the system, I’m focusing on hub lounge reviews first.
From Liberdade (Japanese district) to Caipirinhas, from coffee to amazing steak and tacos, I’ve instantly grown fond of São Paulo. I look forward to sharing details and photos from my brief trip.
can’t wait!!! SP is amazing and world-class!
Awesome!! I’ve always skipped Sao Paulo and just went to Rio de Janeiro instead because I had no idea what to do there. Really looking forward to hearing about it.
wow you are so close to Iguazzu Falls one of the world’s great natural wonders…worth extending the trip if you can
I’ve been before. It’s beautiful and the Brazilian side is best:
https://liveandletsfly.com/v-breakfast-in-paraguay-lunch-in-brazil-dinner-in-argentina-brazilian-side-of-cataratas/
My hometown (too large of a city) can be overlooked alot.
@ Matthew — The Queen and I just returned from Sao Paulo yesterday!
I’ve been following along on IG! Like FCQ, I also have climbing The Christ Redeemer statue in Rio on my bucket list.
How bad is Covid?
I deserve a snarky response for my vague question. More specifically, how bad are outbreaks, are hospitals overwhelmed so if you get bad luck and catch it again you can get a hospital bed if needed, and to what degree are things normal?
After some really rough few months, cases and deaths are way down (the lowest they’ve been since Nov or Dec 2020), and hospital occupancy has decreased to low levels too. There are world class medical facilities here – if you know where to go – just like in any middle income country.
After a patchy start, vaccinations have ramped up significantly as well – over 90% of the adult population in São Paulo has at least one shot. Vaccine compliance in Brazil tends to be very high (it’s mandatory to show proof of vaccinations to register children in school or receive some government handouts, for instance), and the antivax movement never really got traction here.
Most of the city has reopened too, bars and restaurants are operating nearly as usual.
Outbreaks are unpredictable. There are some hospitals where the ICU is full. If you come too late, there is a possibility that you could die gasping for air. There are some people who have died despite vaccination. Not too many but some. Not all were old and in bad health.
Everyone’s risk tolerance is different. That is why Auckland (New Zealand) locks down with less with a dozen confirmed cases but Georgia has nearly 10,000 new cases and no lockdown.
Another thing to consider is if you have serious long term problems or are minutes from death, you can’t go back to your old self. So was that hamburger worth it? I’d say no. Was that trip worth it? Maybe yes, maybe no.
I think that visiting Brazil for a weekend amid a global pandemic is certainly not for me but I’m trying not to be judgemental. Matthew is pretty rational overall so presumably he has knowledge I lack. Otherwise he just feels safer.
Objectively looking at the data for cases, deaths and hospitalizations, I’d say going to São Paulo right now is safer than going pretty much anywhere in the US. It wasn’t the case a few months ago, but that’s how things stand now.
Ha! I just returned from Brazil 2hrs ago. LH & LX have been having a great sale for around €900 in business class from Spain to GRU und i took up the offer.
Had an amazing 2 wks in Sao Paulo, Rio and Salvador.
Was planning to stay in the Grand Hyatt the last couple of days but decided against it on reading on their website that the pool was temparily closed. I’d need a pool with about 30°C in SP so ended up at a Melia.
I had pretty low expectations of São Paulo too but enjoyed it. Utterly amazing food. Some of the best I’ve had -including the Japanese.
Almost got robbed by a motorcycle dude but I guess that’s part of the fun lolll
How did you get to the city from the airport? Took us like 120 minutes
Uber. Arrived around 8am. A lot of traffic, but it was closer to 90 minutes.
Happy you got to experience and fall in love with my second home, Matthew. S.P. is still for me as exciting and unique as Tokyo – but at a quarter of the expense. While it has its faults: crime, poor roads and disparity of wealth to poverty, like most of Brazil it is often a lotus blossom unfolding when you dig deep into the people and the culture. As my girlfriend there will tell people, “We are a happy people, despite ourselves.”
And yes, surprising to many is that the Japanese food is perhaps unrivaled anywhere in the world outside Japan given the huge diaspora there of those from Japanese descent (one of the largest in the world).
Next will you need to go explore the NE of Brazil. This is the gem that is waiting to be discovered on a grand scale. The endless beautiful beaches (think 2-4 hours drive north of Fortaleza) you will find many places that you imagine to be eponymous with Brazil. Yet, surprisingly, other than with Kiteboarders, it pretty much remains under the radar. The French, given the ease of flights to Fortaleza, are actually first in and have developed some incredible lodges there that highlight the potential of this area. One example is https://www.casana.com/en/.
Sounds like fun.
did you need visa?
is it expensive?
For US citizen?
No visa. It is quite cheap.
I love Brazil and São Paulo is world class in every possible way. A tremendous city!!
That bridge is featured on nearly every picture for São Paulo advertising and it’s the one thing I didn’t see on the bus tour from my cruise before Covid hit. Maybe I saw a glimpse from afar but I don’t remember. The Buenos Aires walking bridge looks similar and that one I walked on.
São Paulo seems like too big of a city to immerse oneself in. There’s not really any tourist attraction that distinguishes it. More enjoyable was the trip back to the boat where we saw beautiful homes, well landscaped medians, and a lot of rich doctors’ offices. Seeing the Atlantic forest on the elevated roadway was a cool experience. Rio has the top two sites in Brazil (outside of Iguazu). It’s a shame Argentina doesn’t develop its tourist economy due to so many self inflicted economic problems. Buenos Aires is superior to anything Brazil has to offer despite not having a main tourist attraction (widest avenue in the world is nice). I rather live in BA than any major American city.
“Cruise” and “Bus”. Perhaps those are the issue? That is hardly immersing yourself into a place. Or giving it a chance.
You will never understand Brazil, S,P, or the beauty of the culture by skimming the surface on a cruise outing, lol. It’s like trying to understand Asian food at a hosted PF Changs event. Brazil is a very complex place, much like the U.S. The reward comes if you are willing to go deeper within this complexity to experience the true nature of this massive country that is brimming with beautiful people and places. For those unwilling to go deeper, S.P will indeed seem like a massive and uninteresting concrete jungle and very uninviting. The fact is that within the layers of concrete are tremendous discoveries. Further, the country as a whole is overwhelmed with beautiful cities and regions. The beauty of Salvador, Belo Horizonte and visiting Inhotim (perhaps the most impressive art installation in the world), the unique vibe of Bahia, the beautiful beaches of NE Brazil that remain vastly untouched, the vibe of Florianopilas, the Amazon region, Yes-Rio…as beautiful as Cape Town, the list is endless in Brazil.
S.P serves as the lungs of the country, it breathes life to it all. If you understand this and spend more time other than riding on a bus and looking at Doctor’s offices you will see it and realize how unique it is. Yes, it is big, that’s the point. Get off the bus, go meet people, find the soul and you will understand. And for the love of god stop judging places by the experience of a cruise ship outing. Life is not made by using cliff notes.
I agree seeing São Paulo by mostly bus from a cruise tour isn’t the ideal way to see the city, but I didn’t see any major tourist attraction that would make me want to go back. The big park seen from the top of the museum was nice. The national museum and gardens were ok. However, it’s just a hugely overcrowded city. I went swimming in two beaches in Brazil and they were nothing special. Aside from Fernando de Noronha, the water isn’t Caribbean water. Rio is special because of Sugar and Redeemer. The state of the copacabana palace hotel (rooms) reflects the state of Rio. Rio would be a better visit in the 1930s and 1970s. Brazil is Brazil. It’s hard for these places to compete with cities that are thousands of years old in Europe. It’s worth a trip, though. In Buenos Aires, I felt like home.
“I agree seeing São Paulo by mostly bus from a cruise tour isn’t the ideal way to see the city, but I didn’t see any major tourist attraction that would make me want to go back.”
Perhaps because you travel in a bubble that thinks the only thing worth seeing are monuments and museums. You remind me of Clark Griswold in Vacation. S.P. is full of incredible surprises. I could spend the day just walking and looking at the architecture alone. That in itself is a living monument. Coffee in Jardins while sitting outside and chatting with people. An afternoon at MAC, a beautiful museum and architectural wonder that is mixed with a stroll though the beautiful adjacent park. Trying exotic fruits at the old market. Dinner at Jun Sakamoto. Drinks in the bar at Fasano. Along the way meeting people and getting even deeper into this incredible city. That’s called traveling. I don’t know what you’re doing is called, but “skimming” seems best as a term.
“I went swimming in two beaches in Brazil and they were nothing special.”
Do you have any concept of the thousands and thousands of miles of pristine beaches in Brazil? Of course you don’t. Most likely, as you stated yourself, you kept to the Cruise ship locations and were too frightened to actually “travel.” Bahia and the NE are brimming with outrageous untouched beaches that would rival any area in the world. Assuming you are talking about Santos and Rio area beaches which says nothing of the entire country and what it offers. Again, if you wish to view the world through the goggles provided by a cruise itinerary I feel so sorry for you.
“The state of the Copacabana Palace hotel (rooms) reflects the state of Rio.”
If you stayed at Waldorf Astoria in NYC a few years ago would you have said the same of NYC? It’s an old landmark hotel that needs some work, how is that reflective of Rio? Did you try Fasano? Or Emiliano? Or even the Grand Hyatt in Barra da Tijuca for that matter. All are excellent with the Fasano being an absolute gem.
“In Buenos Aires, I felt like home.”
Anyone who has read your comments over the past year knows why that is.
I spent a total of 5 months in SP since last September (but I’ve been going for decades.) . I just left last week. It is one of my favourite cities. Lot’s going on. Some great neighbourhoods for walking. Some gorgeous architecture. Never a dull moment. Bars, restaurants etc. Plus there is so much within a couple of hours drive – mountains, beaches etc. And cheap. A truly great destination that is not on many radar screens. The funny thing is when i first visited SP in the early 90s I didn’t like it. But how it has changed for the better.
Where are the stories of what fake tests you had to go through to get there and back?
All of us who have traveled to Mexico and the Caribbean know the scams going on with the tests that barely go up the nose and report negative after 10 seconds. We all love it to keep travel open, but still someone in your position shouldn’t be covering it up so you can go meet your “friend”.
Didn’t have to. It was a two-day trip so I took my test in Los Angeles before I left. Used the same test to get into Brazil and USA.
Is Brazil dangerous?
I hope you don’t mind my jumping in to answer. Are there parts of cities there that are more dangerous than others? Absolutely. Just as there are parts of Chicago, DC, LA etc that you don’t want to necessarily go into. Do you hear of muggings and robberies in better neighborhoods? Yes. Just as you do in the U.S. There is an image of Brazil as this place where on every street corner there is a guy ready to steal your stuff – and that is just completely far from the truth. Common sense prevails (like at red lights don’t have your windows wide open holding a cell phone) and over six years of living back and forth there I can tell you nothing has ever happened to me. If you go off into the smaller cities and towns like in the NE or South, you rarely need to worry, you could probably not even lock your car doors when parking and would be fine.
I use Uber everywhere in the cities, I also drive, I walk the streets, I use common sense. Just as millions of others do. Are there stories of travelers getting robbed, sure. But I was robbed in Switzerland once, lol (true story). This is not South Africa where I have witnessed brazen stuff like car trunks popped open at stop lights and luggage grabbed in broad daylight at busy intersections. Yes, in Rio you may hear gun shots and sirens during the night depending on where you are staying, just as you do in LA and Chicago. Mostly though if you stick to common sense you will be just fine, as you will everywhere in the world.
Yes it is. So are parts of Chicago, Paris, Cape Town, the Bahamas, the Bronx, and Orlando. The reality is it’s one group on earth that commits a disproportionately high amount of unprovoked violent crime everywhere they are present on earth (there are other groups as well like in Mexico but the above commits the highest per capita). If you avoid them, you’ll generally be safe. The standard advice for Brazil is to avoid the northern part which has the highest population of that group. Natal, Fortaleza and Recife are off limits except if transiting to Fernando de Noronha. In Rio and São Paulo stick to tourist areas (the standard advice for traveling anywhere). There is safety in numbers. Local white residents of Brazil of Portuguese/Italian/German heritage know what areas to avoid and can more easily navigate. Don’t try to be like them. Stick in tourists areas that are specially policed for tourist purposes and where you will be around fellow tourists. Take tours organized by a reputable company with a large group if going to somewhere.
You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Seriously. This from a man whose image of S.P. was gained from a cruise ship bus outing? Wow, you are scary dude.
I am so laughing at your comments about the NE. So far off and completely idiotic. I drive all over the NE, many times alone, and am perfectly safe. Tens of thousands of Europeans arrive in Fortaleza each year from the flights originating in Amsterdam, Lisbon, and Paris. It is no less safe or different than anywhere in Brazil when using common sense.
Please, get back on your cruise ship and just go away.
Crime statistics disagree with you. You are leading readers astray if you pretend violence isn’t something to be aware of. Stick to tourist areas.
Good, you go to Disney World. The rest of us will travel.
Every Brazilian I have ever spoken to says to stay away from Northern Brazil. Violent Crime doesn’t matter to you but it matters to everyone else.
Probably because they don’t like you, don’t want you there, and want the incredible beaches all to themselves. I assure you after countless months spent up there kiteboarding the beaches to the north and south of Fortaleza that it is as safe as anywhere else in Brazil.
Great Post!!! I truly believe that there is much more to explore new places. The world has incredible beauty which makes us visit new places for sure.