The next beach is only one hour away in Santos, the city of the football star Pelé. Drink a Caipirinha here, swim a bit, or savour a delicious meal in the restaurant Tahiti with it's beach bar charme. My personal perfect scenario in Santoas are a beer and an agua de coco (coconut water, very refreshing) and a Casquinha de Siri (baked crab).
Brazil is crazy about football: only in the city of São Paulo, there are three first league clubs: Corinthians, FC São Paulo and Palmeiras. The arenas are in Itaquera near Guarulhos (new), the Allianz Arena in Perdizes in the Western city (new), und in the glamorous neighborhood of Morumbi. You may buy tickets in fron of the stadiums (only in the official shops, reserve about an hour of time). The price is around 200 R$. Inside the arenas, a discrete behaviour is recommended, you may hear plenty of new Portuguese words.
Theaters: The Teatro Municipal is always worth a visitr: in neo-baroque style, with a wide range of theater pieces. Even if there is no theater performance, simply visit the neighbouring theater museum.
Museums: Sao Paulo hosts a variety of reknowned mudeums, partially with a global reputation. One of my favourite spots is the Museum of Arts (MASP) in the central street Avenida Paulista. It seems to be levitating, on the world's biggest free concrete ceiling, from the star architect Oscar Niemeyer. Inside, you find the most important collection of arts in the Southern hemisphere, with oevres from the 14th century. Open Tuesday - Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Thursdays until 8 p.m.
Cinemas are always an interesting experience, particularly with bad wheather. Emotional movies are enriched by the audience with loud comments. Cinemas are located in any Shopping Center.
Dance clubs: My personal favourite is by far the Vila Country in the Avenida Francisco Matarazzo 774 im the Western area of São Paulo. A mega-city club of the finest type: two live stages, excellent drinks, a restaurant. It encompasses six thousand visitors and is mostly well filled from Thursday to Sunday. The music is Brazilian Country music (Sertanejo), which is danced in couples and has become popular from São Paulo all over Brazil. The Paulistanas and Paulistanos in the Villa Country are certainly a pleasure for the eyes.
The Escape Bar, Rua Jeronimo da Veiga 163, is chic und trendy. Many rich and beautiful Paulistanos and Paulistanas can be met here with House music.
In the Bar Samba in the bar district Vila Madalena, people dance until the early morning. Rua Fidalga, 308 - Vila Madalena, São Paulo - SP, 05432-000.
Numerous other dance clubs of all music styles are placed in the Vila Olímpia.
Carnaval: Carnaval with Samba dances do not only exist in Rio de Janeiro, but also in São Paulo. Both cities reach a unique level of performance. And in both cities, the Samba schools perform their famous competition during the Carnaval week. About 15 schools make up the first league. Each performs a one-hour procession through the Samba Arena ("Sambodromo"), with hundrets of dancers and drummers. A strict jury crowns the annual champion. If you have the chance, do not miss the training of a Carnaval school. The most famous schools in São Paulo are Vai Vai, Mocidade Independente and Rosas de Ouro.
A sight-seeing tour may start all calmly, with the Gregorian chants in the monestry of São Bento. Then a tour through the historic city center (dangerous at night!) and the neo.gothic Cathedral („Catedral da Sé“). Moving on to the historic market hall. Both, the building and the movement inside are wirth a view. At night, a concert in the neo-classicistic Sala São Paulo. Also Brazil's biggest zoo, in the Southern districts of the city, is worth a visit. myDriver São Paulo is your ideal partner for sight-seeing tours. With an English-speaking driver, savour the private ride along your favourite places of interest.