Things to do in São Paulo, splurging
MASP and Beco do Batman, Picchi and A Casa do Porco for dinner, drinks at Dona Onça.
This is São Paulo for people who want to eat and drink at the level the city is genuinely capable of, which is very high. The three days move between Vila Madalena, Jardins and Centro, covering street art and symphony halls in between the reservations. Come hungry, come with a card that has no foreign-transaction fees, and leave the itinerary loose enough to linger wherever the coffee is good.
Day 1: Vila Madalena and its walls
The day opens in the alley galleries of Beco do Batman, settles into a Mexican lunch at Metzi, takes in a show at Tomie Ohtake and the Pinheiros market, and closes with sushi and cocktails.
- 10:30 AM
Beco do Batman
Two alleys in Vila Madalena painted wall to wall and repainted constantly; go mid-morning before the crowds.
Map - 12:30 PM
Metzi
Serious Mexican cooking in Pinheiros built on house-nixtamalised corn; order the tostadas and anything with mole.
Map - 2:30 PM
Instituto Tomie Ohtake
Ruy Ohtake's pink-and-purple tower for big Brazilian and international art shows; free entry, closed Mondays.
Map - 4:30 PM
Mercado Municipal de Pinheiros
Mercado Municipal de Pinheiros is a lively local market, great for browsing artisan food stalls, regional produce and design-forward vendors after lunch.
Map - 7:30 PM
STANDING SUSHI BAR
Stand-up sushi counter in Pinheiros; eat the nigiri the second it's set down and keep ordering.
Map - 9:30 PM
Bar das Batidas
Batidas, Brazil's fruit-and-cachaça shakes, done properly; try the coconut and the passion fruit.
Map
Day 2: MASP, Tordesilhas, Picchi
MASP anchors the morning, lunch at Tordesilhas keeps things grounded, and the evening rises to Picchi's Italian before a nightcap at Bar da Dona Onça.
- 10:30 AM
MASP (Museu de Arte de São Paulo)
Lina Bo Bardi's suspended glass box holds the strongest European collection in Latin America, unmissable.
Map - 12:30 PM
Tordesilhas
Great-value Brazilian cooking, one of the neighbourhood's most celebrated lunch tables.
Map - 2:30 PM
Parque Trianon
Stroll through this leafy Paulista landmark right after lunch to reset before the evening.
Map - 7:30 PM
Picchi
Pier Paolo Picchi's refined Italian cooking in Jardins; order the handmade pasta and let them choose the wine.
Map - 9:30 PM
Bar da Dona Onça
Janaína Torres's bar-restaurant at the foot of the Copan; a caipirinha at the counter, a taxi ride from Jardins.
Map
Day 3: Centro: market, music, the pig
The 1933 Mercado Municipal and its stained-glass hall lead into a creative seasonal lunch at Cora, a tour of Sala São Paulo's converted railway station, and dinner at A Casa do Porco, the reservation everyone in this city talks about.
- 10:30 AM
Mercado Municipal de São Paulo
1933 market with 100+ stalls, wander the extraordinary stained-glass hall and taste the famous mortadella sandwich and pastel de bacalhau.
Map - 12:30 PM
- 2:30 PM
Sala São Paulo
The orchestra's hall inside the old Júlio Prestes station; book a guided tour or an evening concert ahead.
Map - 7:30 PM
A Casa do Porco
Jefferson Rueda's pork restaurant in Centro: the tasting menu, or the slow-roasted porco San Zé.
Map
Where to stay
Hotel Emiliano
Jardins address that sits within walking distance of MASP, Tordesilhas and Picchi, with a rooftop and service that matches the spend of the rest of the trip.
Rosewood São Paulo (Cidade Matarazzo)
Rosewood's Cidade Matarazzo campus is a design statement in its own right and puts you on the Paulista corridor for Day 2 without needing a car.
Make São Paulo your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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Book ahead
- MASP: a few days ahead
- Sala São Paulo: weeks ahead
- Parque Estadual da Cantareira: a few days ahead
- São Fernando Golf Club: weeks ahead
- São Paulo Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Tuju: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Mercadão fruit stalls can turn free tastings into a very expensive bag of fruit you never agreed to buy.
- Farol Santander and Beco do Batman are thin as standalone trips; fold them into a larger day.
- Skip global rodízio chains when A Figueira Rubaiyat and neighbourhood grills exist.
- Oscar Freire is a pleasant luxury street but skippable if shopping is not the trip.
The full São Paulo travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around