Things to Do in São Paulo: What I Did on My Side Trip From Rio

By Jay · Published November 14, 2026 · 3 min read

On my first trip to Brazil in 2023, I flew from Rio to São Paulo for a few days. If Rio is the beach and Miami vibes, São Paulo is New York. It's huge, it's busy, and it's all city.

Me on a street in São Paulo Me in São Paulo

Walk Avenida Paulista at night

My first night, I grabbed a burger and a beer near Avenida Paulista. Here's something I learned: in Brazil, when you order beer, they don't give you a big mug. They give you these little cups, so you can drink it while it's still cold.

A cheeseburger and a beer at a restaurant near Avenida Paulista Dinner on my first night

After dinner, there was a guy playing guitar and singing on the sidewalk, with people sitting at the tables outside listening. Paulista at night is a good place to just walk around.

A street musician playing guitar on Avenida Paulista at night Live music on the sidewalk on Paulista

See the city with a local guide

I booked a local guide, and we hit the major points: Liberdade, the Japanese neighborhood, and the Sé Cathedral downtown. We also went through a big street market that sells everything from household goods to fake Nikes. I wasn't there for the fake Nikes.

The red torii gate in Liberdade, São Paulo's Japanese neighborhood The red gate in Liberdade, first thing in the morning

We used the metro to get between stops. On one ride, a guy with a hand drum played for the whole car, then thanked everybody and asked for whatever people wanted to give. Something else that caught my eye: some of the priority seats in the metro are reserved for larger people. The sign says it's for anyone with a BMI over 40. I've never seen seating like that in the US, at least not that I've noticed. The Brazilians I saw were pretty fit, so I guess being obese is the exception there.

Me sitting in a priority seat for larger people in the São Paulo metro Me trying out the priority seat

The Sé Cathedral in São Paulo, framed by palm trees The Sé Cathedral

Me in front of the Sé Cathedral Me at the cathedral

A big superhero street-art mural in São Paulo Street art downtown

Me in front of a Batman mural in São Paulo Me with Batman

The Museu do Futebol

The soccer museum is built into the Pacaembu stadium, right on Praça Charles Miller. I found it really interesting: it covers the history of Brazilian football, the players and the championships they've won. If you're in São Paulo, I'd recommend checking it out.

The front of Pacaembu stadium, Estádio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho Pacaembu stadium. The museum is inside.

Me outside Pacaembu stadium before going into the Museu do Futebol Me outside Pacaembu, about to head in

You get to see how the ball changed over the years, from the first ones they played with up to the modern ball that came in around the '70s. They also have old boots, and that's when it clicked for me why they call them boots: in the past, they were literally boots.

A football boot on display at the Museu do Futebol Boots on display

A glass case full of old soccer balls at the Museu do Futebol Old match balls at the Museu do Futebol

There's a wall with the crests of all the different Brazilian clubs, and Neymar's signed yellow Brazil number 10 jersey. When I was done, I hit up the football shop to see what they had.

A wall of Brazilian football club names and crests at the museum Brazilian club crests

Neymar's signed yellow Brazil number 10 jersey at the Museu do Futebol Neymar's signed number 10 jersey

Go on a pub crawl

I did a pub crawl I booked on Airbnb on my second night, and it was really fun. I met people from all over who were visiting São Paulo, and we hit a lot of bars. If you're traveling solo, it's an easy way to meet people.

We definitely went through Vila Madalena, and I'm pretty sure we ended up in Bixiga. Those are two of the big nightlife areas. Vila Madalena is the go-to spot for bar-hopping, and Bixiga is where you'll find samba and forró. The pub crawl I did now runs in Pinheiros on Thursdays and Bixiga on Fridays.

The inside of Bar Apotecário in Bixiga, São Paulo, with shelves of bottles Bar Apotecário in Bixiga. Photo by y.naomi, CC BY-SA 2.0

A photo shoot on Avenida Paulista

I also booked a photo shoot on Avenida Paulista, the city's big main avenue. It was worth it. I was happy with the shots, and I'd do it again.

Rio or São Paulo?

If it's your first time in Brazil, it depends on what you like. If you want the beach, go to Rio. If you like big cities like New York, you'll like São Paulo.