São Paulo 3-day itinerary

Start at the Mercado Municipal (Mercadão) — a gorgeous 1930s market with stained-glass windows and legendary food. Try the mortadela sandwich (R$35–45, absurdly thick) and pastel de bacalhau (salt cod pastry, R$25). Walk to the Edifício Itália observation deck (R$30 with drink) for panoramic city views, then through Praça da República and the Edifício Copan — Niemeyer's iconic curved apartment building.

Metro to Consolação and walk Avenida Paulista — São Paulo's cultural spine. MASP (R$60, free Tuesdays) houses Rembrandt, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Portinari on innovative suspended glass easels. The Japan House (free) across the street has excellent rotating exhibitions. Continue to the Instituto Moreira Salles (free) for photography. Grab a pão de queijo from any padaria along the avenue (R$5–8).

Vila Madalena is São Paulo's nightlife epicentre. Start with dinner at Consulado Mineiro for comida mineira — feijão tropeiro and tutu de feijão (R$40–65). Then bar-hop down Rua Aspicuelta and Rua Mourato Coelho — Mercearia São Pedro for natural wine (R$25–40 a glass), Bar do Cachorro for caipirinhas (R$18–25), or SubAstor for craft cocktails. Clubs open after midnight.

Walk Beco do Batman (Batman Alley) — São Paulo's famous open-air graffiti gallery. Every surface is covered in murals that change constantly. Continue through the surrounding streets — Rua Harmonia, Rua Medeiros de Albuquerque — for more large-scale pieces. São Paulo has one of the most vibrant street art scenes on earth. Coffee at Coffee Lab (R$12–18) on Rua Fradique Coutinho.

Take a bus or Uber to Parque Ibirapuera — São Paulo's answer to Central Park, designed by Niemeyer. The MAM (Museu de Arte Moderna, R$25) and OCA exhibition space host world-class shows. Walk the lake paths, rent a bike (R$10/hour), or just lie on the grass like the Paulistanos. The Afro Brasil Museum (R$15) inside the park covers the African diaspora in Brazil with powerful collections.

Metro to Liberdade for the largest Japanese community outside Japan. Walk under the red torii gates of Praça da Liberdade. Dinner at a traditional izakaya or sushi-bar on Rua Galvão Bueno — the temaki (hand rolls) here are Brazil's best (R$20–35 each). Or try Aoyama for ramen (R$35–50). End with a caipirinha de sakê — the Japanese-Brazilian crossover drink — at a Liberdade bar.

The Pinacoteca do Estado (R$30, free on Saturdays) is São Paulo's oldest art museum, housed in a beautiful brick building with a glass-covered courtyard. The Brazilian art collection from the 19th and 20th centuries is outstanding. Walk through the Parque da Luz — the first public park in the city — and admire the Estação da Luz railway station, a stunning Victorian-era iron and glass building.

Walk to Bom Retiro — a neighbourhood of Korean, Bolivian, and Jewish communities stacked on top of each other. Incredible Korean food on Rua Prates (bibimbap R$25–40). The neighbourhood's textile shops sell bargain clothing. If it is Sunday, head to Praça Benedito Calixto in Pinheiros for the antique fair — vinyl records, vintage furniture, live samba, and food stalls.

Jardins is São Paulo's upscale dining district. For a splurge, A Casa do Porco has been named the best restaurant in South America — pork-focused tasting menu for R$200–300 (book weeks ahead). Or keep it real at a boteco (neighbourhood bar) in Pinheiros for a chopp (draft beer, R$10–15) and bolinho de bacalhau (cod fritters, R$15–25). São Paulo rewards those who eat fearlessly.