São Paulo 7-day itinerary

Start at the Mercado Municipal — a 1930s market with stained-glass windows. Try the iconic mortadela sandwich (R$35–45) and pastel de bacalhau (R$25). Walk through Praça da República, the Edifício Copan (Niemeyer's curved masterpiece), and the Theatro Municipal — modelled after the Paris Opéra. Get a coffee at the Café do Ponto inside the theatre.

Metro to Consolação for MASP (R$60, free Tuesdays) — the most important art museum in South America. Works by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Portinari hang on innovative glass easels. Walk Paulista — Japan House (free), SESC Paulista (free exhibitions), and the Instituto Moreira Salles (free, stunning photography). Grab pão de queijo from any padaria (R$5–8).

Vila Madalena is where São Paulo goes out. Dinner at Consulado Mineiro (R$40–65) for hearty Minas Gerais cooking or a boteco for chopp beer (R$10–15) and petiscos. Bar-hop Rua Aspicuelta — Mercearia São Pedro, Bar Astor, and SubAstor for cocktails. The neighbourhood stays lively until 4am on weekends. Live samba at Ó do Borogodó on Thursdays.

Walk Beco do Batman — São Paulo's most famous graffiti alley. Every surface is covered in murals that change constantly as artists paint over each other. Continue through Rua Harmonia and surrounding streets for larger pieces. Coffee at Coffee Lab (R$12–18) — one of Brazil's best specialty roasters. The whole neighbourhood is an open-air gallery.

Uber to Parque Ibirapuera — designed by Oscar Niemeyer with lakes, paths, and world-class museums. Visit MAM (R$25) for modern art and the OCA dome for rotating exhibitions. The Afro Brasil Museum (R$15) covers the African diaspora with powerful collections. Rent a bike (R$10/hour) or jog the paths like the locals. The park is São Paulo's green escape.

Pinheiros is São Paulo's trendiest food neighbourhood. Dinner at Maní for contemporary Brazilian cuisine (tasting menu R$280) or keep it casual at Lanchonete da Cidade for craft burgers (R$35–50). Walk Rua dos Pinheiros for cocktail bars — Guilhotina for gin-based drinks (R$30–40) or Frank Bar in a converted garage. Live music venues dot the neighbourhood.

The Pinacoteca (R$30, free Saturdays) is São Paulo's oldest museum in a gorgeous brick building. The Brazilian art from the 19th–20th centuries is outstanding — look for Almeida Júnior and Tarsila do Amaral. The glass-roofed courtyard is a work of art itself. Walk through Parque da Luz and admire the Victorian-era Estação da Luz railway station.

Metro to Liberdade for the largest Japanese community outside Japan. Walk under the red torii gates and paper lanterns. Lunch at an izakaya on Rua Galvão Bueno — temaki (R$20–35), yakisoba (R$25–35), or ramen (R$35–50). The shops sell everything from matcha to anime figures. Visit the Japanese Immigration Museum (R$16) for the fascinating history of Japanese-Brazilians.

Walk to Bom Retiro — a neighbourhood where Korean, Bolivian, and Jewish communities overlap. Korean BBQ on Rua Prates (R$40–60 for a full spread), or try a Bolivian salteña (R$8–12) from a street vendor. The neighbourhood is gritty and genuine. Head back towards Paulista for drinks at Astor (R$25–35 for cocktails) on Rua Delfina in Vila Madalena.

If it is Sunday, start at the Praça Benedito Calixto antique fair in Pinheiros — vinyl records, vintage furniture, handmade crafts, live samba, and food stalls. Even on other days, the surrounding streets of Pinheiros are worth exploring — independent coffee shops, bookstores, and record stores. Breakfast at Padoca do Maní (R$15–30) for some of the best baked goods in the city.

São Paulo has more Niemeyer buildings than any city except Brasília. Start at the Edifício Copan on Avenida Ipiranga — his most famous residential building with its sweeping concrete curves. Walk to the Memorial da América Latina in Barra Funda — a dramatic plaza with his signature white concrete forms. The Oca dome in Ibirapuera is another Niemeyer masterpiece.

Thursday and Friday nights are samba nights in São Paulo. Ó do Borogodó in Vila Madalena has live samba from 9pm (cover R$20–40) in an intimate space. Bar Samba in Pinheiros is another excellent option. Dinner beforehand at Casa de Feijoada for Brazil's national dish — black bean stew with pork (R$55–75 for the full spread with farofa, rice, and orange slices).

Take the bus from Rodoviária Jabaquara to Santos (R$40, 1.5 hours) — Brazil's biggest port and the gateway through which all the world's coffee once passed. Visit the Museu do Café (R$15) in the beautiful former Coffee Exchange building. Walk the waterfront gardens — the longest beachfront garden in the world. The Pelé Museum (R$25) is here too, in the old casarão.

Santos has proper Atlantic beaches — cleaner than you might expect for a port city. Gonzaga beach is the most central with good infrastructure. Lunch at a beachfront restaurant — grilled fish with farofa and vinagrete for R$40–60. Try a bolinho de camarão (shrimp fritter, R$8–12) from a beach vendor. The historic centre has ornate tiled buildings worth photographing.

Bus back to São Paulo (last bus around 10pm). Head to Jardins for dinner — Rua Augusta has transformed from red-light district to the city's hottest strip of bars and restaurants. A Casa do Porco (book ahead) is regularly named the best restaurant in South America — pork-focused tasting menu R$200–300. Or grab a chopp and petiscos at a Jardins boteco.

Visit the Instituto Tomie Ohtake (free) in Pinheiros — a striking purple building housing contemporary art exhibitions that change regularly. The building itself, designed by Ruy Ohtake, is a landmark. Walk to SESC Pinheiros for their exhibitions and cultural programming — SESC centres are São Paulo's best-kept secret, offering free or cheap cultural events, pools, and theatres.

Metro to SESC Pompeia — a former barrel factory converted by legendary architect Lina Bo Bardi into São Paulo's most beloved cultural centre. The brutalist towers connected by concrete walkways are architectural icons. Free exhibitions, a library, cafe, and regular concerts. The building alone is worth the visit. Lunch at the SESC cafeteria — full meals for R$20–30.

São Paulo's music scene is one of the most diverse on earth. For samba, try Bar Samba in Pinheiros or Traço de União. For electronic music, D-Edge in Barra Funda is South America's best techno club (cover R$40–80). For MPB (Brazilian popular music), catch a show at SESC or Blue Note São Paulo. Dinner at a Rua Augusta bar — the strip never sleeps.

If visiting Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday, wake early for CEAGESP (Companhia de Entrepostos, open to public from 5am) — the largest wholesale flower and produce market in Latin America. The scale is staggering — aisles of tropical fruits, flowers, and fish stretching for hundreds of metres. Grab a pastel and caldo de cana (sugarcane juice, R$8) from the market vendors.

Return to Mercadão for a final mortadela sandwich, then walk to Rua 25 de Março — São Paulo's chaotic wholesale shopping street for bargain souvenirs, havaianas flip-flops (R$15–25), and Brazilian crafts. If you want quality souvenirs, the boutiques on Rua Oscar Freire in Jardins have curated Brazilian design. Grab açaí (R$15–25) from any juice bar.

For a final view, head to the Terraço Itália rooftop bar (R$50 minimum spend) for panoramic sunset views over the endless skyline — São Paulo stretches to the horizon in every direction. Or keep it real at a neighbourhood boteco in Pinheiros for one last chopp (R$10–15) and bolinho de bacalhau. São Paulo is a city that rewards repeat visits.