Last updated on December 18, 2023.

The title says it all. It’s not that São Paulo is short on things to see, it’s just that the quality of things to see isn’t that great. I was expecting a whole lot more for a city so big. Granted, I didn’t visit Parque Iberapuera, one of the main attractions, but I don’t think that would’ve swayed me into liking São Paulo. Should you skip São Paulo? No, but don’t spend too much time here. Two days is more than enough to cover everything of note.

 

St. Benedict’s Monastery

My friend Mike and I started by exploring the historic city center. We took the Metrô to São Bento and took a quick look at the St. Benedict’s Monastery (Mosteiro de São Bento). It’s a Benedictine monastery originally founded in 1598, but the current church was built between 1910 and 1914.

Mosteiro de São Bento in São Paulo, Brazil
St. Benedict’s Monastery

 

Edifício Altino Arantes

A short walk away was a collection of tall buildings from the 1920s and 30s that looked like a scene out of The Great Gatsby. One of these buildings is Edifício Altino Arantes, built in 1939. It was inspired by the Empire State Building and stands 36 stories high. It’s also known as Edificio Banespa. The lobby is quite impressive, with a huge chandelier and an antique bank safe on display.

Edifício Altino Arantes in São Paulo, Brazil
Edifício Altino Arantes
Edifício Altino Arantes in São Paulo, Brazil
Edifício Altino Arantes
Safe at Edifício Altino Arantes in São Paulo, Brazil
Safe at Edifício Altino Arantes

Visitors are allowed access to a viewing deck at the top. A passport or copy of a passport is necessary for foreigners. You ride the elevator to one of the higher floors, change elevators for a few more floors, then climb some stairs to the top. We were allowed only five minutes at the top, but it was well worth it to see the urban sprawl of São Paulo.

The view from Edifício Altino Arantes in São Paulo, Brazil
View from Edifício Altino Arantes
View from Edifício Altino Arantes in São Paulo, Brazil
View from Edifício Altino Arantes

 

Pátio do Colégio

Our next stop was Pátio do Colégio. This was where the original city of São Paulo was founded in 1554. There is a plaza with a church and monument, and a few judicial buildings around it, including the Secretary of Justice (Secretária da Justiça).

Pátio do Colégio in São Paulo, Brazil
Pátio do Colégio
Secretária da Justiça in São Paulo, Brazil
Secretary of Justice

The church was built by the Jesuits in 1554, followed by many other buildings, but they were kicked out of the city in 1760. Their original buildings were razed in 1886 leaving nothing from the original complex. The Jesuits returned in 1954 and rebuilt an exact replica of their church and complex. It now houses the Padre Anchieta Museum (Museu Padre Anchieta), named after the leader of the first mission in the area. The museum holds several historic colonial artifacts.

Pátio do Colégio in São Paulo, Brazil
Pátio do Colégio

 

See Square

See Square (Praça da Sé) is just a few minutes walk away. It’s a square that’s crowned by one of the most magnificent churches in the city, the Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana), built between 1913 and 1967. The architect was the German-born Maximilian Emil Hehl.

Catedral Metropolitana in São Paulo, Brazil
Metropolitan Cathedral

The square itself felt kind of nasty. There were a lot of unsavory characters around plus a very large police presence. I was surprised and saddened that there were also several homeless people living in the square.

Praça da Sé in São Paulo, Brazil
See Square
Praça da Sé in São Paulo, Brazil
See Square

 

More Buildings

We took a quick walk to another plaza to see two important buildings in São Paulo. The São Paulo University (Universidade de São Paulo) law faculty is a very nice building. To the right of it is the Church of St. Francis of Assisi (Igreja de São Francisco de Assis), one of the oldest churches in São Paulo, built in the 1600s. Its colonial monastery was demolished in the 1930s.

Universidade de São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil
São Paulo University
Igreja de São Francisco de Assis in São Paulo, Brazil
Church of St. Francis of Assisi

 

Patriarch Square

Next was a stop at Patriarch Square (Praça do Patriarca), where there are a few government buildings and the small Church of St. Anthony (Igreja Santo Antonio).

Praça do Patriarca in São Paulo, Brazil
Patriarch Square
Igreja Santo Antonio in São Paulo, Brazil
Church of St. Anthony

 

São Bento Street

From there, we walked up the pedestrian São Bento Street (Rua São Bento). It’s lined with shops and there are a few restaurants here and there. Nothing impressive in the area except for the Bank of Brazil Cultural Center (Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil). This bank building was erected in the early 1900s and now features contemporary art exhibitions in the old bank vaults.

Rua São Bento in São Paulo, Brazil
São Bento Street
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil in São Paulo, Brazil
Bank of Brazil Cultural Center
Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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