Avenida Paulista is the most famous street in São Paulo. Its 2.8km is lined with tall office buildings, banks, and shopping malls. It’s often compared to Fifth Avenue in New York, but it’s more of a business and financial center than anything. It also boasts the most expensive real estate in all of Latin America.
When in São Paulo, Brazil, it’s great to hop on the Metrô to Liberdade, home of the biggest Japanese community outside of Japan.
Republic Square (Praça da República) is a nice urban park with tall trees and a small lagoon. It’s a great escape from the bustling urban jungle that is São Paulo. There are a few attractions located near the park.
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.
Just outside of Foz do Iguaçu is Itaipu Binacional. It’s the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world in terms of generating energy. If you are interested in engineering, it’s well worth a visit.
Across the street from the entrance to Iguaçu National Park is Parque das Aves (Bird Park). With several species of tropical birds from all over the Brazilian and South American rain forests, it’s well worth a visit.
Iguaçu National Park (Parque Nacional do Iguaçu), which contains the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls, is the major draw to Foz do Iguaçu. This UNESCO World Heritage site is probably the most breathtaking natural wonder I have ever seen in my life. It puts Niagara Falls to shame!
Although I didn’t include Foz do Iguaçu in my original plans for Brazil, I decided that one of the must-sees on my trip had to be a visit to Iguazu Falls. I cut off a few days in Ilhabela to make it happen.
Most people pass through São Sebastião on their way to and from Ilhabela. Being only 15 minutes away from Ilhabela by ferry, I decided to check out the town for an hour while waiting for my bus to São Paulo.