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.
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.
On a small hill just outside of the historic town of Paraty sits Fort Perpetual Defender (Forte Defensor Perpétuo), the site of a 19th century fort. The road to the fort is a dirt path that’s a short, pleasant walk through a forest. The walk to the fort provides decent views of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Paraty.
An important square to visit in Rio de Janeiro’s city center is Cinelândia. The official name of the square is Floriano Peixoto Square (Praça Floriano Peixoto), named after a Brazilian soldier and politician who has a monument dedicated to him in the center of the square.
Leme is a small stretch of beach to the east of Copacabana, at Avenida Princes Isabel. It’s a much quieter beach than Copacabana, and there’s much less action.
Santa Teresa is the bohemian quarter of Rio de Janeiro. With some gorgeous views of the city and plenty of interesting places to visit, it’s one area that can’t be missed. The famous stairway, Escadaria Selarón, leads from Lapa up to the Santa Teresa neighborhood.
Lapa is one of the more interesting neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro. While typically known for nightlife, it has a few points of interest, including one of the city’s most visited sights.
Most people come to Rio de Janeiro for the beaches, scenery, and nightlife, but there is plenty to see in the historic city center, including the heart of the city, Largo da Carioca.