When in Sao Paulo
The enormous city of Sao Paulo, with its ten million inhabitants, is not on every traveller's itinerary, but it is well worth looking in on for a couple of days, if only to see what life is like in the most industrious in Brazil. And if you don't care for it, Rio is only just up the road.
Founded by the Portuguese in 1554, the city is the home to many immigrant communities, most notably Africans, Japanese and Italians. In addition, the city has, in recent decades, seen a huge internal immigration from places in the north, helping make Sao Paulo the most diverse city in Brazil and possibly Latin America.
When is the best time to go? Well, it all depends on how well you can withstand the heat. The summer lasts from January to March and temperatures often get up as high as 35°C. In addition, visitors should expect plenty of rain during this period, which can often lead to flooding on the city's streets. Those who think this all sounds a bit too much like hard work would do best to arrive at any other point of the year, with the drier winter months of June and July rarely getting much colder than 10°C.
Sao Paulo's international airport, Aeroporto Cumbica, is a major destination for a huge number of airlines so getting to the city should not be a problem. Situated 19 miles from the city centre, a regular shuttle bus will take you in to town for a modest fee although the taxis will be quicker, at around 45 minutes, but considerably more expensive.
Regional flights come in to Aeroporto Congonhas, nine miles south of the city. A taxi is probably easiest from here, although a shuttle bus connects those wishing to get to the international airport.
Arriving by bus from other parts of the country, as well as Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay, is easily done. The majority of buses arrive at the large Terminal Tietê in the north of the city. Terminal Jabaquara, close to Congonhas airport, goes mostly to coastal resorts while Terminal Barra Funda, in the west, specialises in trips to the west of the country. All three terminals also have their own metro station.
Trains are not much used in the city except for suburban trips. Having said that, Estação Barra Funda offers journeys some way to the west while trains from Estação Júlio Prestes head south-east.
The metro system in Sao Paulo is good and has very recently been expanded, making it the transport of choice for many visitors. Buses on the other hand can be extremely confusing for the non-linguists and usually crowded. Taxis are a safe option, although the state of the city's traffic may make you wish you hadn't bothered.
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