São Paulo, a city located on the south east region of Brazil, is the largest metropolis in South America. As the city has different cultures, nationalities and beliefs, there is a great variety of tours and attractions to suit all tastes in the main financial center of Latin America.
São Paulo was founded in 1554, when Jesuit priests were looking for a safe place to settle and catechize the Indians who lived in Brazil at the time. They found the Piratininga plateau, where they built a school on a small hill and celebrated a Mass on January 25, date which is considered to be the anniversary of São Paulo.
Having the seventh largest population in the world, the city of São Paulo has around 15 thousand restaurants, 3.200 bakeries, 20 thousand bars, the most consumed foods being pizza and sushi. Also, São Paulo has different bus lines, subway and train, besides millions of cars which occupy the streets of the city.
One of the most popular postcards of São Paulo is Paulista Avenue, which is one of the largest business centers, and probably the largest cultural region in the city. São Paulo offers the biggest quantity of museums in Brazil. Three museums not to be missed, due to their size, architecture, and historical importance, are: The Art Museum of São Paulo (Paulista), Ipiranga Museum (Southeast) and Latin America Memorial (West).
Other interesting places to visit in the incredible city of São Paulo include Municipal Theater, Municipal Market, Botanical Garden, Ibirapuera Park, Liberdade, Banespa Tower, Sé Cathedral, State Pinacotheca and Soccer Museum.
http:// wikitravel.org/en/São_Paulo
Photo: Romeo Campos - Anhembi Comtur