Thing to do
Mercado Municipal de São Paulo (Mercadão)
The city's grand 1933 food market, designed by Ramos de Azevedo's office, with stained-glass windows, more than 290 stalls and a mezzanine of restaurants.
Avenida Paulista on a Sunday
Walk the 2.8-kilometre avenue that symbolises modern São Paulo, closed to cars on Sundays and holidays and lined with museums, cultural centres and a small forest park.
At a glance
- Type
- Car-free avenue walk
- Area
- Avenida Paulista / Bela Vista, São Paulo, Brazil
Good to know
- Free
- Car-free on Sundays and holidays
- Museums and cultural centres
- Metro access
Why we recommend it
Avenida Paulista runs for 2.8 kilometres between Praça Marechal Cordeiro de Farias and Praça Oswaldo Cruz, and it is the closest thing São Paulo has to a main street. It was inaugurated on 8 December 1891, laid out by the engineer Joaquim Eugênio de Lima, and in its early years it was a residential avenue lined with the mansions of coffee barons and industrial families such as the Matarazzos. In 1909 it became the first paved street in the city.
The best time to walk it is on a Sunday or public holiday, when the avenue is closed to traffic under the city's Ruas Abertas programme. Since 2023 the published car-free hours have been 9:00 to 16:00. With the cars gone, the avenue becomes a long public space for walking and cycling. Check before you go, as the closure can be suspended for large demonstrations or events.
The avenue also gathers many of the city's cultural sights. MASP, with its 74-metre open span beneath the gallery, is the obvious stop. The Conjunto Nacional is a large shopping complex, part of which is protected as heritage. Casa das Rosas, a historic mansion near Praça Oswaldo Cruz, has been a cultural centre since the late 1980s, and the Centro Cultural FIESP holds exhibitions and the Teatro Brasileiro de Comédia. On the avenue itself, the Parque Trianon, officially Parque Siqueira Campos, preserves a small patch of native forest.
Walking the full length takes around 40 minutes without stops, but a Sunday visit with a museum and a coffee easily fills a morning. The Green Line of the metro runs underneath the avenue from end to end, with connections to several other lines, so you can start at one end and leave from the other. On a Sunday, MASP opens at 10:00 next to Trianon-MASP station, so a morning walk can end with a few hours in the museum. Avenida Paulista is also the venue for the São Silvestre road race on New Year's Eve and for the São Paulo Pride Parade, usually in May or June, both of which draw huge crowds.
Families, couples and solo travellers will all find something here, and it makes a good first outing on a Sunday.
Avenida Paulista on a Sunday FAQs
When is Avenida Paulista closed to cars?
On Sundays and public holidays under the Ruas Abertas programme; since 2023 the published hours have been 9:00 to 16:00.
How long is the avenue?
About 2.8 kilometres, from Praça Marechal Cordeiro de Farias to Praça Oswaldo Cruz.
What can I see along the way?
MASP, the Conjunto Nacional, Casa das Rosas, the Centro Cultural FIESP and the Parque Trianon.
How do I get there?
The metro Green Line runs under the whole avenue, with stations along its length.
When was the avenue opened?
It was inaugurated on 8 December 1891, designed by the engineer Joaquim Eugênio de Lima.
Can the Sunday closure be cancelled?
Yes. It has been suspended on some Sundays, for example for planned demonstrations, so check before you go.
Is it free?
Yes. Walking the avenue is free, and MASP is free on Tuesdays rather than Sundays.
What events happen on the avenue?
The São Silvestre road race on New Year's Eve and the São Paulo Pride Parade, usually in May or June.