Many of the best experiences in São Paulo are about everyday city life rather than formal sights. Start with the Mercado Municipal, the 1933 market hall with stained-glass windows, where the mortadella sandwich and pastel are local rituals and a mezzanine of restaurants overlooks the stalls. It sits in the historic centre, so it combines easily with the cathedral and the Mosteiro de São Bento.
Sundays and holidays are special in São Paulo, because Avenida Paulista closes to cars under the Ruas Abertas programme, and several streets in Liberdade do the same, with matching published hours. A Sunday plan might begin with a walk along Paulista, continue with MASP or the Instituto Moreira Salles and end at the weekend fair on Praça da Liberdade, under the red torii of the Japanese quarter. On another day, head to Vila Madalena for Beco do Batman, an alley of constantly changing graffiti, and combine it with lunch or a coffee nearby.
For an evening out, a concert by the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra at Sala São Paulo, built inside the old Júlio Prestes railway station, is one of the most memorable things you can do in the city. Book tickets online and plan your journey home in advance.
5 places · Updated October 27, 2026
Our top 3 things to do in São Paulo
Thing to do
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.
View details — Mercado Municipal de São Paulo (Mercadão)Thing to do
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.
View details — Avenida Paulista on a SundayThing to do
A car-free alley in Vila Madalena whose walls are covered in constantly changing graffiti, named after a Batman stencil painted there in the 1980s.
View details — Beco do BatmanThing to do
São Paulo's Japanese, Chinese and Korean quarter, marked by a red torii on Rua Galvão Bueno and busy at weekends with a craft and food fair on Praça da Liberdade.
View details — LiberdadeThing to do
Hear the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra in a 1,498-seat concert hall built inside the restored Júlio Prestes railway station, known for its adjustable ceiling.
View details — Concert at Sala São Paulo