|
Sao Paulo City Information: An Overview
The city is the biggest city in Brazil and also the biggest city in the southern hemisphere. It is regarded as an Alpha World City. The city of Sao Paulo is home to many tourist attractions such as the Museum of the Portuguese Language, Latin American Memorial, the Ibirapuera Park, Sao Paulo Museum of Art, and the Botanical Garden of Sao Paulo.
The Sao Paulo Stock Exchange is located in this city, which is one of the largest stock exchanges in the world. The city houses some of the tallest buildings in the country, which include the following:
- Buildings Italia
- The Mirante do Vale
- The North Tower of the UNSCOM (United Nations Centre Enterprise)
- Buildings Altino Arantes
Tourist Attractions in Sao Paulo City
The top tourist attractions in the city include the following:
|
- Banespa Building (museum planned like the Empire State Building and skyscraper with observation deck).
- Edificio Italia (skyscraper with observation deck)
- Edificio Copan, planned by Oscar Niemeyer, in the Centro district. It was constructed between 1951 and 1966.
- Ibirapuera Park - The second biggest park in the city. The park also houses many museums. The park is famous for its buildings planned by the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer, which include the new Ibirapuera Auditorium and Oca.
- Estacao da Luz (famous railway station constructed 1895-1901).
- Liberdade (Asian district of Sao Paulo)
- Mooca (Italian district of Sao Paulo)
- Municipal Theater of Sao Paulo (splendid opera house constructed in the early 20th century)
- Mercado Municipal (famous market in Sao Paulo).
- Museu do Ipiranga (museum where the Independence of Brazil was declared in 1822).
- Museu de Arte Sacra (museum of religious art situated in a majestic compound).
- Patio do Colegio (establishment site of the city, erstwhile Jesuit mission-school to switch the indigenous people to Catholicism).
- Museum of the Portuguese Language (situated within Estacao da Luz).
- Praca da Se (big plaza beside the Sao Paulo Cathedral. Official hub of the city).
- Pinacoteca do Estado de Sao Paulo (popular Brazilian art museum).
- Shopping Malls - Iguatemi, Jardim Sul, Morumbi, Ibirapuera, Patio Higienopolis, Eldorado, Bourbon, Analia Franco, and Cidade Jardim.
|
|
Transportation in Sao Paulo City
Highways
The city is connected with other parts of the country with 10 important highways and they are as follows:
- Rodovia Regis Bittencourt/BR-116 (Regis Bittencourt highway)
- Rodovia Presidente Dutra/BR-116 (President Dutra highway)
- Rodovia Anchieta/SP-150 (Anchieta Priest highway)
- Rodovia Fernao Dias/BR-381 (Fernao Dias highway)
- Rodovia Castelo Branco/SP-280 (President Castelo Branco highway)
- Rodovia dos Imigrantes/SP-150 (Immigrants highway)
- Rodovia Anhanguera/SP-330 (Anhanguera highway)
- Rodovia Raposo Tavares/SP-270 (Raposo Tavares highway)
- Rodovia Ayrton Senna/SP-70 (Ayrton Senna highway)
- Rodovia dos Bandeirantes/SP-348 (Bandeirantes highway)
The two main stations in the city are Julio Prestes and Luz in the Luz/Campos Eliseos area. There is an underground station in Luz. Luz was constructed in the United Kingdom and put together in Brazil. Both east and westbound suburban trains depart from this station. The top speed of the trains is 280 km/hour or 170 miles/hour.
Airports
There are two major airports in Sao Paulo. The Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (IATA: GRU) operates overseas flights and the Congonhas-Sao Paulo Airport (IATA: CGH) operates local and domestic flights. There is one more airport, which is known as Campo de Marte Airport, which offers helicopters and light aircraft flights. The Greater Sao Paulo area is also served by Viracopos-Campinas International Airport and Sao Jose dos Campos Airport.
Metro
The city has 42.9 miles (69.0 km) of underground railway network, of which 21.4 miles (34.6 km) is completely underground. The Sao Paulo Metro, popularly called as the Metro, has 59 stations and trains running on 5 lines. It is accompanied by another 260.7 km (162.0 miles) of CPTM (Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos) railways or "Paulista Company of Metropolitan Trains". On an average, 5 million passengers commute on these trains every weekday. The urban railway system is projected to become the biggest rail network in the world. Rapid transport systems
There are three rapid transport systems in the city and they are:
- The underground rail system (also known as metro)
- The suburban rail system (CPTM)
- The fast lane bus system
Both government and private buses run on the city. There are approximately 17,000 buses, which include around 290 trolley buses. Sao Paulo Tiete Bus Terminal is the second biggest bus terminal in the world. There are itineraries to 1,010 cities in five nations (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay). The Palmeiras-Barra Funda Intermodal Terminal is a smaller terminal and serves cities like Itapetininga, Sorocaba, Botucatu, Itu, Marilia, Bauru, Avare, Jau, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, Piraju, Chavantes, Ipaussu, and Ourinhos (on the boundary with Parana State).
Helicopters
Helicopter transportation is another important mode of transportation. The city has the maximum number of helicopters in the world. Executives and businessmen primarily use helicopters.
Hotels in Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo is an important cultural hub. The city has a culturally varied metropolitan region, with heavy Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, Spanish, and Japanese among other cultural influences. The city is famous for its diverse and classy cuisine, varying from French to Chinese, from five star restaurants to fast food chains. There are around 62 forms of cuisines in the city, and over 12,000 restaurants. Hotels in Sao Paulo cater to a range of tastes and budgets. The top hotels in the city include the following:
|
|
Grand Hyatt is an elegant hotel, ideally situated on Avenida das Nacoes Unidas. The hotel enjoys its prime location in the center of the financial and business district in the Marginal Pinheiros/Berrini region. It is easily accessible from the major airports in the city. Grand Hyatt Hotel comes with 466 well-appointed guestrooms and suites. Services and amenities offered by the hotel include the following:
|
|
The Radisson Hotel is situated in the center of the entertainment and business district of the city. It is close to the University of Sao Paulo and Iguatemi Shopping Mall. The Radisson features more than 197 stylish rooms and all of them come with 100% non-smoking facility. Rooms are spacious and comfortable. Services and amenities offered by the hotel include the following:
|
|
