Rio is a beauty. But Sao Paulo — Sao Paulo is a city, said Marlene Dietrich about Brazil's most cosmopolitan city. The city is Brazil's cultural as well as financial powerhouse, complete with a vibrant music scene, top designer shopping and delicious fusion cuisine, not to mention museums and galleries on a par with any other world city. All this combined with the vibrant local life of Paulistanos, who will surely be easy to make friends with.

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, with more than 20 million residents, and there are few places to which the term “concrete jungle” is more appropriate. Not as touristy as other Brazilian cities due to its lack of beaches, Sampa, as it is called by its local Paulista population, is the kind of big city that has everything. There are museums and galleries, bistros and gourmet restaurants, quaint pubs and underground bars, and much more.

Among the best sights in the city is the Mercado Municipal, a grand covered market that sits under a series of stained-glass domes where you can find all things edible. There is also the Museu de Arte de São Paulo, which holds the best collection of art in Latin America , and the plaza at the front turns into an antiques fair on Sundays. The Mosteiro Sao Bento is the oldest and most important church in a very Catholic city. And the Museu do Futebol can’t be missed in a country that is so mad for the sport.

Anyone looking for nature does not have to venture too far from the city. The Parque Estadual Serra do Mar is a mountain rage covered by exuberant rainforests, and it is only a short drive to the beautiful beaches of Santos, Praia Grande, and Guaruja.

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