Seven things to do and see in São Paulo as Formula 1 races in the Land of Drizzle

São Paulo is Brazil’s vibrant financial centre with numerous cultural institutions and a rich architectural tradition as iconic buildings range from neo-Gothic to modernism to colonial-style.

Formula 1 races at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace for 71 laps at a historic and exciting track known for its banked corners and elevation changes throughout.

Here, Travel News Blitz’s Ayla Vaughan explores seven things to do and see in São Paulo, Brazil.

Ibirapuera Park

Ibirapuera Park offers respite from the urban city where you can relax amongst the beautiful nature and explore a variety of museums and galleries, such as the museums of Modern and Contemporary Art, Museu Afro Brasil and Auditório Ibirapuera.

There are also running trails, bike paths, yoga and capoeira sessions (an Afro-Brazilian martial art) available in the park for locals and visitors alike to keep fit.

Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo

Pinacoteca is a visual arts museum with an emphasis on Brazilian production since the 19th century and it was founded in 1905 by the State Government of São Paulo, making it the oldest art museum in the city. 

It hosts about 30 exhibitions, 12,000 artefacts and receives about 450,000 visitors yearly, with early work from Brazilian artists such as Almeida Júnior, Pedro Alexandrino, Antônio Parreiras and Oscar Pereira da Silva.

Arena Corinthians - Neo Química Arena

The Arena Corinthians was built for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and is the home of the team Corinthians which hosts the official club games, social and corporate events. 

You can visit one of the most modern stadiums in the world to watch a football match or tour the stadium (called "Casa do Povo"), truly embracing yourself amongst the Brazilian people’s passion for the beautiful game.

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Watch the Brazilian Grand Prix

Formula 1 visits São Paulo from November 7-9 with Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto driving at his home track where his racing hero, Ayrton Senna, won back in 1991 and 1993.

The Autódromo José Carlos Pace is great for overtaking, with a banked entry to the start-finish straight and the Senna S down to Turn 4 where the drivers go through a snaking in-field section with some challenging camber changes.

Liberdade

Liberdade is a district in São Paulo, Brazil where Japanese immigrants settled in 1912, coming from the interior of the city as many did not adapt to working on coffee farms and started looking for better opportunities in the capital. 

The neighborhood is famous for its typical Japanese architecture, restaurants and shops with visitors being welcomed by a nine-meter tall red torii (a gate) as Brazil has the largest number of Nikkei (Japanese diaspora) with a population of 2,700,000 people.

São Paulo Cathedral

São Paulo Cathedral is built in a Gothic revival style with a Renaissance-style dome, but has roots back to 1589 when it was constructed and later was re-made in a Baroque style. 

It is the largest Catholic Church in the city of São Paulo with a total capacity for 8,000 people, a crypt located below the main altar, one of the largest organs in Latin America and a carillon of 61 bells which are the largest and heaviest carillon in Central and South America.

São Paulo Museum of Art

The São Paulo Museum of Art is itself a work of art since it is an imposing Modernist box suspended under two bright red concrete supports, and is also used for concerts and a weekly crafts fair.

The building was designed by architect Lina Bo Bardi with the museum being founded in 1947 by Assis Chateaubriand and Pietro Maria Bardi, making it the first Brazilian museum to display post-World War II art.

Furthermore, the museum has a collection of European art as well as Brazilian art, prints and drawings and smaller collections of African and Asian art, antiquities, decorative arts and others and lastly contains one of the largest art libraries in the country. 

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