To start the year full of plans: 25 places in São Paulo to visit in 2025

São Paulo has a bit of everything, from culture to gastronomy, parks and (almost) secret places.

And there are places – whether clichéd or not – that are almost obligatory during your visit to the São Paulo capital (or for those who want to visit the city themselves). On this list, you’re sure to find something to repeat several times.

Check out our ideas with 25 places in São Paulo you need to visit in 2025! 😍😁

The best ideas of places in São Paulo to visit in 2025

Brazilian Gaudí’s Stone House

One of the most unusual places in São Paulo is in Paraisópolis, in the South Zone of São Paulo. The Stone House is a unique work created by Estevão Silva, known as the “Brazilian Gaudí”.

The building, which is still under construction, attracts tourists from all over the world who want to explore its many floors full of meticulous details. The artist wanted to build a garden for his rose bush, but ended up transforming his house into a veritable artistic castle over the course of 40 years.

📍38 Herbert Spencer Street – Paraisópolis

Francisca’s House

This unique space has transformed the Tereza Toledo Lara mansion into a perfect mix of concert hall and bar-restaurant.

The décor features objects full of emotional memories, giving it that grandmother’s house feel. With antique furniture and decorations that we’ve all seen in Brazilian homes.

📍 Rua Quintino Bocaiúva, 22 – Sé

Theatro Municipal on a free guided tour

Did you know that it’s possible to visit the Theatro Municipal and find out what has happened there in its more than 110 years? The city’s main theater offers several free guided tours so that visitors can immerse themselves in its history.

The tours take place from Tuesday to Saturday, at various times and last 1 hour and 15 minutes. Although it’s a free tour, tickets must be booked through the official platform.

📍 Praça Ramos de Azevedo, s/n – República

Conde de Sarzedas Palace

A little further away from the center of Liberdade, you can take a tour of a little-known museum that hides a love story: Palacete Conde de Sarzedas. It is currently home to the Museum of the São Paulo Court of Justice.

According to the Court of Justice, the palace was commissioned by Luiz de Lorena Rodrigues Ferreira, a descendant of the 5th Count of Sarzedas. That’s why it bears his name.

📍 Rua Conde de Sarzedas, 100 – Sé

Lohan Temple

O Lohan Temple is a Buddhist kung fu school that operates in a listed building that goes almost unnoticed by those walking around Liberdade.

You can visit the space even if you’re not a student, learn about ancient Chinese culture, from writing to medicine, and even take part in one of the kung fu training sessions. Visits take place from Monday to Thursday, from 3pm to 8pm, and on Saturdays, from 10am to 3pm.

📍 Rua Conselheiro Furtado, 445 – Liberdade

Casa da Boia Cultural

Casa da Boia, located in a historic mansion in the center of São Paulo, is a true cultural treasure. Founded in 1898 by Rizkallah Jorge Tahan, a Syrian immigrant, the store has undergone several transformations over the years.

Since 2018, the establishment has housed a cultural center, Casa da Boia Cultural, which recalls the history of the establishment and the founding couple, Rizkallah and his wife Zekié Naccachian.

📍 Rua Florêncio de Abreu, 123 – Centro

Colonial Coffee at the Horto Florestal Palace

Did you know that you can enjoy a Colonial Coffee at the Horto Florestal Summer Palace?

Since 2022, Urbia, the concessionaire responsible for the park, in partnership with the Velhão restaurant , a traditional restaurant in the region located in the Serra da Cantareira, has been offering visitors this experience.

📍 Rua do Horto, 1439 – Horto Florestal

Cortina Cineclube

At 62 Rua Araújo, what used to be the basement of a parking lot is now a cinema.

In addition to being a movie theater, Cortina also hosts concerts and parties, always on Thursdays and Fridays. After all, as the 80 seats in the room are actually sun loungers, they can leave the scene.

📍 Rua Araújo, 62 – República

Center for Northeastern Traditions

In São Paulo, there’s no place cooler than the Center for Northeastern Traditions. The place serves as a meeting point for migrants from the Northeast and all those who admire and consume the region’s customs.

Active for more than three decades, the space was the brainchild of businessman José de Abreu. The main aim of the project was to exalt Northeastern culture and thus put an end to the prejudice suffered by migrants living in the São Paulo capital.

📍 Rua Jacofer, 615 – Limão

Matarazzo Building, the headquarters of São Paulo City Hall

The guided tour of the Matarazzo Building is an unmissable opportunity to see the city from another angle. After all, not all historic buildings can be visited for free with a guide.

That’s why we’ve put together all the details so that you too can pay a visit to the headquarters of São Paulo City Hall. So, check out the details in our article and find out how to take this unique tour of the center.

Circus World

In December 2022, São Paulo gained a super special new attraction, the Circus World SP. The State Government program, managed by Amigos da Arte, was created to enhance the playful and emotional experience of the circus universe.

Located in Parque da Juventude, the space is open daily with free admission. Covering more than 10,000 m², it has three tarpaulins – Grande Lona, Lona Multiuso and Lona Magia do Circo – as well as the Picadeiro a Céu Aberto.

📍 Avenida Cruzeiro do Sul, 2630 – Carandiru

Avenida Paulista and its cultural spaces

Avenida Paulista is one of the capital’s favorite tourist spots. On Sundays and public holidays, the avenue becomes a veritable “park” amidst the buildings. While the cars can’t pass, the population occupies its spaces.

As well as being one of the city’s best-known spots, the city’s most famous avenue offers many options for all tastes and budgets.

Some of the best pizzerias in the world

Did you know that São Paulo has four of the best pizzerias in the world? Yes, the 2024 ranking of the 50 Top Pizza – the Oscars of pizzerias – includes the São Paulo pizzerias Leggera Pizza Napoletana, QT Pizza Bar, A Pizza da Mooca and Unica Pizzeria.

So you can already include this selection in your list of gastronomic discoveries for the year. You can find all the details of each of them in the full article here.

Vila Itororó

In the heart of the city, between the Liberdade and Bela Vista neighborhoods, Vila Itororó was built. The architectural complex was designed by Francisco de Castro in 1922, with more than ten buildings constructed throughout the 20th century for residential and leisure purposes.

The village takes its name from the Itororó stream which, now canalized, runs under Avenida 23 de Maio. At the time, the river’s water was used to supply the village swimming pool, considered the first private pool in the city.

Where: Rua Maestro Cardim, 60 – Bela Vista

São Paulo Zoo

Located in the south of the city, this is the largest zoo in Brazil. It also has 824,529^m2 of original Atlantic Forest, making it an important place for the preservation of São Paulo’s native fauna and flora.

The zoo is home to more than three thousand two hundred animals , including one hundred and two species of mammal, two hundred and sixteen species of bird, ninety-five species of reptile, fifteen species of amphibian and sixteen species of invertebrate.

📍 Avenida Miguel Stéfano, 4241 – Vila Santo Estefano

São Paulo Aquarium

Anyone who thinks that an aquarium is just a place to watch fish is mistaken. The São Paulo Aquarium offers visitors much more than that.

As well as marine animals, the space is home to polar bears, penguins and even kangaroos. There, children learn and have fun in this place full of learning and play at the same time. And not just them. This is a tour that guarantees fun for the whole family.

📍 Rua Huet Bacelar, 407 – Ipiranga

São Paulo Botanical Garden

The São Paulo Botanical Garden, with 360,000^{square meters} for visitors, offers a spectacular outing for São Paulo residents. Various landscapes provide the opportunity to observe and contemplate nature in the middle of the city.

Here, visitors have the chance to enjoy the space and get to know plant species from São Paulo, the country and the world.

📍 Avenida Miguel Stéfano, 3687 – Vila Água Funda

Marisa Park

The park has been operating in Itaquera since 1987. Since then, it has won over residents not only from the East Zone, who go there in search of entertainment and leisure.

With attractions for the whole family, the park has 20 rides. The most popular among children are the jumbinho, mini-highway, truck convoy and the charming fusquinha.

📍 Rua Doutor Áureliano Barreiros, 183 – Itaquera

Pedra Grande Trail

It seems hard to believe that in the middle of the stone jungle, there are places in São Paulo where you can get in touch with nature. But the Cantareira State Park proves that it is possible to leave the madness of everyday life behind without leaving the city.

Opened to the public in 1989, the park is one of the largest native urban forests in the world. There are also several hiking trails within the park, one of the most popular of which is the Pedra Grande trail, which offers a panoramic view of the city.

📍 Rua do Horto, 1799 – Horto Florestal

Municipal Market

A must for anyone visiting SP, the officially named Mercado Municipal Paulistano, known to many simply as Mercadão, is one of the city’s most traditional tourist attractions.

At the Mercadão de SP, as it is affectionately known by its regulars, you can find everything from fresh vegetables and fruit to meat, poultry, fish and seafood, pasta, sweets, spices and top-quality imported products.

📍 Rua da Cantareira, 306 – Historic Center of São Paulo

Carmo Park

With more than 1.5 million^{square meters}, Parque do Carmo is the second largest urban park in São Paulo, second only to Parque Estadual da Cantareira. Above all, it is one of the best places in São Paulo to have fun, both for children and the elderly.

📍 Avenida Afonso de Sampaio e Sousa, 951 – Itaquera

Rock Gallery

Galeria do Rock is one of those iconic places in São Paulo that are an important part of the lives of young people, especially rockers.

The building, which opened in 1963, was a shopping center like many others. In other words, its initial intention was not to become a space focused solely on music. It was only in 1993 that the gallery became a space as we know it today, with band T-shirt stores, piercing stores and tattoo studios.

📍 Avenida São João, 439 – República

Waterfalls within São Paulo

With the summer heat, many São Paulo residents are looking for open-air leisure options , preferably with plenty of water to cool off. There’s nothing better than being in the middle of nature and, what’s more, without having to leave the capital.

So, take advantage and check out our list of waterfalls within the city here.

Consolação Literary Passage

The Passagem Literária da Consolação is one of those places that we pass in front of several times and in the rush of everyday life, we may not realize what it is all about.

Opened in the 1970s, since 2005 the place has been run by the Via Libris Association, an organization of booksellers who used to work in Rua Augusta. Since then, the space has gained new airs and a cultural program.

📍 Rua da Consolação x Avenida Paulista – Consolação

Serra do Mar State Park

The Serra do Mar State Park is one of those places in São Paulo that are a real surprise. The park is the largest in the state of São Paulo and covers more than 332,000 hectares, 25 municipalities and ten nuclei.

The Curucutu Nucleus is located in the capital of São Paulo. In addition to all the environmental wealth, one of the park’s main attractions is the trail that leads to the only part of the city of São Paulo that is at sea level, and from where you can see some of the cities on the south coast.

📍 Rua da Bela Vista, 7090 – Embura do Alto