Brazil Sao Paulo

What's the best time to visit Sao Paulo?

São Paulo is an all-year destination, at its hottest Jan-Mar (humid with tropical showers, occasionally over 40°C during the day). It can be cool and drizzly Jul-Aug but the sun is never far away. Late Dec-Feb (and  to a lesser extent Jul) are local holiday times and can be less busy as the population heads to the coast or abroad.

How do I get local currency in Sao Paulo?

Brazilian Real.

Notes can be withdrawn from the ATMs at the airport and in town. Banco do Brasil, Bradesco and HSBC accept UK credit or debit cards. Limits may be lower than your UK bank allows. ATMs close at 10pm. Currency also obtainable in banks and money exchanges.

What's the time difference between Sao Paulo and UTC?

GMT -3 hours.  Daylight saving from Oct- end Feb (approx) when clocks are put forward one hour was abolished in 2019.

What places combine well with Sao Paulo?

São Paulo is a transport hub for the nation, especially air travel with flights from Guarulhos and Congonhas airport to cities all over the country. In fact if you are travelling between, say, Rio, Salvador or Manaus and another attraction, the chances are you will have a change of plane in São Paulo and may consider a stop over there.  There are frequent daily flights to Iguazú Falls (1hr 40mins); Salvador da Bahía in the northeast (2hrs 20mins); Manaus for the Amazon (4hrs) and 2hrs 15 mins to Cuiaba for the Pantanal. The city connects well by road with the coast for beaches; there's a range of choice for Paulistas but foreign visitors rarely choose to go there. It's a four hour drive to Paratí, the quaint and arty colonial port surrounded by rainforested hills (276 km).  

What's the flight time between Sao Paulo and UK?

Average flight time to São Paulo  is 12 hours. Airlines offering direct flights include Latam and British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic from April 2020. There are flights with European connections to many other major cities.

What are the festivals, cultural and sport events in Sao Paulo?

Reveillon: New Year’s Eve, Fireworks and music accompany the fun. 

Carnival: 5 days in Feb/Mar, variable. Apart from the parades in the purpose-built Anhembi sambadrome (the principal days are Friday and Saturday) there are street processions, live bands, costume balls, over-indulgence and general frivolity.

The Brazilian Grand Prix (Formula One) usually takes place during November.