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The City
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The fourth largest city in the world has over 12 million people spread over an area of 30.000 square kilometres. São Paulo might be huge but it has humble beginnings. In 1554, Portuguese Jesuit priests founded a small mission on a hill close to the Tietê river, which soon became a trading post. Later, when the area around São Paulo was found to be perfect for growing coffee, the city's future prosperity was sealed. Today, São Paulo is the business and unofficial political capital of the country.
A good place to orientate yourself in São Paulo is by Avenida Paulista, lined with high-rise office buildings, which divides the city centre from São Paulo's exclusive and glamorous district, Jardins, where you find the best hotels including Fasano and Hotel Unique. From here, you can easily reach most parts of the city. Praça da Sé and Praça da República, the two squares divided by Vale do Anhangabaú is the old centre of São Paulo. On Rua Boa Vista, you will find the whitewashed baroque Pátio do Colégio, the site of which dates back to the Jesuits' first mission in 1554. Nearby, Triângulo is the city's main financial district and home to São Paulo's imposing stock exchange, BOVESPA. A few blocks away you can find the serene São Bento Monastery. Northeast is the imposing neo-gothic central market, Mercado Municipal. South of here is the commercial district of Bela Vista, nicknamed Bixiga, once a hub for Italian immigrants. Then you'll find the Liberdade district, home to the world's largest ethnic Japanese community outside Japan.
Rua Augusta slices across Avenida Paulista into the Jardins neighbourhood. Around Praça Franklin Roosevelt, you'll find many of the city's best shops and restaurants. Southwest of Jardins is the fashionable neighbourhood of Pinheiros, with some of the best bars and nightclubs in the city. Across Rio Pinheiros is the vast campus of the Universidade de São Paulo. Southeast from here is the huge green space of Parque Ibirapuera, offering a respite from the hustle and bustle of São Paulo.
A good place to orientate yourself in São Paulo is by Avenida Paulista, lined with high-rise office buildings, which divides the city centre from São Paulo's exclusive and glamorous district, Jardins, where you find the best hotels including Fasano and Hotel Unique. From here, you can easily reach most parts of the city. Praça da Sé and Praça da República, the two squares divided by Vale do Anhangabaú is the old centre of São Paulo. On Rua Boa Vista, you will find the whitewashed baroque Pátio do Colégio, the site of which dates back to the Jesuits' first mission in 1554. Nearby, Triângulo is the city's main financial district and home to São Paulo's imposing stock exchange, BOVESPA. A few blocks away you can find the serene São Bento Monastery. Northeast is the imposing neo-gothic central market, Mercado Municipal. South of here is the commercial district of Bela Vista, nicknamed Bixiga, once a hub for Italian immigrants. Then you'll find the Liberdade district, home to the world's largest ethnic Japanese community outside Japan.
Rua Augusta slices across Avenida Paulista into the Jardins neighbourhood. Around Praça Franklin Roosevelt, you'll find many of the city's best shops and restaurants. Southwest of Jardins is the fashionable neighbourhood of Pinheiros, with some of the best bars and nightclubs in the city. Across Rio Pinheiros is the vast campus of the Universidade de São Paulo. Southeast from here is the huge green space of Parque Ibirapuera, offering a respite from the hustle and bustle of São Paulo.