Exploring São Paulo

São Paulo, a dynamic metropolis, welcomes scholars to CELS Global Brazil 2026 with an invitation to explore its cultural richness. Known for its towering architecture and celebrated street art, the city also harbors a deep historical and intellectual heritage that rewards even a short visit. The conference offers academics a chance to weave cultural exploration into the working week, ranging from the calm of Parque Ibirapuera to the artistically adorned streets of Vila Madalena.

The pages that follow are not a venue catalog but a short essay on the texture of the city, namely how São Paulo eats, listens, and moves. Practical addresses for restaurants, hotels and metro stations are gathered in the Participant Information page. What is offered here is context, ranging from the cultural axis along Avenida Paulista to the Italian ovens of Bixiga, from the samba schools of the historic center to the long sand of the Atlantic coast within reach for the weekend.

For most of the twentieth century Avenida Paulista was the financial spine of São Paulo, lined with the headquarters of the country's banks and trading houses. In recent decades it has reinvented itself as the cultural axis of the city, with a dense concentration of museums, cultural centers, concert halls and bookstores along its two and a half kilometers. The avenue is closed to cars on Sundays and turned over to pedestrians, cyclists and impromptu street performers.

Indeed, the recommended hotel area sits one or two blocks from the avenue, which means most of the cultural offerings are reachable on foot. The MASP, the country's most recognized art museum, anchors the southern stretch with its iconic suspended structure designed by Lina Bo Bardi. A short walk away, the Itaú Cultural and Japan House offer free admission to rotating exhibitions, while the Sesc Avenida Paulista opens its 17th-floor mirante to a panoramic view of the city. Specific addresses and opening hours are listed in the Participant Information page.

Arriving in São Paulo is facilitated by its two airports, namely Guarulhos International, which handles most international flights, and Congonhas, the older domestic airport closer to the city center. Both connect to the city by taxi, rideshare and bus, with a wide range of options at all hours. Once in São Paulo, the extensive network of buses, metro and commuter trains gives ready access to most attractions worth visiting.

For the 2026 edition, the conference takes place at the Faculty of Law of the University of São Paulo, in the Centro Histórico, while the recommended hotel area sits along the Avenida Paulista corridor, walking distance from Paraíso subway station and well served by transport options. The Linha 1 (blue) is the main spine connecting the two, with a typical journey of fifteen minutes between Paraíso and São Bento. For the closing keynote at Insper, a Linha 1 to Linha 5 connection at Jabaquara is the most direct route. Visitors venturing further out into the metropolis are advised to plan ahead, however, since São Paulo's traffic can be unforgiving at peak hours.

In São Paulo, food lovers can enjoy a remarkable range of dining experiences. A reasonable place to start the day is at any neighborhood bakery, with a média e pão na chapa, namely coffee with milk and toasted French bread with butter. This simple breakfast is a daily tradition for many residents and a quiet way to settle into the city's everyday life.

Pizza is another highlight in São Paulo, which ranks as the world's second-largest pizza city after New York. Whether the order is a traditional Margherita or one of the inventive variations that incorporate Brazilian ingredients, the city's pizzerias cater to every register. The historical Italian quarter, Bixiga, in Bela Vista, remains the symbolic heart of the tradition.

The recent rise of Japanese izakayas adds a contemporary turn to the already rich tradition of Japanese and other Asian cuisines in the city. These informal pubs, which serve everything from sushi to grilled skewers, are part of a broader Asian culinary scene anchored in established neighborhoods such as Liberdade. The district, along with others, offers a deep introduction to authentic Japanese, Chinese and Korean cooking.

São Paulo's culinary scene extends further into an array of international and regional Brazilian cuisines. Besides Liberdade, the Bom Retiro district offers the flavors of Korea alongside Jewish and Greek culinary traditions. High-end dining is concentrated in upscale areas such as Jardins and Pinheiros, where restaurants serve sophisticated Brazilian and international cuisines. Indeed, from street food to Michelin-starred kitchens, São Paulo offers a dining landscape that caters to nearly every taste and budget.

As the sun sets, São Paulo comes alive with a wide range of musical and social options. The city carries different rhythms in different neighborhoods, ranging from the historical samba of the city center to the local blend of samba-rock and the louder beats of Brazilian funk. This musical diversity attracts a broad audience, eager to experience the city's evening texture.

Samba holds a particular place in the heart of São Paulo's nightlife, especially in the areas where samba schools and informal samba gatherings thrive. There, locals and visitors can step into the long preparations for Carnival, observing the dedication that goes into the dance routines, the costumes and the percussion arrangements. The experience offers a direct connection to the African heritage that runs through Brazilian culture and shapes much of the country's popular music.

Beyond samba, São Paulo is also a hub for samba-rock, a genre that mixes rock and roll with traditional samba and reflects the city's multicultural character. Born in the 1960s, samba-rock has become a defining sound of São Paulo, celebrated in many local venues. Forró, the lively dance from Brazil's Northeast, is widely enjoyed in bars and clubs across neighborhoods such as Vila Madalena and Pinheiros, where the atmosphere remains warm and welcoming long into the night.