São Paulo/Downtown

São Paulo's city downtown area (Centro) is where the city was founded, in 1554. It contains many historical buildings and areas which are protected by the municipality. In the second half of the 20th century, business and upscale households have moved away from the Center, making the area meet urban degradation and rise of criminality. Many renovation projects are taking place, making the region slowly but confidently regain importance and take its place as the city's historic core and a vibrant commercial and cultural zone.

The Center is composed of the Sé and República districts, plus the ring of districts around these two: Bom Retiro, Santa Cecília, Consolação, Bela Vista, Liberdade and Cambuci.

Much of the best of the architecture of São Paulo is found in the city center. There are many baroque and neoclassical buildings, with some resemblance to those found in cities like Paris, Vienna and even Buenos Aires, as well as some impressive early-modern buildings like the S-shaped Copan. However, due to the lack of policies for protecting the cultural heritage of the city, some of these buildings suffer from vandalism and are sometimes completely covered with graffiti.

''Note: Avenida Paulista is partly in the Center. For places in this avenue and up to 4 blocks from it, check the São Paulo/Paulista section.''

Understand
Each district of the center has its own peculiar history and characteristics.
 * Bela Vista (also known as Bexiga/Bixiga) &mdash; One of the biggest meccas of Italian culture outside of Italy. Home to the city's most important theater venues and to a vibrant nightlife, dotted with bars where bands, be they new or veteran, show off all their skills when it comes to rocking the place.
 * Bom Retiro &mdash; Contains the neighborhood of Luz, one of the richest neighborhoods of the city during Brazil's coffee-based economy - which fell apart during the 1920s. Luz is a decadent area, with many streets populated by drug addicts, although a revitalization plan to relocate them is underway. Its historical importance and landmarks still make it a place not to be missed. Bom Retiro has also developed an officially-recognized Koreatown, with a large majority of shops and restaurants owned by Korean immigrants or their descendants.
 * Consolação &mdash; The neighborhoods composing this district, Consolação, Higienópolis and Pacaembu, were the first to grow outside the more historical part of the center. They are considered to be the "noble" areas of the Center, and even the "Red Light" zone on Rua Augusta is gradually being cleaned up.
 * Liberdade &mdash; Known as São Paulo's Japanese district, although nowadays more Chinese and Koreans inhabit this area, with many of the ethnic Japanese having moved to more upscale areas. However, the area is still visited a lot by Japanese-Brazilians and those who are fond of Japanese culture. Due to its cheap housing and high-quality cheap restaurants, the area is a very popular choice of place to live for students and temporary workers.
 * República &mdash; Once the site of the most elegant residential buildings in São Paulo, República was seriously hit by an exodus from downtown in the 1970s and 80s. Nowadays, it has been renovated as the whole historical central area. The streets between Praça da República and Largo do Arouche make up the oldest gay hot spot in town. It looks decadent, but many individuals young and old cruise in the clubs, movie theaters, dark rooms, and bars from Ipiranga Avenue down to Largo do Arouche.
 * Santa Cecília &mdash; Like República, Santa Cecília was an upscale residential area that experienced a downturn for various reasons, including the construction of Elevado Presidente Costa e Silva ("Minhocão"), one of the most ill-conceived projects that the city has met, and the most notorious landmark of the district. A revitalization plan for the district is also underway.
 * Sé &mdash; At the very beginning of its history, São Paulo was comprised of only the triangle formed by the Monastery of São Bento, the Monastery of São Francisco, and the Pátio do Colégio. Within this minute hub was the River Anhangabaú, which meant "bad spirits" in the native Tupi-Guarani language. In the 18th century, the river was made into canals and buried into the ground, but the Anhangabaú valley still remains in its place. Revitalization works in the 1980s shaped the beautifully arranged square in the Vale do Anhangabaú, where nowadays you can find skateboarders and office workers hanging about.

By metro or train
The rail network is the easiest and fastest way of getting to the center. The city center is crossed by various train and metro lines. These are the stations located at each district:


 * Bela Vista &mdash; Brigadeiro, Trianon-Masp, Consolação
 * Bom Retiro &mdash; Luz, Tiradentes, Armênia
 * Consolação &mdash; Paulista
 * Liberdade &mdash; Liberdade, São Joaquim
 * República &mdash; República
 * Santa Cecília &mdash; Santa Cecília, Marechal Deodoro, Júlio Prestes
 * Sé &mdash; Pedro II, Sé, Anhangabaú and São Bento

Oddly, Paulista Station is on Rua da Consolação, while Consolação Station is on Avenida Paulista. If you find you have gone to the wrong one, you can use the long underground passageway that connects them.

By bus
Numerous buses run continuously to the center from other parts of the city. For a visitor, they may sometimes be more convenient than the Metro, and you save some money by taking only buses instead of buses and train (but not that much). Check the SPTrans website for routes and itineraries (only in Portuguese).

From many parts of the São Paulo, there are buses going to Parque Dom Pedro II, where the busiest bus terminal of the city is located. If you step down at this terminal, memorize the spot where the bus stopped if you plan to go back using the same bus, as you may have a hard time finding it again in the large and confusing terminal.

By car
The Center is crossed by Corredor Norte-Sul, that links the north and the south parts of the city, and by Radial Leste-Oeste, that links the west the and east. Av. Rebouças and Av. Nove do Julho come from the Southwest, and Av. do Estado from the southeast.

On weekdays and Saturday morning, going to most parts in the Center of São Paulo by car is not recommended, unless you are masochist, rich, or have a lot of patience. Parking can cost as much as R$ 20 for a single hour! It is best to park in the street at Zona Azul areas, where you pay an amount set by the Municipality, but finding a place to park may take some time. On weekends, cheaper parking is usually available.

Concerts and theatre
The center of São Paulo contains dozens of theatres and concert halls, with dozens of performances being carried everyday. Most theatrical performances are in Portuguese, and their price may vary from completely free to R$ 300. It is better to choose the place by the performance you want to see. A list of performances being carried in the city can be found in various websites, including:, ,. The following theatres and concert halls are the ones that deserve particular attention:

Events
The center of São Paulo is the place of cultural events that may get hundreds of thousands of visitors. Avoid going to such events by car, as you may spend more time stuck in traffic and searching a place to park than enjoying the events themselves.

Learn
All these listed high education institutions are private and located in the district of Consolação.


 * Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Founded in 1870 as the American School, is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Brazil. The university is regarded, nationally and internationally, as a center of excellence having graduated numerous important names of Brazilian history. The nickname Mackenzista is often used to refer to Mackenzie present or former students.
 * Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado - FAAP, Rua Alagoas, 903, tel. 11 3662-1662. The institute's college, or facul as the students call it, offers prime education for Brazil's super rich kids. After the museum and theater, the bodyguards on the surrounding of the campus are the main attraction.
 * Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV-SP), Av. 9 de Julho, 2029, Bela Vista, 01313-902, tel. (11) 3281-7777, . This university is one of Brazil's most traditionals, famous for its Economics and Management departments. It has two other campi, in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia.

Buy
A little bit of everything is available in Centro. The Old City Center, especially around the Law School on Largo São Francisco, is the place to go if you’re looking for rare, discounted or out-of-print books. There are several good used bookstores in the area, some—such as the Messias—are traditional São Paulo favorites.



Eat
Contrast is the area's middle name. You can eat well both in traditional local eateries or elegant restaurants

Bela Vista
Bixiga's cantinas and pizzerias are amongst the best in the city. Try authentic fresh Portuguese rolls or Italian loaf with butter and "pingado," or "café com leite" &mdash;coffee with cream&mdash; from the bakery at the corner of Conselheiro Carrão and 13 de Maio streets. You won't regret it!



Consolação
As in all of São Paulo, the variety of gastronomical options in this section of town are plenty, so feel free to just stroll down the streets without a pre-fixed plan. Vilaboin square, nearby FAAP, holds options for every taste.



Liberdade
Liberdade is a paradise for fans of Asian food. Although the best Japanese restaurants may be in the East, those do not nearly match the cost-benefit of the ones in Liberdade. Besides, here you can find some interesting mixes of Asian and Brazilian food, like at Sukiya.



Stay safe
Safety in the Downtown region has largely improved. However, the Centro Velho ("Old Town", the area composed by the Sé and República districts, plus the adjacent Luz neighborhood in Bom Retiro/Santo Cecília), precisely the area where most historical sights are contained, is still problematic in terms of safety.

During the day (except on Sundays), the Old Town is considerably safe. You will see many homeless people in the streets, but there will be ostensive presence of police, and most streets will be quite crowded for anything to happen. Homeless people generally ignore passersby, but pickpockets in very crowded streets are common, just like annoying vendors. Watch your belongings all the time.

There are some particular areas to be aware even during the day:
 * The Santa Ifigênia neighborhood in República, often called Crackland, the area delimited by R. Mauá in the North, R. São João in the South, Av. Duque de Caxias in the West and Av. Ipiranga in the East. It is okay to walk in the commercial, crowded streets (like Rua Santa Ifigênia), but the empty and run-down streets should be avoided as they are home to a large number of drug addicts.
 * Parque Dom Pedro II and most of its surroundings. This area contains also many drug addicts, and potentially violent robbers that stalk pedestrians. If you want to reach Catavento Cultural (Palácio das Indústrias), a safer route is to go from Mercado Municipal to the rear entrance of the palace, passing through the 25 de março parking lot.
 * The surroundings of Rua Glicério, in the east part of the Liberdade district, form a desolated area with a large number of homeless.

With so many skyscrapers, the Old Town may look a densely populated area, when in fact, it is not. The center of town is alive during week days because of offices and shops. During the night and Sundays, there is still some life in certain parts, like the bars/clubbing area between Largo do Arouche and Praça da República, but many streets may also become desolate, containing few people other than homeless and drug addicts. The "Crackland" should be completely avoided during the night unless you are in a trustworthy guided tour.

For the rest of Downtown, follow the general advice for São Paulo.

English-speaking churches
Near Bela Vista, Liberdade and Paraiso, the Fellowship Community church caters to English speakers in the morning and services are spoken in Portuguese in the evening. Calvary Baptist church in Campo Belo features services in American English and Saint Paul's Anglican in Alto da Boa Vista, in British English.