São Paulo/South Central



South Central is a region of São Paulo. It is the wealthiest region of the city on average, although it does contain some poorer areas, especially in the extreme south.

The region contains residential, commercial and a few industrial areas. Its residential areas are highly verticalized, and nowadays contain some of the most expensive places to live in the city. The region's main landmark and attraction is Parque do Ibirapuera, one of the largest and most important areas of green, leisure and culture of the city. The region also contains the gigantic Morumbi Shopping-Shopping Market Place commercial center, an indoor commercial center with more than 600 shops and dozens of restaurants, one of the favorite places of high-income consumers in the city.

The South Central region is composed of 7 districts, grouped in 3 subprefectures:
 * Vila Mariana subprefecture: Vila Mariana, Moema, Saúde
 * Santo Amara subprefecture: Campo Belo, Santo Amaro, Campo Grande
 * Jabaquara subprefecture: Jabaquara.

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

Understand
Although the South Central looks more or less homogeneous when compared to its contrast-filled neighbors, it may be separated in two areas in terms of history. The north and east part of the district (Vila Mariana, Moema, Saúde e Jabaquara) emerged with the growth of São Paulo in south direction, and are strongly residential with middle to high class neighborhoods, with high level of verticalization. These districts contain a large number of descendants of Japanese immigrants, who typically have moved from other parts of the city after their social ascension. Annually, the region hosts the Festival do Japão, the largest event of the Japanese community of São Paulo.

The southwest part of the district (Santo Amaro, Campo Belo and Campo Grande) were until 1935 part of the municipality of Santo Amaro, which also included what today is São Paulo's Far South region. Santo Amaro was the center of this municipality, and remains until the present the day as the "center more important than the center" for many people that live in the districts corresponding to the extinguished municipality. Today, Santo Amaro, Campo Belo and Campo Grande form an important business and industrial area for São Paulo, and that is where the Congonhas Airport is located. However, the continuous expansion of São Paulo in south direction has resulted in residential growth to also "invade" these districts.

By Metro and train
The South Central region is served by three Metro lines; Lilac, Blue, and Green and one train line, Emerald. These are the Metro and train stations located at each district:
 * Vila Mariana: Paraíso, Ana Rosa, Vila Mariana, Hospital São Paulo, Santa Cruz, Chácara Klabin
 * Saúde: Praça da Árvore, Saúde-Ultrafarma, São Judas
 * Jabaquara: Conceição, Jabaquara
 * Santo Amaro: Borba Gato, Alto da Boa Vista, Adolfo Pinheiro, Largo Treze, Santo Amaro, Socorro, Morumbi;
 * Campo Grande: Jurubatuba
 * Moema: Eucaliptos, Moema, AACD–Servidor
 * Campo Belo: Brooklyn, Campo Belo

By car
Most parts of the region can be reached by car from Corredor Norte-Sul, originating from the Center, '''Av. dos Bandeirantes, originating from the West, and Av. Dr. Ricardo Jafet''', originating from the Southeast. Depending on where you are and where do you want to go other ways may be more efficient.

By bus
For buses, check the SPTrans website for routes and itineraries (only in Portuguese).

Get around
The metro, train, bus and car are the natural way of getting around in the region. Outside Parque do Ibirapuera, the South Central is not great in terms of sightseeing and has not many interesting places to be explored on foot.

On foot
Visitors who want to see less cars and more people may explore the area of Largo 13 de Maio, the de facto "city center" of the extinguished municipality of Santo Amaro. For those who prefer more upscale places, one option is Avenida Ibirapuera and its surroundings, in Moema.

By bicycle
Cycleway Marginal Pinheiros (see São Paulo main section) is partly located in the South Central. There are also approximately 3.3 km of cycleways in Moema, located at Av. Pavão, Av. Rouxinol and Av. Iraí, that all cross Av. Ibirapuera. There are other 6.5 km of "cycle routes" in the same region, where cyclists have preference but not a dedicated lane.

A large portion of Ciclofaixa de Lazer (see São Paulo main article) is also in the South Central region and it is a great way to explore the region on two wheels.

Theaters and concert halls
A list of performances being carried in the city (and a full list of theatres) can be found in various websites, including:, , ; it is better to choose the theatre by the performance you want to see.

Buy
One cannot be in the South Central region and be far from a large shopping center. The diversity of the shopping scene is also fascinating, from the affluent and indoor Morumbi Shopping-Market Place, to the popular and outdoor Largo 13 de Maio area, both in the district of Santo Amaro.



Eat
In the South Central area, many bars are also known for serving good food, so be sure to check also the section.

If you are on budget, you should try popular snacks (salgados) including esfiha's, empadas and pastéis. Good places to eat those can be found in the district of Vila Mariana, in and near R. Domingos de Morais, including: Rancho da Empada, Yokoyama, Jaber, Árabe Alhabeb and Pastel Croc 30.

In Moema, plenty of restaurants are located around Av. Ibirapuera, between Av. Indianópolis and Av. dos Bandeirantes. Many restaurants can also be found in the underground floor of Morumbi Shopping.



Drink
In Moema, focus on Lavandisca Avenue and its surroundings: there are several bars, both modern and traditional, as well as Italian cantinas. On the other side of the neighborhood, go to Anapurus Avenue. Good options are beer on tap at Bar do Giba on Moaci Avenue, or at Original, on Graúna Street, and pizza served at the nearby Braz restaurant. Moema is also famous for being home to most swinger clubs in the city.

In the district of Vila Mariana, good local bars are located at Rua Joaquim Távora, specially between crossing streets R. Rio Grande and R. Áurea.

Stay safe
Vila Mariana, Campo Grande, and the surroundings of Parque do Ibirapuera are relatively safe, at least for São Paulo standards. However, Santo Amaro and Jabaquara are known for considerably high criminality, especially robberies. In particular, extra care is advised in the commercial center of Santo Amaro (around Largo 13 de Maio), although the area used to be much more dangerous in the past.

Campo Belo, Saúde, and the surroundings of Av. Ibirapuera have crime rates more or less in the average of the city, so use the general safety guidelines for the city of São Paulo.