Sightseeing in Sao Paulo

Museums

Sao Paulo gets the short end of the stick when it comes to tourism in Brazil.  Most holidaymakers are lured by Rio’s beaches and the promise of non-stop partying and hedonism in Bahia or Salvador.  Sao Paulo may be an important medical tourism destination, but vacationers tend to keep away because of the crowds and commercialization that exists here.  This isn’t a city that’s blessed with the kind of breathtaking beauty Rio possesses, but there’s still plenty to do in Sao Paulo after your medical tourism procedure.  The museums here are the most impressive in Brazil, and there are enough art galleries to send culture buffs into a frenzy.   

The Museo de Arte Moderno is, as its name suggests, a showcase for modern art, sculptures, and textiles. The exhibits at this small but impressive museum change constantly. 

The Sao Paulo Museo de Arquelogia e Etnologia exhibits 120,000 pieces of art from the region’s past, including pieces from indigenous tribes.  The Museum Paulista, the oldest in the country, displays a variety of exhibits relating to the country’s independence in 1822. 

Immigrant Museums

To understand this country’s history and experience her journey from a Portuguese outpost to a medical tourism giant, make time to visit the many immigrant museums here.  The Museo de Immigrate is Sao Paulo’s own version of Ellis Island.  Visit to get a feel for the conditions in which the earliest European immigrants in the early 20th century passed through Sao Paulo.  The dormitory halls and offices have been well preserved, and very few of the artifacts are incased in glass. 

Unlike other black history museums in countries where slavery was practiced, the Museo Afro Brazil does not focus on the exploitation and suffering of slaves. Rather, the museum proudly showcases achievements by the millions of Africans who came here (Brazil has the largest Black population outside of the African continent).   

The Museo de Imigracao Japanosa tells the story of the largest population of Japanese outside of Japan.  Books and artwork speak of the Japanese who came here to work on coffee plantations after slavery ended. 

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