1. Enjoy the Brazilian cuisine!

The São Paulo culinary scene has never had it so good. Paulistano chefs are creating hitherto unknown flavours and tastes by using ingredients from the Amazon as well as the rest of the country.

For the crème de la crème of Paulistano society, the place to eat is D.O.M.. Chef Alex Atala’s temple to Brazilian gastronomy is one of the top 50 restaurants in the world according the UK's Restaurant magazine. For a taste of the Amazon head to Brasil a Gosto where chef Ana Luiza Trajano floats the finest ingredients of the jungle river to your table. At Tordesilhas chef Mara Salles was inspired by her Pernambucan roots (a state on the north-eastern coast) to create traditional dishes using local ingredients.

See all restaurants & cafés in São Paulo

2. Find your religious Centro

São Paulo’s churches and cathedrals span the 16th to the 20th centuries. Not surprisingly, the oldest are concentrated in Centro, its oldest neighbourhood. Don’t miss the two iconic churches: The Mosteiro de São Bento complex (Largo São Bento s/n, 3328 8799, www.mosteiro.org.br) includes a school, a university, monastery and the original Basilica from 1598. It hosts Gregorian chants from the Benedictine monks early every morning. Later the monks sell home-made bread, cakes, chocolates and jams. Catedral Metropolitana (Praça da Sé s/n, 3106 2709) was constructed in its most recent incarnation between 1913 and 1967, and is one of the largest Gothic churches in the world, seating a staggering 8,000 worshippers. The cathedral’s completion was delayed considerably by the two World Wars, since its organ, all its mosaics, sculptures and furniture were shipped over from Italy. Nevertheless, the cathedral was inaugurated, without its two towers, in 1954. See all religious sites & buildings in São Paulo

3. Be berry controversial

Wherever you wander in São Paulo, you’re likely to spot a poster marketing açai, a purple berry from the Amazon, which, it has been claimed, but never scientifically proved, can cure all your ills. Loaded with biological buzz – anti-oxidants and essential amino acids – açai is nature-made for an age in which medical and food marketing are increasingly interlaced. However, Brazilians have been eating this berry for many years (most often as a breakfast, blended with banana or strawberry, or with granola) for the right reason, and the only verifiable one too: açai simply tastes so good. Açaí bars are a dime a dozen in Brazilian cities but here are a few of our São Paulo favourites: Açaí B&B (Avenida Doutor Arnaldo 1179, Sumaré, 3062 6850, closed Sun); Açaí Bar (Rua Chilon 141, Itaim Bibi, 3045 0505); Açaí Beach Bar (Rua Augusta 1902, loja 3, Jardins, 3159 3240, www.açaibeachbar.com.br). See all restaurants & cafes in São Paulo

4. Sway to a South American beat

It's impossible to understate the variety and quality of live music on offer in São Paulo: hip hop, Rio funk, jazz, bossa nova, rock, MPB (música popular brasileira), samba, pagode (a sub genre of samba), choro (popular traditional music), música sertanja (music from the backcountry), and forró (although forró can refer to almost any traditional music from north-east of Brazil, the most frequent form is a trio comprised of accordion, large bass drum and triangle, along with vocals) all regularly take centre stage somewhere in the city. Head to Canto da Ema to see some of the best forró musicians in action; Bourbon Street Music Club to catch Brazil's big jazz names; Bar Brahma for a resident star line-up of samba, MPB, choro, jazz and pop; and Ó do Borogodó for the best samba in town. See all music venues in São Paulo

5. Carnival your costume off 

São Paulo knows how to throw a bit of a party and Carnaval is a uniquely Brazilian extreme of pre-Lent bacchanalia.

Read more about Carnival

Read more about all festivals & events in São Paulo