Brazil - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 335

Butantã and Morumbi
Further west of Pinheiros, near the
Cidade Universitária , Butantã and
Morumbi are accessed via the new
metrô line 4 (yellow). Here you'll find
the Casa do Bandeirante , a preserved,
whitewashed adobe homestead from the
time of the bandeirantes , early colonizers
of the Brazilian interior. The Instituto
Butantã's Museu Biológico at Avenida
Vital Brasil 1500 (Wed-Sun
9am-4.30pm) will titillate snake-lovers
- it houses rattlesnakes, boas and
anacondas among others. Beyond
Morumbi to the south, you'll see (or pass
through) the impressive new financial
district, Berrini , within whose skyscrapers
the largest sums of money in Latin
America are now transferred.

Vila Mariana and Ipiranga
East of the park is the Museu Lasar
Segall , at Rua Berta 111 (Tues-Sat
2-7pm, Sun 2-6pm; free), which
houses the work of the Latvian-born,
naturalized-Brazilian painter, originally
a member of the German Expressionist
movement. In nearby Ipiranga (avenidas
Dom Pedro and Nazareth) is the
impressive Museu Paulista (also known
as Museu do Ipiranga; Tues-Sun
9am-5pm; R$4, free Sun; short bus ride
or walk from metrô Alto do Ipiranga),
modelled on the French Palace of
Versailles. Very good exhibitions on
the bandeirantes , coffee and slavery,
alongside paintings and furniture that
once belonged to the Brazilian royal
family, bring the city's history to life.
The museum stands in the park where
Brazilian independence was declared in
1822; at its southern end stands the
Independence Monument.

3

Parque do Ibirapuera
South of Jardins and sandwiched
between Itaim Bibi and Vila Mariana,
Moema is a wealthy district with some
really good restaurants, although its
main feature is the Parque do Ibirapuera
(daily 5am-midnight; bus from metrô
Brigadeiro), opened in 1954 to celebrate
the 400th anniversary of the founding
of São Paulo. Outside its main north
entrance is the Monumento às Bandeiras ,
a 1953 sculpture by Victor Brecheret
that celebrates a bandeirante expedition.
Inside the park, a triad of inspiring
Niemeyer-designed buildings houses the
Museu de Arte Contemporânea (Tues-Fri
10am-7pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm;
R$7), with regularly rotated works by
twentieth-century European and
Brazilian artists; the Museu de Arte
Moderna (Tues-Sun 10am-6pm; R$6;
free Sun), a smaller museum featuring
mostly temporary exhibits of Brazilian
artists; and the Auditório Ibirapueira
concert hall. The Museu Afro-Brasil in
the northern part of the park (Gate 10,
just off Av Pedro Álvares Cabral; daily
10am-5pm; R$5) is an interesting
collection exploring the African-Brazilian
experience through paintings and
artefacts, with sections on religion,
slavery and oral history, as well as visiting
exhibitions and occasional theatre.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane São Paulo has two airports: Guarulhos, about
25km from downtown, serves international destinations
and many domestic flights; and Congonhas, right in the
city, for domestic services only. From Congonhas taxis to
downtown cost about R$55; from Guarulhos about R$120.
An executive bus service ( W www.airportbusservice.com
.br) runs between the two airports and from Guarulhos to
Tietê bus station (24hr; infrequent at night), and from
Guarulhos to the Paulista/Augusta hotel circuit, Praça da
República, and other central destinations (every 30min
6am-11pm); all services R$35. Local buses 257 and 299
serve Guarulhos and Tatuape metrô station (5am-
midnight; R$5; 1hr 30min), a more di cult option with
heavy baggage.
Destinations Flights to Rio and Belo Horizonte depart
every 30min-1hr; for Foz, Salvador and Recife 6-8 flights
daily.
By bus Almost all inter-state and international buses
arrive at the vast Tietê Rodoviária north of the centre,
which lies on the metrô line. Rodoviária Barra Funda
serves towns throughout São Paulo State and some
inter-state services to the west, while Rodoviária
Jabaquara serves Santos and the São Paulo coast (both
also on the metrô).
Destinations Ouro Preto (4 daily; 8hr); Belo Horizonte
(6 daily; 9hr); Curitiba (hourly; 5hr); Foz do Iguaçu (4 daily;
19hr); Rio de Janeiro (every 30min; 6hr); Paraty (4 daily;
5hr); Salvador (3 daily; 24hr).