36 Hours in São Paulo, Brazil

Fifty-six percent of Brazilians identified as Black or mixed race in 2021, and race relations here are as complex as they are in the United States, making the Museu Afro Brasil in the city’s glorious Ibirapuera Park a must-see. The museum is at once an exuberant celebration of the contributions that the majority and their ancestors have made to the artistic, intellectual and economic life of the country, and a searing reminder — with the restored remains of a slave ship, instruments of torture and photography of enslaved people — that Brazil was the last country in the Americas to fully abolish slavery, in 1888. Entry is 15 reais, or about $3.

Stick around Ibirapuera, for there’s no better place to people-watch (or ride rental bikes, or drink coconut water) than the city’s gorgeous, democratic, monumental, 400-acre central park, a magnet for Paulistanos of all backgrounds who come to walk their dogs, juggle their soccer balls, read their books and ride their skateboards all weekend long. Stroll the miles of paths, look for the Japanese Pavilion, as well as the Ibirapuera Auditorium and other works by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, and observe the city at play — you won’t see this much green again the rest of the weekend.

Picking a place to sample live Brazilian music in São Paulo is like choosing a taco stand in Mexico City. Leave the more mainstream nightlife neighborhoods of Pinheiros and the city center behind, head east to the traditionally Italian Mooca neighborhood to check out Templo-Bar de Fé, exuberantly decorated with images and statues of figures from many religions, from Christianity to Hinduism to Afro-Brazilian umbanda. Most nights feature samba groups, but Friday is devoted to sertanejo, the ultra-popular Brazilian version of country music. It’s a low-pressure, high-quality live music experience (entrance, 30 reais).

Pick up breakfast from Zestzing, a kinda-sorta French bakery with croissants (13 reais), and rich kouign-amann pastries originally from Brittany, but with toppings like peanut-brittle-like pé-de-moleque (17 reais). Then stroll through the tony Jardins district to Alameda Gabriel Monteiro da Silva. Nowhere can squat-but-curvy modernist Brazilian furniture be found in greater concentration than along this avenue. Your starting point is Dpot, where you’ll find furnishings from celebrated Brazilian designers like Sergio Rodrigues, Lina Bo Bardi and Carlos Motta. Then head south until you reach Dpot Objeto, with ceramics, pillows and other items that you can both afford and fit in your suitcase.

You can try just about any kind of Brazilian regional cuisine in São Paulo, from the fiery dishes of Salvador in the northeast to the hearty, porky soul food of Minas Gerais state. But until recently, there was nowhere to try the cuisine from the Amazonian state of Acre. Arrive early for lunch at the homey Casa Tucupi, named after the delightfully sour broth made from manioc root that forms the base of the must-try tacacá soup, served with mouth-numbing jambu leaves and shrimp (or mushrooms for vegetarians). Many of the dishes feature Amazonian river fish you’ll rarely or never see back home. Lunch for two is around 250 reais.

According to traditional accounts, the soon-to-be-emperor Dom Pedro declared Brazilian independence beside the Ipiranga River on Sept. 7, 1822. A palace-like monument, built to commemorate the moment, eventually became the Ipiranga Museum. The museum closed in 2013 for repairs and just reopened on Brazil’s bicentennial (Sept. 7). The exhibits are often contrarian, taking a sharply critical view of the way history is traditionally taught, down to the explanation of the 19th-century painter Pedro Américo’s room-size painting “Independence or Death,” which depicts the moment when Dom Pedro, on horseback, declared independence from Portugal. Exhibits range from household items and historic photos to a sound-and-light show projected onto a scale model replica of São Paulo in 1841. Free entry until Dec. 6, then 30 reais.

Casa Fluida opened last year in an eclectic space that welcomes a L.G.B.T.Q. and straight crowd, making “fluid” an appropriate moniker. Same with “casa” — this is, indeed, a house, with three stories to explore with caipirinha or beer in hand while you view art exhibits, lounge on balconies or socialize in the stairwell. At 10 p.m. (Thursday to Saturday) comes the main event, an hourlong drag show featuring not just sassy pros but a brave layperson who pays 120 reais for a drag “experience” — including a two-hour makeup session with the resident drag queen Mahina Starlight upstairs. She’ll help you choose an outfit, but B.Y.O. song choice for your upcoming lip-sync performance (entrance, 5 reais).

Following the worst tradition of 20th-century urban planning, the elevated highway cutting through a stretch of downtown São Paulo split neighborhoods in half and accelerated urban decay. The silver lining: These days what is officially the João Goulart Elevated Highway, but is more commonly called, with tongue-in-cheek affection, the Minhocão (Big Worm), closes each weekend to traffic and opens up to cyclists and pedestrians who amble along, craning their necks to see glorious, massive works of art painted on the sides of high-rises. Enter near the Santa Cecília metro station, making a pit stop first at the nearby farmers market for traditional pastéis (fried Brazilian empanadas) and sugar cane juice.

From 1993 to 2021, Cidade Matarazzo, a sprawling landmark hospital complex in the Bela Vista neighborhood, stood vacant — beautiful but crumbling — amid some of the most expensive real estate in São Paulo. Last year, it began its next chapter when the Rosewood São Paulo became the first of its new establishments to open. Among the hotel’s pricey restaurants and bars, irresistible Taraz stands out as a more informal pan-Latin treat — casually elegant, reasonably priced and delicious, like the smoked rib sliders on pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese buns). Should the weather cooperate, sit outdoors for live salsa amid a stylized orchard of olive trees. (Lunch for two, about 400 reais.)