Museu do Ipiranga and more Museums, São Paulo

Tha public bank CAIXA has a nice museum/ art gallery in your building. There is always an art exposition at the lobby, but the most interesting part is at the 4th (or 6th?) floor. The museum contains all kind of stuff related to the history of the bank. You can see how was an bank agency from the end of the XIX century to the 70s. Calculators, lottery tickets, even a whole office.

TIP: You can see a saving account of an old slave, who was saving to buy his freedom

You can visit the brazilian stock market located in the center of São Paulo. After the company automatized most of its processes, its possible to enter the building where that big yelling used to occur. Now there is a nice cafeteria with a very interesting collection of stock papers on the display (for scripophily fans) and a little stock market museum.

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Building architecture is amazing, by Ramos de Azevedo archictecte. His others famous buildings are Mercado Municipal and Teatro Municipal.

Pinacoteca used to be a Lyceum (craftsman´s school) and today has lots of expositions and permanent brazilian artists´collection.

Start visiting the upstairs floors and then go to underground where always there´s a photograph exhibition and then take a coffee and sit just beside the Luz Park.

If you have time, take a walk to enjoy one of the eldest Parks of São Paulo.

Easy to reach by subway station Tiradentes. Free Entrancy on Saturdays.

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This beautiful historical buiding is from 1901, the 1st Banco do Brasil´s location at São Paulo.

Nowadays its a cultural space with videos and movies theaters, art exhibition and other cultural programs.

The underground money room is also used to exhibitions and theater performances.

Its ticket free and you can also buy art souvenirs there.

Easy to be reached by subway station Sé or São Bento.

As the main museums in São Paulo, its closed on Mondays.

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Built in 1774 as a Franciscan monastery, this Portuguese Baroque-style edifice was converted into a museum in 1970. The museum displays "sacred art" spanning 500 years. Within the grounds of the monastery is a beautiful Baroque chapel, Capela de Santo Antônio de Sant'Anna Galvão, that is worth a look (see attached photos). This museum is located in the Luz area, just north of Estação da Luz.

It doesn´t matter if you are an addicted or even if you dislike football but once in Sao Paulo no one should miss visiting the football´s museum. It is located inside Pacaembu Stadium, very close to Avenida Paulista and Higienopolis district. It tells and shows the history of football in this country where soccer is almost like a religion. Don´t expect to see old documents or relics (there are some, but not many like in other museums). Most of what is displayed has an interactive caracter so we can try many options of what and when to hear and see, the accoustic is perfect, one feels like participating on a final match between two big teams at the exact time of the final goal and the lightning gives the special atmosphere. The multimedia and holographic effects are almost everywhere - they´re hangging over our heads or on our side.

The walking through the rooms takes about 2,5 to three hours and at the end there´s a store with souvenirs and a relaxing café facing Pacaembu square and all the nice buildings that surround it.

How to get there? Just take the underground green line and jump at Clinicas Station.

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Interactive Museu da Lingua Portuguesa was opened only recently, in March 2006. It's located in the heart of the city in a historical building Estacao da Luz. The intention was to create a living space of portuguese language considered as a base of Brazilian culture.

In spite of the word museum bring an idea of something ancient and rustic a museum posses a pile of inovations, predominantly virtuals, combining art, technology and interactivity. The museum occupies three floors and has the following scenes: Three of Words, Temporary Exhibition, Auditorium, Square of the Language, Great Gallery, History of Portugues Language, Map of Speakers of Portuguese, Crosswords and Alley of Words or Play of Ethymology.

You'll defenitelly discover some very interesting facts about a Portuguese langue: history, origin, influencies, ethimology, Brazilian culture, literature (spoken by famous Brazilian musicians!)... through written and spoken words.

The museum is opened from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, it closes at 18:00.

The entrance is 4 RS (about 2 US$).

Being a primarily Catholic country, it came to no surprise to me that Sao Paulo had an abundance of beautiful churches. But the Museu de Arte Sacra was a pleasant discovery while in town. Basically a small museum of the saints -- the museum has a collection of images of saints, remnants of old church altars, even the clothes and important pieces passed down from cardinals and other high ranking church officials. One room had a HUGE display of a scene from the nativity like i had never seen before. Cameras were sadly not allowed but the memories of the images of the various saints are memories that i will treasure. interesting side trip that you will find worth visiting if you have strong faith.

At the corner of the Ipiranga and Sao Luis streets, the Edificio Italia may be a good opportunity to consider this building city from another point of view ... Get up until the 40th story (you have to pay an expensive drink if you want to enjoy the 41th story), and look around... Skyscrapers everywhere !!!

Au coin des avenidas Ipiranga et Sao Luis, l'Edificio Italia peut vous permettre de constater a quel point cette ville est une industrie a gratte-ciel... Allez jusqu'au 40emem etage (l'acces au 41eme est bloque par un gorille qui vous exige 25 reales pour un verre... faut pas deconner !) et regardez par les fenetres... Des gratte-ciel de partout !!

Alas! They don't allow any photography inside this museum (yes, there are signs directing against this!!!) so my record of my tour is only from the outside here. Inside though, there are old fire trucks and ambulances, a diorama depicting a part of SP history, and many old photographs, costumes, furniture and naturally, paintings. Such wonderful old wooden floors, too...