Sao Paulo Leisure

There are plenty of green open spaces in Sao Paulo that offer excellent areas in which to indulge in leisure and sports activities, from inline skating to cycling and jogging. In addition, these public spaces are often used for cultural and musical performances, adding a further reason to visit. Meanwhile, sports fans can catch a football match or some horse racing, depending on what takes their fancy.

Parks

The huge Ibirapuera Park is the perfect place for leisure and relaxation, and always has lots going on. The park was laid out by Burle Marx, and has great architectural and cultural interest, along with numerous monuments, museums and administrative buildings. You can take a stroll through the Japanese garden, walk the paths that line the attractive lakes or you can jog the exercise track or rent a bicycle.

For skaters, the Marquise is a great place to practice and skates are available for hire. The park auditorium has Brazilian musical presentations every weekend and on Sunday mornings, there's a free outdoor concert in the Praça da Paz. The flying saucer-shaped OCA Auditorium often hosts travelling art exhibitions and nearby, there is the Museum of Modern Art (Museu de Arte Moderna). There are all kinds of street vendors selling food and drink everywhere in the park, and the Green Restaurant has more substantial offerings.

Spectator sports

The main spectator sports in the city are horse racing and football. The Jockey Clube de Sao Paulo has race meetings on Mondays, Saturdays and Sundays. There is a good bar and restaurant here if you tire of watching the races. The big football clubs in the city are Sao Paulo, Corinthians, Palmeiras and Portuguesa. Any game involving these teams is well worth seeing.