# Roots Earth in Sao Paulo: audio stories about 50 places Canonical: https://rootsearth.com/cities/sao-paulo Published: 16 September 2026 Roots Earth has audio stories about 50 places in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in Latin America. The Sao Paulo stories are in all seven Roots Earth languages: English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian. The app needs no account: open Sao Paulo, pick a place on the city's map of places and play. Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection. The stories are written by local people. The 50 places are listed below in the order the app shows them, and again further down with their coordinates. The lists were taken from the Roots Earth catalogue on 15 September 2026. ## The 50 places in Sao Paulo with audio stories In the order the app shows them. 1. São Paulo Cathedral 2. São Paulo Museum of Art 3. Paulista Avenue 4. Ibirapuera Park 5. Theatro Municipal de São Paulo 6. Pateo do Collegio 7. São Bento Monastery 8. Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo 9. Luz Station 10. Edifício Copan 11. Edifício Itália 12. Altino Arantes Building 13. Museu do Ipiranga 14. Monument to the Bandeiras 15. Municipal Market of São Paulo 16. Museum of the Portuguese Language 17. Sala São Paulo 18. Júlio Prestes Station 19. Catavento Museum 20. Praça da Sé 21. Viaduct of Tea 22. Anhangabaú Valley 23. Solar da Marquesa de Santos 24. Martinelli Building 25. Independence Park 26. Latin America Memorial 27. Pacaembu Stadium 28. Football Museum 29. Allianz Parque 30. Praça da República 31. B3 Stock Exchange 32. Museum of Contemporary Art of USP 33. Villa-Lobos Park 34. Obelisk of São Paulo 35. Liberdade 36. Vila Madalena 37. Batman Alley 38. Bixiga 39. Consolação 40. Consolation Cemetery 41. Rua Augusta 42. Praça Roosevelt 43. Rua Oscar Freire 44. Rua 25 de Março 45. Largo da Batata 46. Brás 47. Bom Retiro 48. Trianon Park 49. Casa das Rosas 50. São Paulo Botanical Garden ## Is there an audio guide for São Paulo Cathedral? Yes. São Paulo Cathedral has its audio stories in the Roots Earth app: a short introduction and a deeper story, in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian. It is place 1 of the 50 Sao Paulo places in the app, at -23.551168, -46.63434. Every one of the other 49 places in the list above has the same two stories. Roots Earth is not a guided tour: you choose the place on the city's map of places and play its story yourself. ## How to use Roots Earth in Sao Paulo Open Roots Earth and choose Sao Paulo. The city has its own map of places with all 50 of them on it. Tap the place you are standing in front of, or any other, and play its short introduction or its deeper story. You decide what to listen to and in which order. You can listen in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian, and there is no account. Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection. --- **In full** All 50 places in Sao Paulo, in the app's order, with their coordinates. ## All 50 places in Sao Paulo, with coordinates Every place below has a short introduction and a deeper story in the Roots Earth app, in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian. The names, the coordinates (latitude, longitude) and the one line descriptions are the app's own catalogue values of 15 September 2026; a place without a line here has none that this page can print. ### 1. São Paulo Cathedral - Coordinates: -23.551168, -46.63434 - In one line: São Paulo Cathedral rises over Praça da Sé, the symbolic heart of the city. A Neo-Gothic giant crowned by a Renaissance dome, it took decades to build and holds an organ of 12,000 pipes. ### 2. São Paulo Museum of Art - Coordinates: -23.5611, -46.6558 - In one line: The São Paulo Museum of Art floats above an open plaza on bold red beams, a 74-meter span designed by Lina Bo Bardi. Inside, masterworks hang on glass easels in one of Latin America's finest collections. ### 3. Paulista Avenue - Coordinates: -23.56139, -46.65639 - In one line: Paulista Avenue runs 2. 8 kilometers along one of São Paulo's highest ridges. Opened in 1891 and once lined with coffee-baron mansions, it is now the city's financial and cultural spine, closed to cars every Sunday. ### 4. Ibirapuera Park - Coordinates: -23.58833, -46.65889 - In one line: Ibirapuera Park is São Paulo's great green retreat, opened in 1954 for the city's 400th anniversary. Across 158 hectares it gathers Oscar Niemeyer pavilions, museums, a lake, and one of South America's most visited urban parks. ### 5. Theatro Municipal de São Paulo - Coordinates: -23.54528, -46.63861 - In one line: The Theatro Municipal de São Paulo is the city's grand opera house, built between 1903 and 1911 in lavish European style. In 1922 it hosted the Modern Art Week that launched Brazilian Modernism. ### 6. Pateo do Collegio - Coordinates: -23.548056, -46.6325 - In one line: Pateo do Collegio marks the birthplace of São Paulo, where Jesuit priests founded a mission and said the first mass in 1554. The whitewashed chapel and tower seen today reconstruct that colonial complex. ### 7. São Bento Monastery - Coordinates: -23.54361, -46.63388 - In one line: São Bento Monastery is an active Benedictine abbey in central São Paulo, founded in 1598. Its present church, built between 1910 and 1922, is famed for painted Beuronese interiors, a German organ, daily Gregorian chant, and monastery breads. ### 8. Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo - Coordinates: -23.5344, -46.6339 - In one line: Founded in 1905, the Pinacoteca is São Paulo's oldest art museum, housed in a monumental brick building from 1900. Its restoration by Paulo Mendes da Rocha and a deep Brazilian art collection make it a downtown highlight. ### 9. Luz Station - Coordinates: -23.535, -46.63528 - In one line: Built between 1895 and 1901 with iron cast in Glasgow, Luz Station is São Paulo's grand Victorian gateway from the coffee-railway boom. Its clock tower, imported ironwork, and glass-roofed platforms remain a downtown landmark. ### 10. Edifício Copan - Coordinates: -23.54662, -46.644375 - In one line: Designed by Oscar Niemeyer and completed in 1966, the Edifício Copan is a sweeping S-curved tower of around 1,160 apartments. This vertical neighborhood in central São Paulo houses thousands of residents behind its iconic concrete facade. ### 11. Edifício Itália - Coordinates: -23.54556, -46.64361 - In one line: Completed in 1965 to a design by Franz Heep, the Edifício Itália rises 165 meters and was long São Paulo's tallest building. ### 12. Altino Arantes Building - Coordinates: -23.54583, -46.63389 - In one line: Built between 1939 and 1947 and modeled on the Empire State Building, the Altino Arantes Building is an Art Deco landmark that once topped South America. The former Banespa headquarters now hosts the Farol Santander cultural center and rooftop lookout. ### 13. Museu do Ipiranga - Coordinates: -23.585608, -46.609678 - In one line: A Neoclassical palace begun in the 1880s, the Museu do Ipiranga overlooks the spot where Brazil's independence was declared in 1822. Reopened in 2022 after a long restoration, it pairs formal gardens with the nation's founding history. ### 14. Monument to the Bandeiras - Coordinates: -23.58, -46.6607 - In one line: Sculpted in granite by Victor Brecheret and completed in the 1950s, this monument near Ibirapuera Park depicts the bandeirante expeditions surging forward. A celebrated artwork, it is now a contested symbol of Brazil's colonial past. ### 15. Municipal Market of São Paulo - Coordinates: -23.54167, -46.62917 - In one line: Opened in 1933 and designed by Francisco Ramos de Azevedo, this grand eclectic food hall glows with German stained glass. Locals call it the Mercadão, a temple of produce, spices, and the legendary mortadella sandwich. ### 16. Museum of the Portuguese Language - Coordinates: -23.535033, -46.636617 - In one line: Opened in 2006 inside the historic Luz Station, this is the world's first museum devoted to a language. Rebuilt after a 2015 fire and reinaugurated on July 31, 2021 and opened to the public on August 1, 2021, it celebrates Portuguese through immersive, interactive galleries. ### 17. Sala São Paulo - Coordinates: -23.534167, -46.639722 - In one line: Opened in 1999 inside the former Júlio Prestes railway station, this acclaimed concert hall is home to the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra. Its adjustable suspended ceiling tunes the acoustics for every performance. ### 18. Júlio Prestes Station - Coordinates: -23.532778, -46.640833 - In one line: Completed in 1938 and designed by Cristiano Stockler das Neves, this grand Beaux-Arts railway terminal once moved the coffee wealth of the interior. Its marble halls, inspired by New York's great stations, still anchor central São Paulo. ### 19. Catavento Museum - Coordinates: -23.544167, -46.628056 - In one line: Opened in 2009 inside the historic Palácio das Indústrias, this hands-on science museum invites young visitors to explore the universe, life, ingenuity, and society through hundreds of interactive installations. ### 20. Praça da Sé - Coordinates: -23.550278, -46.633889 - In one line: São Paulo's symbolic heart, this vast central square holds the Marco Zero from which all road distances are measured. Redesigned in the 1970s beneath the cathedral, it has long been the city's stage for gatherings and protest. ### 21. Viaduct of Tea - Coordinates: -23.546647, -46.6378 - In one line: São Paulo's first viaduct, conceived by French immigrant Jules Martin and opened in 1892, spans the Anhangabaú valley. Rebuilt in reinforced concrete in 1938, it links the old and new downtown over a green park. ### 22. Anhangabaú Valley - Coordinates: -23.54597, -46.63704 - In one line: A vast civic terrace at the heart of downtown São Paulo, where a buried river became a modern plaza. Reopened on 25 July 2021 with fountains, gardens, and sweeping views of the city's landmark towers. ### 23. Solar da Marquesa de Santos - Coordinates: -23.54856, -46.63214 - In one line: A rare 18th-century rammed-earth manor in old São Paulo, once home to Domitila de Castro, the celebrated mistress of Emperor Pedro I. Today it houses the Museum of the City of São Paulo. ### 24. Martinelli Building - Coordinates: -23.545556, -46.635194 - In one line: One of Brazil's first skyscrapers, begun in 1924, partially inaugurated in 1929, and completed ten years later by Italian immigrant Giuseppe Martinelli. Rising 28 floors and 105 metres, it was once the tallest building in Latin America and the largest concrete-framed structure on earth. ### 25. Independence Park - Coordinates: -23.584, -46.61 - In one line: The São Paulo park marking where Pedro proclaimed Brazil's independence in 1822. Its grand monument, formal gardens, and the Ipiranga Museum together form a national shrine to the birth of the nation. ### 26. Latin America Memorial - Coordinates: -23.527314, -46.665347 - In one line: A sweeping Oscar Niemeyer complex opened in 1989, conceived by Darcy Ribeiro to celebrate Latin American unity. Its open plaza is dominated by a giant concrete hand bearing a blood-red map of the continent. ### 27. Pacaembu Stadium - Coordinates: -23.548639, -46.665111 - In one line: São Paulo's historic Art Deco stadium, opened in 1940 and home to legendary matches and World Cup games. Now also housing the Football Museum, it reopened in 2025 after a major renovation. ### 28. Football Museum - Coordinates: -23.54722, -46.66525 - In one line: An interactive museum inside Pacaembu Stadium, opened in 2008 with Pelé present. Across 15 rooms it traces how football became Brazil's national passion, blending history, emotion, and immersive sound and image. ### 29. Allianz Parque - Coordinates: -23.5275, -46.6785 - In one line: Opened in 2014 on the site of Palmeiras' old Palestra Itália ground, this multipurpose arena seats more than 43,000 for football and up to 55,000 for concerts, its drilled stainless-steel facade shimmering above Barra Funda. ### 30. Praça da República - Coordinates: -23.5431, -46.6425 - In one line: A leafy square in São Paulo's historic center, renamed Praça da República in 1889, ringed by 1930s modernist towers. Its famous Sunday open-air market fills the paths with food carts, art, crafts, and jewelry. ### 31. B3 Stock Exchange - Coordinates: -23.546389, -46.634167 - In one line: Brazil's principal stock exchange, tracing its origins to the Bolsa Livre, created in 1890; the Bolsa de Fundos Públicos de São Paulo followed in 1895. After mergers in 2008 and 2017 it became B3, headquartered downtown and ranking among the world's largest exchanges by market value. ### 32. Museum of Contemporary Art of USP - Coordinates: -23.588889, -46.651111 - In one line: Founded in 1963 from Francisco Matarazzo Sobrinho's donated collection, this University of São Paulo museum holds over 8,000 works, one of Latin America's richest holdings of twentieth-century Western art, shown at venues by Ibirapuera Park and the campus. ### 33. Villa-Lobos Park - Coordinates: -23.54667, -46.72111 - In one line: Inaugurated in 1994 beside the Pinheiros River, this 732,000-square-meter state park reclaimed degraded land into a green expanse with native forest, sports courts, a library, and amphitheater, named for composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. ### 34. Obelisk of São Paulo - Coordinates: -23.584722, -46.654722 - In one line: Rising 72 meters in travertine marble at the edge of Ibirapuera Park, this obelisk and mausoleum honors those who died in the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution. Designed by Galileo Emendabili, it is São Paulo's largest monument. ### 35. Liberdade - Coordinates: -23.567778, -46.629444 - In one line: São Paulo's historic Asian quarter, settled by Japanese immigrants from 1912 and now home to Japanese, Chinese, and Korean communities. Red torii arches, hanging lanterns, weekend fairs, and shops give this district its distinctive character. ### 36. Vila Madalena - Coordinates: -23.5525, -46.691389 - In one line: A hilly bohemian quarter in the Pinheiros district, Vila Madalena grew from a cheap student enclave in the early 1970s into São Paulo's beloved stronghold of bars, art galleries, samba and graffiti-painted streets. ### 37. Batman Alley - Coordinates: -23.556541, -46.686587 - In one line: A graffiti-covered passage in Vila Madalena, Batman Alley grew from a single 1980s Batman mural into a dense open-air gallery of street art, continually repainted by local artists and cared for by the community. ### 38. Bixiga - Coordinates: -23.556667, -46.644722 - In one line: A historic working-class quarter within the Bela Vista district, Bixiga grew from an 1878 farmstead into São Paulo's great Italian neighborhood, layered with Afro-Brazilian roots, samba, cantinas and the famous Achiropita feast. ### 39. Consolação - Coordinates: -23.549444, -46.66 - In one line: A central São Paulo district named after its 18th-century church of Our Lady of Consolation, Consolação links downtown to Paulista Avenue and gathers cemeteries, nightlife on Rua Augusta, and a dense cultural life. ### 40. Consolation Cemetery - Coordinates: -23.551111, -46.656667 - In one line: Opened in 1858 as São Paulo's first public cemetery, the Cemitério da Consolação holds presidents, writers and artists beneath an outdoor gallery of funerary sculpture by masters including Victor Brecheret and Ramos de Azevedo. ### 41. Rua Augusta - Coordinates: -23.556944, -46.658972 - In one line: Running 3 kilometers from Jardins to downtown São Paulo, Rua Augusta splits into an upscale shopping stretch and a famously gritty nightlife zone, Baixo Augusta, packed with bars, clubs and live-music venues. ### 42. Praça Roosevelt - Coordinates: -23.5487, -46.6466 - In one line: A central São Paulo square built between 1968 and 1970 over a road tunnel, Praça Roosevelt anchors the city's theater district and, after a 2011 to 2012 revival, draws skateboarders, families and night crowds. ### 43. Rua Oscar Freire - Coordinates: -23.559, -46.67294 - In one line: Rua Oscar Freire is São Paulo's luxury shopping street in the Jardins district, lined with international fashion houses, Brazilian designers, and refined restaurants. Once ranked among the world's most upscale streets, it remains the city's address for high-end style. ### 44. Rua 25 de Março - Coordinates: -23.54429, -46.63261 ### 45. Largo da Batata - Coordinates: -23.566389, -46.694167 - In one line: Largo da Batata is a busy square in the Pinheiros district, named for the potato vendors who once gathered there. Today it is a major transport hub and a popular gathering point for street life, markets, and political demonstrations. ### 46. Brás - Coordinates: -23.541, -46.616 - In one line: Brás is a working-class district east of central São Paulo, shaped by Italian immigrants and heavy industry, now a sprawling wholesale clothing hub. Its factories, railways, and crowded markets make it one of the city's great centers of commerce and migration. ### 47. Bom Retiro - Coordinates: -23.533333, -46.65 - In one line: Bom Retiro is a central São Paulo district layered with immigrant history, from Jewish and Italian to Korean communities. Once industrial, it is now a leading fashion and textile wholesale hub, recognized as the city's official Korean cultural neighborhood. ### 48. Trianon Park - Coordinates: -23.5622, -46.6572 - In one line: Trianon Park is a shaded remnant of Atlantic Forest beside Paulista Avenue, opened in 1892. ### 49. Casa das Rosas - Coordinates: -23.571087, -46.645549 - In one line: Casa das Rosas is a French-style mansion on Paulista Avenue, built in the 1930s by architect Ramos de Azevedo. One of the avenue's last great houses, it is now a public center devoted to poetry and literature, set behind a rose garden. ### 50. São Paulo Botanical Garden - Coordinates: -23.638889, -46.620278 - In one line: Founded in 1928 by botanist Frederico Carlos Hoehne, the São Paulo Botanical Garden spreads across roughly 164 hectares in the Água Funda district, protecting Atlantic Forest, the springs of the Ipiranga brook, glasshouses, and an orchidarium. ## Roots Earth in short Roots Earth has audio stories about 5,665 places in 130 cities, 25 countries and 6 regions, written by local people. - No account - Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection - Audio stories in English and German in every city, and in Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian in 126 of the 130 cities Roots Earth for Android is available on Google Play: [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rootsearth.app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rootsearth.app). ## More from Roots Earth - [Latin America in the Roots Earth catalogue](https://rootsearth.com/cities#latin-america): every city in Latin America with its number of places and its languages. - [What Roots Earth is](https://rootsearth.com/app): the app in one page, how it works and what is in it. - [Questions travellers ask](https://rootsearth.com/faq): the cities, the languages, the account, listening without a connection. - [The 7 languages](https://rootsearth.com/languages): the seven languages with their codes and how many cities each one covers. - [Florianopolis](https://rootsearth.com/cities/florianopolis): 40 places in Brazil with audio stories. - [Ouro Preto](https://rootsearth.com/cities/ouro-preto): 40 places in Brazil with audio stories. - [Rio de Janeiro](https://rootsearth.com/cities/rio-de-janeiro): 50 places in Brazil with audio stories. - [Salvador](https://rootsearth.com/cities/salvador): 45 places in Brazil with audio stories. 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