There was no inauguration, as traffic was gradually relocated, but it did not take long for the city's new landmark to be considered a guest room for São Paulo.

All illustrious personalities who had the capital as their destination were required to disembark there. Businessmen, intellectuals, politicians, diplomats and kings were welcomed in its lobby and passed through it to say goodbye.

The station also became a gateway for immigrants, promoting the small village of cattle drivers into an important metropolis. This importance, granted to the São Paulo Railway Station, as it was officially known, lasted until the end of the Second World War. After this period, rail transport was replaced by planes, buses and cars, which were much faster than trains. In 1946, the Luz building was partially destroyed by a fire. The reconstruction of the station was funded by the government and lasted until 1951, when it was reopened. It also underwent other renovations and restorations. In 1982, the architectural complex of Estação da Luz was listed by the Council for the Defense of Historical, Artistic, Archaeological and Tourist Heritage (Condephaat).
Praça da Luz, 1 - Luz - São Paulo (Metrô Luz)

In an area of 84,480m², architect Oscar Niemeyer designed the space based on a cultural project developed by Brazilian sociologist Darcy Ribeiro, who has always defended the integration of Latin America.
The space is divided into areas such as the Civic Square, an open space where one of the Memorial's greatest symbols is located, the sculpture “The Great Hand”, symbolizing the blood shed by the Latin American peoples in the fight for freedom; the Tiradentes Hall of Acts, with six panels that tell the story of Latin American colonization; the Simon Bolívar Auditorium, famous for having received heads of state such as Bill Clinton, Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez, among others; the Latin American Library, with the largest collection specialized in Latin American culture, with around 30 thousand volumes; the Darcy Ribeiro Pavilion of Popular Creativity, which houses a model with almost a thousand small pieces, created by artists Gepp and Maia, with the main tourist attractions of Latin American countries and scenes such as one from Ernest Hemingway's book, “The Old Man and the Sea”, written in Cuba. The pavilion also houses a permanent exhibition of Latin American popular art.

The site also houses the Congressmen's Annex, a space dedicated to academic and diplomatic activities and small exhibitions, and the Marta Traba Gallery of Latin American Art, opened in 1998 and also designed by Oscar Niemeyer, in a space that originally operated as a restaurant specializing in Latin American cuisine.

In addition to all these spaces, the Memorial stands out as one of the city's main tourist attractions due to the great names it has hosted to date, such as Luciano Pavarotti and the Cuban Ballet. For years, it was also the headquarters of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra. The University of Music and the Jazz Symphony Orchestra were born there.

The Memorial welcomes groups for free, guided tours. The space has a large outdoor area, but the lack of trees leaves it with an arid climate.

Founder and owner of Diários e Emissoras Associados, together with Professor Pietro Maria Bardi, a journalist and art critic from Italy who had recently arrived in Brazil, Chateubriand created the most important collection in the Southern Hemisphere. Their happy encounter brought Brazil into line with first-world countries in the world of art.

The project, which had been in the works for decades, was very successful after its inauguration, raising the funds needed to acquire works of art to form the museum's collection.

Lina Bo, an Italian modernist architect and Professor Bardi's wife, designed the current MASP building. The land on Avenida Paulista had been donated to the municipality on the condition that the view of the city center, as well as the Serra da Cantareira, be preserved. Thus, she designed a building supported by four pillars, thus allowing passers-by to glimpse the city center. In terms of civil construction, it is the only one in the world with the main body resting on four lateral pillars with a free span of 74 meters.

MASP has an art gallery, library, photo library, film library, video library, art courses and educational support services for exhibitions, film screenings and musical concerts of artistic and cultural interest. In this way, it is the leading cultural center of excellence in our country.

In the building on Avenida Paulista, visitors can enjoy works from the Italian school, including Rafael, Andrea Mantegna, Botticelli and Bellini; Flemish painters such as Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Cranach or Memling; and Spanish painters such as Velazquéz and Goya.

The majority of the European art collection at MASP is French painting. We can appreciate the four portraits of Louis XV's daughters, painted by Nattier, or the allegories of the four seasons by Delacroix. From the Impressionist movement, we find works by Renoir, Manet, Monet, Cézanne and Degas. From the post-Impressionist movement, we can see paintings by Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec.

One of the highlights of the collection is the space dedicated to the complete collection of sculptures by Edgar Degas. Made of bronze and comprising 73 pieces, it can only be seen in its entirety in a few museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Musée D'Orsay in Paris, as well as the Masp.

The space was created to be dynamic, with the profile of a cultural center. For this reason, it has different spaces for temporary exhibitions. Visitors will always find something new when they visit the place, no matter how often they visit. The temporary exhibitions present the most varied themes or media. National and international exhibitions of contemporary art, photography, design and architecture take place throughout the year, bringing the public a universe of images.

The Masp also presents musical projects, cinema and lectures. The two auditoriums designed by Lina are intended for these activities.

The multimedia collection, the futuristic aspect of the facilities and references to the great events of Brazilian history in the 20th century are guaranteed to make for a great visit even for those who are not fans of the sport. With an investment of R$32.5 million, the Football Museum is one of the city's major tourist attractions.

The project occupies an area of ??6,900 m² under the stands of the Paulo Machado de Carvalho Municipal Stadium - Pacaembu. Its architecture stands out for integrating the spaces: the roof is the stands themselves, a walkway connects the east and west sides of the building and provides a beautiful view of Charles Miller Square.

Three axes guide the museum's journey: Emotion, History and Fun. Visitors begin their journey in the entrance hall, called the Fan Room, where objects used by fans are gathered, such as keychains, ashtrays, pennants, brooches and flags.

After cheering, it's time to feel like you're among the idols. The visitor walks among large suspended panels in the Baroque Angels Room, which display moving images of stars such as Pelé, Falcão, Zico, Bebeto, Didi, Romário, Ronaldo, Gilmar, Gérson, Sócrates and Rivelino.

Personalities such as Zagalo, Armando Nogueira, Galvão Bueno, Juca Kfouri, Arnaldo César Coelho, Daniel Piza, João Gordo, Marcelo Tas and Ruy Castro narrate their favorite goals. Their voices can be heard in the Goals Room. Original recordings of Ary Barroso, Fiori Gigliotti, Oduvaldo Cozzi, Waldir Amaral, Jorge Cury and Osmar Santos are available in the Radio Room.

In the “History” section, the Origins Room shows the importance of ethnic fusion in our football with photos and a video. The Heroes Room presents Brazilian personalities who made their mark on the century, including players such as Leônidas da Silva and Ademir da Guia. Inside a closed tunnel, visitors experience the sensation of the “Rite of Passage, the 1950 World Cup”. Giant cups formed by paintings and liquid crystal screens show the main characteristics of the country in the periods between World Cups. The Pelé and Garrincha Experience Room is a tribute to the stars who never lost a match playing together.

In the “Fun” area, visitors visit the Numbers and Curiosities Room, a large interactive almanac, and the Football Dance Room, where they can listen to chronicles about elements such as dribbling and scoring goals. The Body Game Room provides a very fun experience, since visitors can take a penalty kick and find out the speed of their kick.

The tour ends in the Pacaembu Room, which celebrates this, which is one of the oldest stadiums in the country.

The Football Museum also offers free baby strollers for the tour, all this so that fanaticism for the sport has no size or age!

The project was designed by renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer, in partnership with famous landscaper Roberto Burle Marx. At the time of the inauguration, the Executive Committee of the IV Centennial was chaired by poet Guilherme de Almeida.

Today, visitors can choose from a variety of attractions, including the Museum of Modern Art (MAM), the Bienal Pavilion, the Oca, the Japanese Pavilion, the Planetarium and the Nursery. In addition, there are several areas for physical activities, a bike path, 13 sports courts and playgrounds. Dogs are allowed.

The Bienal Pavilion is a space that hosts some of the most important events in São Paulo. The first major event that opens the annual calendar of the capital of São Paulo takes place there. It is the São Paulo Fashion Week, which brings together the hottest names in current Brazilian fashion and brings a true constellation of models to the city. The event takes place twice a year - in January (winter fashion) and July (summer fashion) - and is included in the official global fashion calendar. Two other major events also alternate year after year at the venue: the Arts Biennial in even-numbered years, and the Architecture Biennial in odd-numbered years. Major fairs and conferences are also held there, such as the Adventure Sports Fair, the largest sports and tourism fair in Latin America.

The Oca, whose format lives up to its name, is famous for hosting exhibitions, including Picasso na Oca, the largest retrospective ever held of the Spanish painter in Latin America, Corpos Pintados and Dinos na Oca, which features over 400 pieces in ten thousand square meters.

The Japanese Pavilion is a space dedicated to the dissemination of Eastern culture and its community living in Brazil. It houses works of art, colorful carp and an immense Japanese garden.

The Museum of Modern Art was founded in 1948 by Francisco Matarazzo. The MAM is part of Latin America's cultural history as one of the continent's first modern art spaces. Its collection includes around 4,000 works of contemporary Brazilian art, including paintings, sculptures and engravings, among others.

The Viveiro Manequinho Lopes is a place for unique leisure activities. Every year, its shrubs and seedlings are used by the government in gardens and to plant trees on streets and avenues. The species found in the space include Pau-brasil, Ipê and Tipuana, among other species.

Ibirapuera Park is the most visited park in São Paulo and has the largest number of attractions. It receives around 20,000 visitors from Monday to Friday, 70,000 on Saturdays and 130,000 on Sundays.

Liberdade is currently one of the main points of interest for those visiting the capital.

Japanese immigration to Brazil began in 1908, with the arrival of the ship Kasatu Maru at the port of Santos. Liberdade began to be characterized as a typical neighborhood of the eastern country in 1912, when the first visitors began to settle on Rua Conde de Sarzedas. Before that, those who decided to leave Asia for Brazil mainly headed to the interior of the state of São Paulo.

Over time, these “pioneers” became accustomed to the place and Japanese-style commercial activities began to emerge there. The result of decades of this influence is what can be seen today: Liberdade is a piece of Japan in the largest metropolis in South America. It is estimated that around 400,000 Japanese and their descendants currently live in the capital.

The more attentive tourist may notice that immigrants from other eastern countries are also frequently found in the region. Despite this, the neighborhood still hosts Japanese cultural events. Many people speak their native language and several facades are written with Japanese characters.

The area's attractions include typical restaurants and sweet shops, as well as shops and bookstores selling articles from that country. Other attractions that attract visitors include the neighborhood's peculiar architecture, the traditional Japanese lanterns that adorn most of the streets in the area, and the large porticos (tori) located on Rua Galvão Bueno.

Also worth mentioning is the Busshinji Temple (tel.: 11 3208-4515), representing the Soto Shu traditional Zen Buddhist community, which is located on Rua São Joaquim and can be visited. Every week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, there is a meditation session aimed especially at beginners. To complete the visit, tourists should also visit the craft fair, which takes place on weekends at Praça da Liberdade, next to the exit of the subway station of the same name. The site also hosts traditional events such as the Tanabata Matsuri (Star Festival), which takes place in July.

It is hard to imagine that in mid-1782 the region was just a large forest, which the Indians called Caaguaçu (“big forest” in Tupi). It was there, crossing the Capão site, that the Real Grandeza road cut through the thick vegetation with a small trail. When Uruguayan engineer Joaquim Eugênio de Lima, together with two partners, bought the area, he began to work on its urbanization in an innovative way, creating large residential lots. On December 8, 1891, the first paved road and the first tree-lined road were opened. The city’s population did not exceed 100,000 inhabitants when Avenida Paulista was completed.

Its development continued with the opening of Villon Park in 1892, also known as Trianon Park. Years later, the name was changed to Tenente Siqueira Campos Park, but the nickname Trianon remains. Its green area is a remnant of the Atlantic Forest and it features native species and several sculptures.

In 1903, businessmen from São Paulo founded the Pasteur Institute of São Paulo. Focused on research into the rabies virus, it has been housed in the same building since its inception. The Santa Catarina Sanatorium, the city's first private hospital, was built in 1906. Today, the region is home to one of the largest hospital complexes in the world.

In the 1950s, residential buildings, with their varied styles, began to give way to commercial buildings. One of the landmarks of modern architecture was the inauguration of the Conjunto Nacional in 1956.

The region attracted a lot of investment because it is well located and has great infrastructure. All this interest consolidated the avenue as the largest business center in Latin America. Due to the large number of company headquarters, banks and hotels, Paulista receives thousands of business tourists every day.

In addition to its economic vocation, it offers a rich variety of cultural programs. The Masp (Assis Chateaubriand Museum of Modern Art), opened in 1968, has the most significant collection of Western art in Latin countries. The Casa das Rosas was designed in 1928 by Ramos de Azevedo based on the standards of French classicism. The building, which houses a cultural center dedicated to poetry, is now listed for its historical value. These cultural gems and many other cinemas, theaters, cultural centers and cafes guarantee a tour full of options. People who travel along its entire length (2.8 km), whether using the subway, bus or walking, will find several restaurants and cafes and get to know the magnificent buildings and works of art that are spread throughout the area. The Associação Paulista Viva was created in the late 1980s with the aim of preserving the image of the symbol of São Paulo and improving the quality of life of all who frequent the city's most famous street.

For those of Italian descent, the best pizzas in the world are prepared in the capital of São Paulo. The Japanese community also prepares sushi and sashimi that would make the best restaurants in Tokyo jealous. The steakhouses are of the highest quality, competing equally with the best in Argentina and southern Brazil, among others.

Despite the globalization process, this capital still maintains its traditions, such as rice with beans and fried banana, quibebe, couscous, pamonha and curau – all very São Paulo foods, the result of the first colonizers who paved the way for the development of one of the most diverse cuisines in the Americas.