Getting Around São Paulo
Metro
The metro in São Paulo is fast, easy and cheap to use. There are now six lines in operation. It does not cover the entirety of the city but if you are visiting and checking out the tourist sites, it will get you to most places you need to get to.
The fare costs R$4.30 and is valid for one trip regardless of how long the trip is.
A Bilhete Unico card is also available for purchase. This is São Paulo’s equivalent to London’s Oyster Card or New York’s MetroCard. With the card you can top it up at any metro station with cash or debit card at the ticket window or automated machines and validate to use the metro instead of needing a ticket. A single fare is R$4.30. However, the card also allows for integrated bus and metro use. You can take one metro/train journey and three bus journeys in any order as long as the metro/train portion of the trip starts within the first two hours of the first journey and the last journey starts within three hours of the start of the first journey. The charge for this is R$7.48. If you plan on staying in São Paulo and for a while and will be using buses to get around the city, it may be worth getting this card.
The metro runs from 4:40am to midnight from Sunday to Friday and 4:40am to 1am on Saturdays.
Taxi and Ride Hailing Apps
If heading out at night, it may be safer to take a taxi or an Uber. They are also the best way to get areas that are harder to get to in São Paulo.
Driving in Sao Paulo
Driving in São Paulo is chaotic. You may choose to rent a car to travel to other parts of Brazil but when getting around São Paulo city, consider other options. Traffic jams are common. Parking is expensive and hard to find.
Buses
While the metro is more convenient and easy to navigate, buses can be taken to areas the metro doesn’t go. However, they tend to be packed at rush hour and can be confusing and difficult to navigate. Tickets can be bought from the conductor at the turnstiles.
SPTrans (in Portuguese)