This is the São Paulo State chapter from Lonely Planet's Brazil guidebook.

It’s hard to speak of São Paulo state without using superlatives. The region is home to Brazil's largest industrial output, its largest (and most ethnically diverse) population, the richest of its rich, its biggest stock exchange, its busiest port, its finest museums, its worst traffic and its vastest slums.

• gape at the sheer size of São Paulo from the art-deco heights of the Banespa building
• maps
• stalk the rich at their preferred watering holes in São Paulo's leafy Jardins district
• transport
• seek out wild, deserted beaches where mountains meet sea just north of Ubatuba
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: São Paulo City & around, Paranapiacaba, Embu, Paulista Coast, Ubatuba, São Sebastião, Ilhabela, Boiçucanga & around, Guarujá, Iguape & around, Cananéia, Iporanga, Campos do Jordão and Gruta dos Crioulos.