Touristic service takes you for a walk in interesting and curious places of Sao Paulo

Taking pictures during a day tour around the city

São Paulo has a specialized tour service that takes you to places you have never imagined existing in a city as big as this one. That is not a conventional tourism, where everything is scheduled and you're just a passenger. Soul Sampa takes you for a walk in places you would never go by yourself.

São Paulo is a huge city, full of people and events that happen at the same time. Visiting the city, frequently at the end of the day, you find out you haven't done that much. It seems absurd, but that's what happens in most of the cases. Many of us end up passing through the city, being in contact with Sao Paulo through the window of the bus or car and not having the chance to know what the city really offers.

Some of the reasons may be: concern about safety; not knowing enough Portuguese language to adventure yourself among the local people or it may be even a bit of fear of facing the peculiar chaos of the biggest city in the southern hemisphere.

Fortunately, a group of young people created a company aiming to provide an interesting option inside the city. The Soul Sampa, open since 2009, offers a personalized kind of tourism in the city. Committed to show what is in the streets, the highlight is the 'walking tour' touristic style. Different from conventional tours — putting several people together inside a bus and showing the city through the window — the "urban experience" is done by foot and by subway (when necessary) to characteristic places of the city.

The tours offered by the team of Soul Sampa are organized for a maximum of seven people and there are three options of routes available:

1. The Cultural Overview offers an insight of the "São Paulo" culture, including fashion, design, street art, popular gastronomy, plastic arts, music and sustainability.
2. The Thematic one is perfect for those who want to discover the city from a specific perspective, showing interesting and historical places. It is a kind of open air class. It's possible to bring your own topic of interest.
3. The Bespoke is prepared for those who know what they want but do not know where to find it. The Soul Sampa team makes an interview with the person or even the group to find out the best route to fit the expectations.

If the group is bigger than seven people, a extra guide will be present to help during the trip.

If you usually come to São Paulo just to work and never enjoy the city or if you have just arrived in town, visit their website and check out this experience.

Service
Where: Rua Bela Cintra, 409 - Consolação
When: The tour lasts between 4 to 5 hours. The Cultural Overview and the Bespoke are available from Monday to Saturday. The Thematic is only available on Saturday.
Phone: (11) 8654-8621
How much: The tour costs R$ 140 and includes metro ticket to the way back, food (something typically from São Paulo).
Website: www.soulsampa.com