Flights to Sao Paulo with Air France from GBP 537*

* The displayed prices are applicable for one adult. All amounts are in GBP including taxes and surcharges, except where taxes are collected locally at the airport. A booking fee is not applicable, but a payment surcharge may apply. Prices and availability are subject to change without notice, see Air France Price Display for more information.

Prepare your trip to Sao Paulo

Air France has 2 daily direct flights departing from Paris to Sao Paulo, in Brazil. Sao Paulo is located in the southeast of the country, 80 km from the Atlantic coast.

Some of our flights are direct from Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport arriving at Sao Paulo-Guarulhos airport. Flight time is about 11:40. Sao Paulo has a smaller airport in terms of air traffic, Sao Paulo-Congonhas.

Some of our flights have a stopover, for example at the Rio de Janeiro airport.

Other flights to Sao Paulo are handled by our partner, KLM, but depart from Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

When you arrive at the airport, you can reach the city centre in 30 to 50 minutes by bus or in 30 minutes by car. You may rent a car with our partners. However, note that road conditions in the Sao Paulo region are not very good.

There is a 4-hour time difference between Great Britain and Sao Paulo. When it is noon in London, it is only 8 AM in Sao Paulo.

The climate in Sao Paulo, is humid and subtropical. Temperatures are high year round, in particular between October and April (Brazil is located in the southern hemisphere and the seasons are reversed compared to Great Britain). The best period for purchasing a plane ticket to Sao Paulo is between the months of May through September, when temperatures are pleasant without being too hot and there is less rainfall.

UK citizens do not require a visa to enter Brazil but must have a passport that is valid for at least six months after departure from the country. Minors require parental permission to travel in the country. The currency is the Brazilian real.

Sao Paulo: history of an economic power

Sao Paulo is Brazil's largest city, with over 11 million inhabitants. The greater area is the largest in the southern hemisphere; it reaches a population of 19 million. Sao Paulo is also the main financial, industrial and business centre in Latin America. Today, Sao Paulo has every type of industry and business, in particular automotive (Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen), aeronautic, electronic and metallurgical industries. The city owes its growth to the quality of its financial and technological services.

Brazil is a former Portuguese colony (that is why Portuguese is the official language). Brazil obtained independence in 1825 after a violent war between Brazil and Portugal.

At first, Sao Paulo was only a small town founded by a handful of Jesuit priests in 1554. The mission was then transformed into a trading post. The city built its fortune on the coffee trade during the 19th century, in particular after 1867 when the railroad arrived.

After 1888 and the abolition of slavery in Brazil, many immigrants came to provide labour that coffee-growers needed. That is why the city has a population of Italians, Portuguese, Lebanese, Japanese, etc.

However, it was in the 50s when Sao Paulo started to look like the megalopolis that we know today, with its population surpassing that of Rio de Janeiro.

What is there to visit in Sao Paulo?

Our flights to Sao Paulo will allow you to discover the city's rich architectural heritage and its many tourist attractions. Begin with the Teatro Municipal, built in 1911 and famous for its painted ceiling and impressive chandelier, or the Estaçao da Luz, the magnificent Victorian-style train station.

The Catedral Metropolitana, is worth the visit just to see how huge it is: the building measures 92 m high, 111 m long with five naves that can hold up to 8 000 people! The Monasterio de Sao Bento is also worth the visit to admire the magnificent organ with 6 000 pipes!

When you travel to Sao Paulo, don't miss the zoo, one of the world's largest.

The city also has many museums:

• The Museo de Arte de Sao Paulo, has 5 000 works by famous artists such as Raphael, Delacroix and Renoir. The museum's architecture is bold and definitely modern.
• The Museo Paulista do Ipiranga, retraces Brazilian history during the 19th and 20th centuries. The gardens were inspired by those at Versailles.
• The Museo de Arte Sacra has over 1 000 sacred objects.
• The Museo de Lasar Segall, the Brazilian painter's last residence, today houses 2 600 of his works, etc.

You may also experience the city's multi-ethnic aspect by visiting the Japanese district, Liberdade, a little Japan in the heart of Brazil, or simply by tasting the various culinary specialities from each community.