São Paulo

The observation deck is on the 34th floor, 160 m above ground. For many decades, it used to be the highest building in town. There is a small museum on the top of the building. Make sure and bring ID (passport) because it is required for entrance.

On the rooftop of posh Hotel Unique, Skye serves excellent fusion food under the supervision of chef Emmanuel Bassoleil. Good for night views of the area around Ibirapuera Park.

There are two bars and a couple of posh restaurants with a great view of the River Pinheiros, especially around 18:00, when you can go straight from work or a busy day walking about to watch the sun set above town.

Offer a variety of city tours every weekend. These are mostly walking tours but with some use of the metro. The tour is free of charge, but you will need to take some cash with you to buy metro tickets during the tour as necessary. The tours start at the TurisMetrô desk in Sé metro station at 09:00 and 14:00 on Saturdays and Sundays; you will need to arrive half an hour earlier to sign up. The desk is inside the ticket turnstiles, so if you arrive by metro don't exit the station past the turnstiles while looking for the desk or you'll have to pay for an extra ticket to get back in. If you are already around the station, you will have to pay for a ticket to gain access to the desk, although you can use it to make the first journey of the tour so it's not wasted. The guides speak English.

If you're in São Paulo during the annual Carnival, a national bank holiday between the end of February and March. This is where the typical Carnival parade takes place, with dancers dressed up in costumes and musicians play samba songs on the top of fancy cars. If you can afford it, get tickets closest to the "pista" (standing area, close to the parade itself). This will give you a premium view of the parade, and the possibility of comfortably sitting down on benches. Waiters pass to and fro selling chocolate, chips, beer, soft drinks and booze. Another option is to visit one of the various samba schools in town, where you can see the rehearsal concerts of musicians and dancers. You can even have the opportunity to join the parade at the time of Carnival holidays by acquiring the costume from a samba school and getting in touch with the people organising the event in one of the schools. However, São Paulo is not a traditional Carnaval destination for Brazilians, like Rio. The city will usually be less crowded on Carnaval then usual, as Paulistanos leave for the Paulista Coast or other states.

Every year, during Corpus Christi holidays (usually between May and June), around 3 million people take part in the largest Gay Pride parade in the world. It takes place on a Sunday, and Avenida Paulista is the spot to head to. Floats bustling with electronic music parade from MASP to República, while every type imaginable marches along. The drinks are plenty and the rave party feel keeps the paraders dancing way pass sunset.

Virada Cultural is a round-the-clock cultural marathon that takes place in various parts of the Historic Center (Downtown), happening yearly around April–May. It is a free event that gathers an audience of several million of people circulating during a 24-hour, non-stop cultural party. Exceptionally, the metro and train work uninterruptedly during the event. During the 2012 edition, there were about 1,300 shows and 15 km of streets were occupied.