São Paulo

São Paulo is Brazil’s largest city, with a population of about 11 million, and lies a 40-minute flight (270 miles by road) southwest of Rio. A sprawling concrete metropolis, it is primarily a business center and of relatively little interest to leisure travelers, although its partisans make great claims for both the city’s art galleries and its food (D.O.M., where chef Alex Atala serves a contemporary version of Brazilian cuisine, is widely regarded as the best restaurant in South America). The city’s sheer size means it has thousands of fine restaurants, and its ethnic diversity guarantees that virtually every imaginable culinary tradition is represented. To escape the concrete jungle of São Paulo, head west two hours to the countryside resort Fasano Boa Vista.