Allie P.
Yelp
Truly one of my favorite places I visited when I was in São Paulo. I arrived on an Itaú bike from Avenida Paulista with a tour guide. We rode along the streets which I would have never tried to do alone mainly because I wouldn't have known my way around without using my phone - all I had to do was follow my guide. It was mostly down hill.
Once at the park, we rode around to see various areas - the bridge that overlooks one of the ponds. The water is murky, but you can see black and orange fish swimming below. There are plenty of areas in the park to sit and relax. I saw benches made of fallen tree trunks, an area of food trucks, a cafe where you can dine outdoors, drink / snack stands, and regular benches along the many paths.
It was very sunny the day I was there, but there were a lot of places that contained shade for pulling over to rest. There are public restrooms near the cafe and vending machines. I saw a trio of women who were walking a bunch of dogs (definitely over 20 I think... maybe 30?). That was fun to see because cachorros e cachorras são fofo muitos.
There is the Museu Afro Brasil, Oca (art museum), a planetarium, and many monuments located inside Parque do Ibirapuera. I did not have the chance to go inside any of them, but I did see some monuments when I would ride along paths.
The bike / running paths run along the outer perimeter. The larger side of the path are for those who walk or have strollers. Be mindful when passing people and if you have to take a break and stop to pull to the side. Lots of people were there, but it wasn't overcrowded. People come here to exercise, walk dogs, chat with friends and family, relax by the grass, take pictures, bike, rollerblade, etc.
Bringing a journal or book is what I wish I had done when I was here... and a blanket to sit on the grass. There are bike rentals at one of the main entrances I saw - so if you don't have an Itaú bike, there will be park ones you can rent from. Itaú bike stations are also not far from the park! The station my guide had shown me at the end of our tour was later filled up by the time I was ready to leave so I had to use my phone to try to locate other stations nearby. It did take me kind of a while to figure out how to get out of the park even though I had been riding along the same paths back and forth trying to prevent the very thing of getting lost, LOL. I was able to locate my backup bike docking station - a couple blocks away from the smaller park gate I exited from. I did have to cross a busy street and bike along a narrow sidewalk, but it wasn't dangerous.
I enjoyed açaí and the beautiful sun and being outdoors. There is an area where there are curved bamboo trees - they're tall and create this really pretty background for a picture. I could have spent all day here (I stuck around a couple hours after my tour had ended). I had planned on making a return trip before my trip ended, but plans shifted. You can bet I'll be back here next time I'm in SP though! It kind of reminded me of smaller Central Park (NYC). I would suggest bringing sun protection (lotion, hat, umbrella, sunglasses, etc.) The park also has multiple entrances/exits so if you're taking Uber make sure you're marking the correct locations.