Sao Paulo is one of the most important cities in Brazil and is world-renowned for its cultural and nightlife scenes. It has a wide range of neighborhoods that are worth exploring, and there won’t be a dull moment during your trip to the exciting city. Although a lot of tourists choose to snob this city to head to more popular destinations, if you’re looking for a good party, you can’t go wrong with Sao Paulo.
By Lizzy
Top 3 Hostels in Sao Paulo:
- 1. O de Casa Hostel Bar
- 2. Bee.W Hostel Bar
- 3. Okupe Hostel – Jardins
Three of the Best Party Hostels in Sao Paulo
O de Casa Hostel Bar
Price: $13.96 to $16.75
O de Casa Hostel Bar is among a few authentic travelers’ hostels in Sao Paulo, and its mission is to promote remarkable experiences for guests. The hostel is simple, smart, clean, well-located, and connected with a lively bar where guests and locals meet. The hostel’s atmosphere is also relaxed, exciting, spacious, and cozy, and the well-informed staff can assist you in getting the most from your trip to the city. O Bar do Hostel is an excellent place to stay to experience the social atmosphere of Sampa. Delicious Brazilian serves breakfast every morning, available for an additional fee, and caipirinhas color up the nights when it becomes a hangout for travelers and locals. Free city maps, Wi-Fi, and linens are included, and towels are available for hire. Read more..
- Convenient location
- very cozy
- helpful staff
Bee.W Hostel Bar
Price: $12.46
The bee.w hostel was created to bring a unique experience to its guests. They combine a low-cost stay, comfort, design, sustainability, and a fun environment, especially in the already famous bee.w bar, located right at the front door. The property is set in a strategic location, in the heart of the financial and cultural center of Sao Paulo. It is the only hostel two squares away from Paulista Avenue, next to two metro stations, and only a walking distance away from the main attractions of the city. The hostel is also located in a lush and calm area, but in the center of the best and most famous nightlife district of Sao Paulo, you’re sure to have a fun and comfortable stay. They also have five shared rooms, all with a original and unique design. Also, all beds come equipped with individual lights, top quality mattresses, and individual lockers as well as an air conditioning system. The individual rooms (equipped with TVs) are available for couples and friends that are looking for privacy in a fun environment. The shared kitchen is set with all the equipment and infrastructure needed to support a longer stay, and there is also a BBQ area available. The rooftop was designed to be the perfect place to meet people and relax, with plenty of green areas, tables, couches, and even a Jacuzzi to enjoy a sunny day. The bee.w bar offers cool beer, fancy chupitos, and caipirinhas and a perfect menu to share with friends. Free breakfast and linens are included, and towels and bicycles are available for hire.
- Fun environment
- access to public transportation
- great amenities
Okupe Hostel – Jardins
Price: $8.10 to $20.94
Okupe Hostel is located in the best area of Sao Paulo, between the famous Paulista Ave, Pinheiros neighborhood -known for the best restaurants in town- and the bohemian Vila Madalena. For those who love to go shopping, we are beside Oscar Freite St, one of the most beautiful shopping spots in Brazil. If you want to enjoy the city by public transportation, the property is only 15 minutes away from the metro and right in front of a bus stop where there are buses that take you everywhere in town. Okupe recognizes the diversity of cultures, beliefs, and personalities that Sao Paulo has. So, they make it a point to welcome people of all kinds, from the crazy backpackers that want to enjoy the city as much as they can, to guests that come to study or work in the city and need a good night’s sleep. Okupe’s mission is to promote the interaction between these two kinds of people. The hostel offers amenities, including a kitchen, many bathrooms, a TV room with games, shared and private rooms, a rooftop with hammocks, and an on-site bar. The hostel also provides free Wi-Fi, bedsheets, cable TV, daily cleaning, towel rental, bike rental, and transfer and laundry services at an additional fee. They also promote parties and activities with snacks, live bands, and more.
- Close to restaurants and shopping areas
- accessible to public transportation
- great amenities
How is Sao Paulo’s Nightlife?
Traditional bar neighborhoods include boteco-filled Vila Madalena, along Rua Mario Ferraz in Itaim Bibi and Baixo Augusta. It is the area where the GLS scene (Portuguese slang for Gay, Lesbian, and Sympathetic) mingles with artsy hipsters in the city’s edgiest-nightlife district. Artists, journalists, and upper-middle-class bohemians have claimed Pinheiros, southeast of Vila Madalena.
Coffee & Cafés
Coffee in São Paulo is excellent by Brazilian standards, thanks mainly to the city’s Italian heritage. Coffee Lab, Santo Grão, and Futuro Refeitório serve some of Brazil’s best coffee beans – mountain-grown arabicas, sourced from Minas Gerais.
Clubbing
Partying in Sampa isn’t very affordable: clubbing prices here rival those of New York or Moscow. Nightclubs don’t open until midnight, don’t get going until after 1 am, and keep pumping until 5 am or later. Then there are after-hours places. The trendiest districts are Vila Olímpia and Barra Funda/Baixo Augusta. Some clubs allow visitors a choice between a cover charge or a more expensive consumação option, recoupable in drinks. Also, most clubs offer a discount for booking ahead to be on the list. Keep the card they give you on the way in – bartenders record your drinks on it, then you pay on the way out.
The Best Bars and Clubs in Sao Paulo
1. Café Piu Piu
In the heart of the Bixiga neighborhood, the Café Piu Piu offers rock music for all tastes from Thursday through Saturday. With its stained glass decor and excellent regular line-up, it’s a hit with partygoers of all ages who often gather on the mezzanine, which offers scenic views of the entire venue. The club serves beers and longnecks on tap, and for snacks, you should try the latkes (traditional Jewish potato cakes), or the fried parmesan balls.
2. Grazie a Dio!
One of the oldest samba bars in Vila Madalena, Grazie a Dio, has a playlist that proceeds from samba to soul, sprinkled with a little MPB (Brazilian Popular Music). Also, the bar at Grazie a Dio is an unusual space with an overwhelming décor that includes a lot of plants, candles, and saints. The concept of the venue was inspired by the jam sessions at the Museu de Imagem e Som which attracted various artists from São Paulo, hosting concerts by Seu Jorge, Tulipa Ruiz, Céu, Paula Lima and the Buena Vista Social Club stars. From Tuesday to Sunday, Grazie a Dio, hosts live music with either guest artists or one of their fixture bands: the Quinteto in White and Black, Sambasonics or Clube do Balanço.
3. Hot Hot
Before Hot Hot was opened, Flávia Cecatto, had already made her name in the São Paulo club scene with the successful party areas, BASE And Lov.e. The club also has three beautiful mother-of-pearl chandeliers illuminating the lounge. These chandeliers are all patterned with tacky designs channeling the 1970s. On the bar’s menu are drinks made with fruit popsicles and named after celebrities, like Latino and Madame Satan. From Thursday to Saturday nights, the dance floor can accommodate hundreds of people pulsing to electronic music under its 8,000 colored lights.
Tip: To avoid lines, buy your ticket online in advance.
4. PanAm Club
Located atop the Maksoud Plaza hotel, the PanAm Club offers one of the most scenic views of the capital. It is a current favorite among all-night revelers in Sao Paulo. With its location on the 22nd floor of the hotel, the PanAm Club has an airport-like vibe with speakers that blare the sound of airplane turbines and blue LED lights that lead guests to the ‘runway.’ The helipad, one of the most jam-packed spaces, is often used as a smoking area. No matter the day or guest performers, parties held at the PanAm prioritize pop and electronic music.
5. Bar Barreto
Located at the Fasano Hotel, the Bar Barreto is downright classy – the kind of place that you go when you want to impress someone. The high prices are made up for by its alluring ambiance, replete with comfortable leather armchairs, dim lighting, extremely courteous service, and excellent quality live music. From weeknights to Saturdays, there are jazz and MPB performances in the center of the bar.
About Sao Paulo
São Paulo is the biggest city in Brazil, with a municipality population of 12.1 million, and about 21.3 million in its metropolitan region – the second most populous of the Southern Hemisphere. It is the capital of the state of São Paulo and also a hub of activity that offers an exciting nightlife and a wild cultural experience. Also, São Paulo is one of South America’s major economic centers. It possesses the 10th largest GDP in the world, though poverty, especially in the suburbs, is still widespread due to the blatant social inequality. Historically attractive to immigrants and Brazilians from other states, it has a unique cultural identity formed by combining Portuguese and African roots (common to the entire country) with other influences, in particular, Italian, Arab, and Japanese.
São Paulo is also probably one of the most underrated cities tourism-wise. It is also often overshadowed by other places in the Brazilian sun & beach circuits such as Rio de Janeiro and Salvador. It is a great city to explore, with an impressive (and almost intimidating) skyline, unpredictable neighborhoods and architecture, a vibrant culture and arts scene, not to mention the world-class restaurants and wildly diverse local and international cuisine available for all palettes. If there is a significant draw for tourists to this city, it is the top-notch quality of its restaurants and the wide range of cultural activities on display.
Just south of the city, the Parque Estadual Serra do Mar (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), a mountain range covered by lush rainforest that meets with the coast and provides various ecotourism adventures. If you want to explore some more, visit other tourist attractions near Sao Paulo in Buenos Aires and Cartagena.
Lizzy
Traveler & Blogger
Hi, I’m Lizzy! In the past 10 years I’ve travelled 60 countries and I’m still counting. While I was backpacking I could not find a website that provides valuable information about hostels. After months of thinking, doubting and brainstorming, hostelstobook.com was born.
I hope to make your trip easier, so you’d only stay in the best hostels around the globe. Do you have any questions? Don’t hesitate to send me a message.
Related Questions
Sao Paulo is a moderately safe city – some parts should be avoided, and the risk is much higher at night. With a rating of 51%, Brazil is ranked 81st out of 162 on the ranking of the safest and most dangerous countries.
Sao Paulo is the most expensive city to live in South America and ranked 27 in the world, according to HR consultancy firm Mercer’s annual Cost of Living Survey. The Brazilian city — ranked the 27th most expensive in the world — is followed by Argentinean capital Buenos Aires, ranked 40th on the report.
A famous white-sand beach that’s well worth the drive, Juquehy has a reputation as one of the most attractive beaches in the Sao Paulo area. Situated around two and a half hours away from central Sao Paulo by bus or car, it’s just outside the coastal city of São Sebastião.
With an average cost of about $55 per day, two weeks in Brazil at a moderate budget totals around $770, you can have a trip with confidence.
Perhaps the best time to head to the country is during August, September, and October. It is also great for spending time in Rio during spring, and there are only a few clouds that dot in the sky, and the temperatures slowly getting warmer.