Why go
Destination-specific safety choices affect routes, transport and how visitors use the historic center after business hours. Read Staying Safe in São Paulo by comparing named districts. Match Staying Safe in São Paulo with the transport link that fits. Use Staying Safe in São Paulo for one coherent corridor. Save distant subjects until Staying Safe in São Paulo has answered the immediate planning question.
The full story
Destination-specific safety choices affect routes, transport and how visitors use the historic center after business hours. São Paulo, once one of the most violent cities of Brazil, has managed to drastically reduce crime during the 2000s, similarly to Rio de Janeiro. According to the Sangari Institute, São Paulo was the safest capital city of Brazil in 2011, in terms of homicide rate. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that a visitor can really relax about safety, because São Paulo is simply too large and diverse to be described by average statistics. In fact, two of the most visited areas, Downtown and the Pinheiros subprefecture (in the West), have respectively 150% and 50% more violent crime than the city average. Check the individual district listings for safety advice in each area of the city. The general advice is as follows: Visitors should avoid walking in deserted areas at night, or at least avoid walking alone. Buses are reasonably safe, but waiting alone at a bus stop at night is not. The metro is always safe, but commuter trains that go to peripheral areas can be dangerous late at night. Be extremely careful when using ATMs at night (or better, do not use them if they are located in a deserted and dark places, if you really need one, try searching in places like.