Paraisópolis favela tour São Paulo: Meet the artists

Walk the alleys where Paraisópolis artists turn scraps into sculpture

A private 5-hour tour through Paraisópolis, São Paulo's second-largest favela, led by a local guide and community monitor who take you to artist studios, a community radio station, the first library built inside the settlement, and a ballet school. You meet the sculptors and makers working there, walk the narrow streets, and see how the community has built cultural projects from the ground up.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Paraisópolis Favela and Art

• Start at Community Association Office
• Visit community radio studio
• See Berbéla's mechanical workshop
• Tour sculptor Estevão's stone house
• Walk through narrow alleyways
• Visit Palmeirinha football field
• Explore Luciana’s alley and BECEI Library
• Attend Paraisópolis Ballet Project class
• Optional Brazilian food at Bistro Mãos de Maria

The experience

The tour picks you up from your hotel and drives into Paraisópolis, home to about 100,000 people. It starts at the Community Association headquarters, where your guide explains the favela's history and the main projects that have taken root here. From there you move to the community radio studio to watch a live show and talk with the people who run it: the schedule shifts depending on the day, so what you see is what's actually happening that afternoon.

The heart of the tour is meeting the artists. Berbéla works in his mechanical shop, building sculptures from discarded metal scraps and automotive parts: pieces that transform waste into forms most people would never imagine. Then you visit Estevão's stone house, known locally as the work of the "Gaudí of Paraisópolis." Every surface is part of the art: cups, saucers and dishes are built into the walls and structure, turning the whole house into a single piece. From there you climb through openings and gaps to a viewpoint where you can see the favela's narrow maze of alleys against the high-rise apartment blocks of the Morumbi neighborhood across the way.

You walk the community's narrow streets to Palmeirinha soccer field, where you might catch a class from the Rugby For All project, then on to Luciana's alley and the BECEI Library: the first library ever built inside the community. The final stop is the Paraisópolis Ballet Project, where the director and dancer Mônica Tarragó shows you the space and lets you watch part of a class. Your guide and a community monitor stay with you the whole time, answering questions and making introductions. The tour runs five hours total. Food and drinks are not included, though a rooftop bistro at the association headquarters serves typical Brazilian meals if you want to eat after.

What’s included

• Transport by fully-equipped vehicle with hotel and airport pickup and drop-off within São Paulo and its greater area.
• professional licensed private tour guide and local community monitor for the entire tour.
• all taxes, VAT and parking fees.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day11 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 13:00

Book up to4h before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and Portuguese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 11 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats available

Operated by Gregtur Turismo

Is this one for you?This is a private tour, so your group moves at its own pace with a guide and community monitor who can answer questions and make introductions as you go. It suits travelers who want to meet the artists and see their work directly rather than pass through as part of a larger group, and who have five hours to spend walking the community's narrow streets and stopping at each studio and project.

Traveler reviews

4.96★★★★★★★★★★

26 verified traveler reviews

5 ★25

4 ★1

3 ★0

2 ★0

1 ★0

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

What do you actually do when you visit Berbéla's workshop in Paraisópolis?

Berbéla shows you his mechanical shop where he builds sculptures from metal scraps, automotive parts and chemical waste. You see the finished pieces and watch how he transforms discarded material into art, and he talks about his process and the work itself.

Is this tour private, or do you go with other travelers?

This is a private tour for your group. A professional licensed guide and a local community monitor lead you through the favela. For groups larger than four people, a private driver operates the vehicle, and for smaller groups the guide drives.

Can you actually go inside Estevão's house, or do you just see it from outside?

You enter Estevão's stone house and walk through it. The interior is decorated with everyday objects (cups, saucers, dishes) that are built into the walls and structure as part of the design, and you can climb through openings to reach a viewpoint overlooking the favela and the Morumbi neighborhood.

What is the BECEI Library, and why is it worth seeing?

BECEI is the first library ever created inside Paraisópolis. You walk through the community streets to reach it as part of the tour, and it represents one of the main cultural projects the community has built for itself.

Does the tour include food, or do you need to arrange meals separately?

Food and drinks are not included in the tour price. After the tour ends, you have the option to eat at Bistro Mãos de Maria, a rooftop restaurant at the Community Association headquarters, if you want a typical Brazilian meal.