Is São Paulo safe for solo female travelers?

Solo travel

Sao Paulo is a very fast-paced city, full of life and lights. It has great places to visit, such as parks and avenues. In my experience, the people were polite and I really liked it! However, many people warned me to be careful because the robbery and crime rate there is high, which made me quite worried.

Family travel

I was worried to visit São Paulo after hearing a lot of people say it was dangerous. After it went dark I did feel a bit unsafe and we ubered everywhere. But during the day it was completely fine, I took my phone out when I had to and just kept to busier areas.

Solo travel

It's an interesting place, the culinary variety is wonderful. I just didn't feel very safe walking around some places. I prefer traveling with someone. I think my experience wasn't that good because I was alone, so I avoided going out after dark.

Group travel

São Paulo is a city full of culture, we stayed at Pinheiros neighborhood which was pretty safe but you still have to be alert and prefer areas where there's a crowd of people. There's a lot of good restaurants and cafes to enjoy

Couple travel

I felt save almost every moment during day time, but not in the neighbourhood “Luz” I’d never walk there alone in the night. The city is amazingly big but so beautiful! I really recommend tasting traditional food, going to the Parc d’Ibirapuera and visiting Sampa Sky

São Paulo is a bit dangerous, you need to be aware of your belongings at all times. But if you know where to go, it’s fine. Personally, I don’t feel safe walking around with my phone on the streets. On the other hand, in my whole life nothing ever happened to me, only once someone stole my phone, but that’s because I fell asleep on the bus😅

I'm from Bogotá, Colombia, so that's the only place I can compare to São Paulo. This city has welcomed me very well; people are somewhat reserved, but they're also very open and kind. As a foreigner, they help you a lot; if they know you're from elsewhere, they're interested in listening to you and sharing their culture, and they also give you great advice :)

Of all Brazilian capitals, São Paulo is the safest. However, I recommend being extra cautious about robberies, especially cell phones, even in cars (there have been some cases of thieves breaking car windows to steal your phone). In general, avoid being distracted by your cell phone in open spaces, keep the car windows up and avoid walking alone at night.

São Paulo is a moderate safe city, it really depends on which neighborhood you are and how cautious your behavior is. For example, walking alone at night and holding your phone flashily on the streets isn’t appropriate behavior in most Brazilian cities. But the public transportation system is excellent and sexual assault isn’t really that common here. You have to be smart and always a bit vigilant to robbers, but overall I feel safe on my day to day.

Unsafe, you have to be very careful while visiting. There are good places and good environments but always watching your back and carefully walking around. Don't use your phone while walking. Remember to always let somebody know where you are and with whom.