9AM: Start the day with coffee and a plate of eggs at Habitual. Sit upstairs by the huge window to watch the freshly coiffed Jardins residents heading out for the day.

10AM: Take in an exhibition at the Instituto Moreira Salles, a brisk ten-minute walk or a couple of minutes in a cab on Avenida Paulista. Photography is the forte at this recently opened art institute, which has a great view from up on its fifth floor.

11AM: Choose a pair of must-have flip-flops at the Havaianas store, a worldwide Brazilian icon. Have a cult design customized – or, even better, create your own model.

NOON : Drop in at the sleek Cris Barros showroom for a glimpse of some of the finest in Brazilian clothing design, as well as one of the most architecturally impressive shops in the area.

1PM: Enjoy Brazil’s new cuisine by booking a table at Maní, along with the stars and local dignitaries in São Paulo. A chic and charming restaurant with a solid reputation. Everything is good, beautiful and natural.

2PM: Select from among traditional Brazilian handicrafts at Artiz. The raw materials on display here are a showcase of biodiversity, from reeds, cactus spines and seeds to animal hide and even fish scales. The results are statement pieces: stunning sculptures, ceramics, baskets, lamps, bags, jewellery and clothing.

3PM : Savour a pick-me-up pastry and filter coffee, São Paulo style, at Café Girondino, a throwback to the city’s early 20th-century heyday, when Centro was still the beating heart of the city. Choose a table with a view of São Bento monastery.

4PM: Enjoy an Italian-style gelato at the Frida & Mina ice cream parlour. Choose from a dozen or so flavours, made by hand with the freshest ingredients in the on-site kitchen. Even the cones are hand-crafted.

6PM: Watch the world go by on Praça República as you sip a sundowner at Esther Rooftop. This Franco-Brazilian bistro sits atop Edifício Esther, one of the city’s first Modernist buildings.

8PM: Dine at one of the city's hippest restaurants, A Casa do Porco. Pork is served nose to tail in everything from sandwiches and sausages to a tasting menu, teamed with fabulous cocktails.

10 PM : For improv and Brazilian beats head to Jazz B, the downtown sister of Jazz nos Fundos, where cocktails and burgers are set to an original live soundtrack.