An upmarket neighbourhood to the west of Avenida Paulista, one of São Paulo’s main arteries, Jardim Paulista is part of the leafy Jardins area. It stretches west to the lakes, museums and walking trails of Parque Ibirapuera and is surrounded by the affluent neighbourhoods of Jardim Europa, Jardim America, Bela Vista and Paraiso.

The neighbourhood is renowned for its green spaces, luxury shopping districts and high-end hotels, most of which are clustered around Avenida Paulista and Rua Pamplona. It is home to some of São Paulo’s best restaurants and a scattering of well-regarded bookstores. Its architecture ranges from cutting-edge glass and steel mansions to historic stucco houses and is favoured as a residential district for its proximity to the city’s financial and cultural hub to the north-west. The Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand is located just to the north and houses one of Latin America’s most renowned art collections, while the Museu Afro Brasil and São Paulo Museum of Modern Art are found in Parque Ibirapuera to the south-west. The Ibirapuera Auditorium, designed by renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, is also found here, together with the Oca pavilion and an open-air Japanese garden and museum.

Jardim Paulista is easily accessed from both the Brigadeiro and Trianon-Masp subway stations on Avenida Paulista which link to destinations across São Paulo. Public buses also travel along this thoroughfare, as well as along the main streets which define the neighbourhood’s northern and southern extents.

During the 18th century, the area on which Jardim Paulista lies was largely agricultural land, with tea, tobacco and grapes all grown here. It was purchased by General Juvenal Couto Magalhães in 1890 and later sold to Jose Coelho Pamplona, an investor who was renowned for his philanthropy in the city. Small industrialists and merchants gradually moved in, and by the second half of the 20th century, Jardim Paulista had emerged as an upscale commercial hub.