São Paulo is elected the 7th most cultural city in the world; check out the list traduzido por: OPENROUTER

The city of São Paulo appeared among the main highlights of an international ranking by the British magazine Time Out focused on the most cultural cities in the world in 2026. The capital of São Paulo state took seventh place on the list and was the only Latin American representative among the top ten spots in the survey.

(Leonardo Finotti/Divulgação)

The selection considered evaluations made by residents and specialists linked to the cultural sector, analyzing aspects related to artistic life, leisure and urban experiences. In the final result, São Paulo ranked ahead of cities such as Madrid, Florence and Lisbon. The ranking is led by London, followed by Paris, New York, Berlin, Cape Town and Melbourne.

Cultural highlights in São Paulo

According to Time Out magazine, São Paulo stands out as one of the main visual arts hubs in Latin America by bringing together historic institutions and a consolidated contemporary circuit. Among the venues mentioned are the São Paulo Museum of Art Assis Chateaubriand (MASP), the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, the Instituto Tomie Ohtake and the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art (MAM), in addition to the SP-Arte fair.

Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, por Paulo Mendes da Rocha + Eduardo Colonelli + Weliton Ricoy Torres (Nelson Kon/Divulgação)

The publication also highlighted the strength of São Paulo urban art, citing the presence of murals spread throughout the city instead of huge advertising billboards. The data released reveal that 69% of respondents classified the cultural scene as “good” or “amazing”, while 66% considered the activities "accessible".

Mural (Divulgação/Divulgação)

In addition to the international recognition of the visual arts, the music scene appeared as the main cultural symbol for residents: according to the survey, 58% of São Paulo residents pointed to live music as the most striking cultural aspect of the city.

TOP 20 most cultural cities in the world

1. London (England)

2. Paris (France)

3. New York (United States)

4. Berlin (Germany)

5. Cape Town (South Africa)

6. Melbourne (Australia)

7. São Paulo (Brazil)

8. Madrid (Spain)

9. Florence (Italy)

10. Krakow (Poland)

11. Taipei (Taiwan)

12. Marrakech (Morocco)

13. Copenhagen (Denmark)

14. Guadalajara (Mexico)

15. Athens (Greece)

16. Cairo (Egypt)

17. Beijing (China)

18. Jaipur (India)

19. Chiang Mai (Thailand)

20. Lisbon (Portugal)

Residents' evaluation

To put together the ranking, Time Out magazine interviewed around 24 thousand residents from more than 150 cities around the world. The participants evaluated aspects such as quality, diversity and financial accessibility of cultural activities – including museums, concerts, cinemas, festivals, literature, theater and urban art.

SP-Arte 2026 (Divulgação/Divulgação)

The results were also analyzed by an international panel formed by editors and specialists from the publication, responsible for pointing out the most interesting cultural destinations of today. Among the magazine's specialists, the São Paulo capital appeared as the fourth favorite city regarding culture.

traduzido por: OPENROUTER