The Marquise
Niemeyer's winding canopy.
Fernando Stankuns — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dornicke — Public domain · Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). — CC BY-SA 4.0
Ibirapuera is São Paulo's best-known park and the most visited urban park in South America, with 14.4 million visits in 2017. It opened on 21 August 1954 for the city's 400th anniversary, with 158 hectares of lawns, lakes and trees, and one of the avenues along its edge is named Republic of Lebanon. Oscar Niemeyer designed a group of its modernist buildings, joined by a long, winding concrete canopy known as the Marquise: the white Oca dome for exhibitions, the Bienal pavilion that hosts the famous art biennial, and the auditorium with its red canopy. The park also holds museums of modern art and Afro-Brazilian art, and its buildings were listed as a national landmark in 2016. Paulistanos come here to run, cycle and picnic round the lake, and at weekends it is busy and lively. Entry is free, and bikes can be hired at the gates.
Niemeyer's winding canopy.
For exhibitions.
Paths for runners and cyclists.
Between Avenida República do Líbano and Avenida Pedro Álvares Cabral
Yes, the park is free; some of its museums and exhibitions charge separately, and bikes can be hired at the gates.