Active Pursuits

Golf

In the western suburb of Osasco, São Francisco Golf Club (Av. Martin Luther King 1527, Osasco; tel. 011/3681-8752; www.golfsaofrancisco.com.br) offers a 9-hole par-71 course open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 7am to 6pm. Greens fees are R$125 (US$63/£34) weekdays, R$245 (US$123/£66) weekends and holidays. The club also rents clubs and shoes.

Horse Racing

Races run Monday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Jockey Clube de São Paulo (Av. Lineu Paula Machado 1263, Cidade Jardim; tel. 011/2161-0240; www.jockeysp.com.br). On Monday races start at 6pm; on Saturday and Sunday the races start at 1:30pm. Minimum bet is R$1 (US50¢/£.25). The club has a restaurant open for dinner Monday through Friday and for lunch on weekends; the bar Cantér is popular even with those who don't watch the races.

Motor Racing

Important races such as the Brazil Formula 1 Grand-Prix take place at the Autódromo de Interlagos, Av. Senador Toetônia Vilela 259. Call tel. 011/5521-9911. Tickets for this sought-after event sell out up to 6 months in advance; try www.gpbrasil.com.br for information on upcoming dates.

Soccer

The big clubs in town are São Paulo (www.saopaulofc.net), Corinthians (www.corinthians.com.br), Palmeiras (http://palmeiras.globo.com), and Portuguesa (www.portuguesa.com.br). Any match between these teams is likely worth seeing. So are all the state championships. Though the team websites provide details on upcoming games, deciphering soccer schedules is the stuff of serious scholarship; better to just ask your hotel clerk or bellboy if there are any big games coming up. The city's big stadium is the Morumbi, located in the Morumbi neighborhood at Praça Roberto Gomes Pedrosa 1 (tel. 011/3749-8071).