3 Best Sights in Santana de Parnaiba, Side Trips from São Paulo

The best place to begin your trip to Santana de Parnaíba is in the Centro Histórico, where you'll be able to appreciate numerous examples of 17th- and 18th-century colonial architecture. The more than 200 well-preserved houses are concentrated around three streets: Suzana Dias, André Fernandes, and Bartolomeu Bueno—two of which are named after famous bandeirantes.

Baroque Igreja Matriz de Sant'Anna was built in 1610 and restored in 1892. It has terra-cotta sculptures and an altar with gold-plated details.

Museu Casa do Anhanguera provides a sharp picture of the bandeirantes era. In a 1600 house (the second-oldest in the state) where Bartolomeu Bueno—nicknamed Anhanguera, or "old devil," by indigenous people—was born, the museum displays objects and furniture from the past four centuries.