Weather
Sao Paulo generally enjoys good weather, although the seasons are not well defined.   This means that the weather is not always easy to predict.  Here are some typical conditions and average temperatures:

• Winter - June through August:
  Cold mornings and evenings, temperatures ranging from 8-18C.
• Spring - September through November:
  Sunny days, temperatures ranging from
  18-28C.
• Summer - December to February:
  Very hot with occasional downpours during the day, temperatures ranging from 28-35C.
• Fall -  March to June:
  Days are usually rainy by midseason, with temperatures ranging from 15-28C.

Transportation
Air - There are three airports in Sao Paulo: Congohas Airport, Sao Paulo International, and Viracopos Airport -check with your airline or travel agents to see which carries fly where.  Their distances from the city center are 14km, 30km, and 100km respectively, and all of them offer bus and taxi service to the downtown area.   Note, however, that the cost of transportation down- town will increase according to the distance of the airport --at Viracopos, be prepared to pay $50USD, while Congohas and SP International will only cost you about $7USD.

Taxis -  There are three types of taxis in Sao Paulo: street cabs, radio cabs, and deluxe cabs.   Street and radio cabs are metered, but radio cabs charge extra for radio service and pre-arranged pick-ups.

Subway -  Sao Paulo's subway, regarded as one of the best systems in the world, is a great way to get around and avoid the city's infamous traffic. There are two major lines: the North-South and the East- West.  All lines operate from 5am to midnight, ticket windows close at 10pm.

Rail - There are four train stations in Sao Paulo. The Barra Funda Station on Rua Capitao-Mor Goncalo Monteiro offers a Silver Train to Rio de Janeiro, which departs daily at 8:30pm. The Luz Station has trains to the interior and coast.   Sub- urban trains heading to Itapevi can be caught at Julio Prestes Station, while trains east to Mogi das Cruzes board at Roosevelt Station.

Health & Medical
Sao Paulo has four premium hospitals.  The Albert Einstein Hospital is regarded as one of the best in South America.

Business Hours
Shops and most offices are open Monday through Friday from 9 am. to 6 p.m. and from 9 am to 1pm on Saturday.  Banks are open on Monday through Friday from 10am to 4:00pm.   Most shopping centers and malls remain open until 10pm.  Many pharmacies and small stores are also open on Sunday.

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