Great way to get an overview of São Paulo. The tour guide, Gil use to live in the US in CA so he has great points of reference for comparisons. He is easy to get in contact and communicate with ahead of time. Due to a canceled flight there were some changes with scheduling and hotel pick-up on our end and he was very accommodating. There were limitations on what we could see do to closures with COVID which was expected. There were some conflicting things between hours posted online and in person. Gil attempted to work that out ahead of time by calling ahead. Still had an informative tour and got to see a variety of things! Gil is very knowledgeable and has a great grasp of history and information on different sites. He is well known by different vendors in the Municipale Mercardo. We were excited to visit the market and told him we had hoped to try cashew fruit and some other local fruit. Some vendors do offer samples and we would not have minded paying since with the hotel we did not have access to knives for any fruit that had to be cut. He has preferred vendors within the market. So we visited one fruit vendor and he pointed out the cashew fruit and they let us try a sample of dragon fruit. But we were a little disappointed we were unable to try more fruit, especially the cashew fruit, or visit other fruit vendors. But he was very helpful in coordinating with vendors and we were able to purchase some great souvenirs for family! Overall a great tour and would definitely recommend Gil!

I booked the 5 hour tour of Sao Paulo with Gil. I was weary of booking a tour because I haven't enjoyed too many of them in the past but boy was I proven wrong. Gil was AMAZING! He arrived promptly at the hotel and I told him my interests around arts, culture and food. He built the tour around this. He was so knowledgeable and personable. He told the story of Sao Paulo beautifully. We walked the streets of Villa Madalena, visited a few cathedrals, saw a jaw-dropping view of the city at the Museum of Contemporary Art, ate lunch at Mercado Municipal and drove through Japan Town. I walked away learning so much about the Brazilian history and culture. You would be making a huge mistake by not booking this tour with Gil! Highly recommend!

We chose the 5 hour private tour with Gil and the whole experience was fantastic. His knowledge of the city’s history, culture and traditions was very educational and entertaining. We had researched many other tour companies and based on reviews and itinerary options decided to choose Gil and felt like we made the best decision. It made for a much more personalized experience and we would definitely recommend him as your future tour guide.

I had the 5-hours tour with Gil and really enjoyed it. Gil picked me up at the hotel and asked my preferences about the tour. So we visited the main sightseeings but also the bohemian area of Santa Madalena and the food market (I asked for it). I will recomended!

I had limited time to tour Sao Paulo while in town on a business trip. Thanks to Gil, I was able come away with a great appreciation for the city in a short time. Gil has lived an incredibly interesting life, and is a great source of information on Brazilian history and culture. In a few short hours, I was able to visit the Mercado Municipal with its beautiful murals and exotic foods, Catedral de Se, Ibirapuera Park, and the Museum of Contemporary Art featuring sweeping views of the city. I cannot recommend this tour highly enough.

I am so glad that I found this tour guide! My boyfriend and I were traveling in Sao Paulo and wanted to see the top sites in one day. On our last day in the city we decided to find a tour guide that could drive us around and share more about the history of Brazil. Gil was exactly what we were looking for and so much more. Gil came to our hotel and his first question was "what do you want to see?" It was then that I realized this would be a customized tour. He took us to Batman Alley, brought us to the top of the Modern Art Museum in the middle of Parque do Ibirapuera, and showed us a beautiful Portuguese inspired church. Even with all of the traffic in Sao Paulo we were able to visit the Mercado Municipal (the market), see a couple of the monasteries around the city, and drive by the Teatro Municipal (the theater). He took us through the old financial district since my boyfriend was interested in seeing this part of the city. The best part about the tour was that Gil shared information based on our interests. He is so knowledgeable and passionate about Sao Paulo and always willing to share new facts throughout the tour. I would highly recommend setting up a tour with Gil if you want to get the most out of Sao Paulo. Lastly - unfortunately during the trip I broke my foot. I had a wheelchair and had limited mobility. Gil was so helpful to make sure I was still able to experience the city by finding parking throughout and driving around in areas he normally tours by foot. I was so impressed with his flexibility.

My first day in SP I was not really impressed with it. So I was so excited to go with Gil and really get to see the city. He is great and really knows where to take his guests. I feel like I saw the whole city in 5 hours. My husband and I travel a lot and we rarely do city tours but Gils tour is a must! I can't recommend him enough. We had a great time together and his love for his city is authentic. I want to return to SP because of his tour.

I literally just got finished spending a half day with Gil from Solo Private Tours and had to immediately get on TripAdvisor and tell everyone what a great time I had. I don't do a lot of "tours" when travelling, but I think what Gil offers is so different. He is not just a tour guide, but it was more like making a new friend who I got to spend a day with sightseeing. To start, Gil's communication when it came to the booking was excellent, and his online reservation system works flawlessly. Gil picked me up from my hotel near GRU airport and was right on time. His vehicle was comfortable and he's a very safe driver. But these are all the basics, and not what made the day. Not only did we really get to see A LOT of different parts of the city in a few hours but my favorite part was just spending the day talking with Gil, getting to know him, and learning about his love for Sao Paulo and his life experiences. He knows A TON about the history and architecture of this city, and everywhere we went he seemed to know people. He's just an easy guy to talk to. He was flexible about where we went, but I really left it up to him and we crammed in a lot! Overall I can't recommend booking a tour with Gil @ Solo Private Tours enough, and I hope everyone gives Sao Paulo a chance not just for business purposes, but for tourism as well!

I was in Sao Paolo on a business trip and just had a couple of hours one afternoon before my flight home and wanted to see the city. I wasn't sure if it was the kind of place I could explore by myself (I speak no Portuguese and am a solo female traveler), so I looked on TripAdvisor and found Gil. I e-mailed him and he quickly got back to me and agreed to take me around the next day. We had a blast and it was a great way to see the city in such a short amount of time! Gil picked me up from my office and friendly and knowledgable (also he's a good driver which helps in SP!). His English was perfect, and he had a bunch of historical context about the city and answered all of my stupid questions about Brazilian culture and what it's like to live in Sao Paolo. He even customized my tour for me, knowing that I liked street art, and took me to an awesome alley with the coolest graffiti I've ever seen (very Insta-worthy!). He was patient and took pictures of me when I asked, and we also saw almost all of the other major sights despite some epic traffic (the Teatro Municipal! The Municipal Market! Beautiful churches and Ibirapuera Park!). We ended the day by having some coffee and pastries in the Contemporary Art Museum, which was great-- we were chatting and lost track of time, and it felt like I had an old friend showing me around the city. Would highly recommend giving Gil a call if you're in town and have limited time and want to get a taste of Sao Paolo!

From start to finish the tour and experience was perfect. Gil is a very personable, friendly and knowledgeable guy who was able to show us a local's view of Sao Paulo hitting all the major sites but in an informative and enjoyable style. Being picked up and dropped off at the hotel made the process convenient and safe. I would highly recommend Gil, his knowledge and ability to personalise the tour made it a great way to see the city!

Booked a brief city tour with Gil on a last minute impulse... and I am glad I did. I was in between flights and did not have a lot of time, but Gil managed to show me all the 'must-see' locations in Sao Paolo and made it more interesting with his many stories! If you want a comfortable, flexible and enjoyable insight into Sao Paolo, I would recommend Gil.

we took Gil for two days, one after the other for 6 hours each time. Gil is first very nice, knows English very well, can talk intelligently about every topic you choose. He knows history great and explains it as if we live in the 1,800... he has great ideas of where to go and was very flexible. he showed us the real sao paulo: poor and rich places and did it all with great charm. we highly recommend him as a guide. yifat and ofer bartal

I had just one day to explore the city before return back to home and I was lucky enough to contact Gil; I have to say it was a fantastic experience! Despite the day was raining he took me around the city and in 3 hours show me the most important highlights of the city and always adding interesting facts and curiosities of the city history. If you contact him you won't regret!

We spent the very best day with Gil and Solo Private Tours. We recommend it as a 12 out of 10 and suggest that anyone coming to São Paulo for vacation or work contact Gil and arrange a private tour. He is knowledgeable, engaging, witty, educational and informative. And he tailors the tour to fit you and your interests. We did the 5 hour city tour which we turned into a nearly 7 hour tour because we just kept exploring this great city. São Paulo is a cultural community, a melting pot of backgrounds from Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, the US and Africa. So there is everything here. Rich history of how São Paulo came to be, the coffee plantations and export economy that led to periods of wealth and immigration, the politics of a diverse people and the explosive growth that this city has seen and continues to see. We toured so many places covering the city from end to end. Highlights include Praça de Sa, the São Paulo cathedral, walking the streets of Japan center near downtown, the walking streets in downtown, Batman Alley and more. And Gil showed us some of his favorite spots. Not just tourist locations but places he knows and enjoys that enriched our experience. Best of all is Gill. We have had many tour guides in many cities across the world. A guide can make history and culture come alive. Or be a grind and a bore. Gill is one of the best guides we have ever spent time with. He will design the tour around you. His English is great and we had a lot of fun talking and learning and seeing all there is to see. Don’t hesitate! Book with Gil.

My family and I loved our tour! Gil was very personable, nice, and personalized the tour exactly the way we wanted it. I highly recommend booking your tour with him.

Wonderful last minutes tour. Gil knows a lot and is passionate about the city Sao Paulo. I booked a tour of 3hrs. Made it a 4hrs but could have continued the all day if I would not have to take my plane to go back home in Holland. Very much recommended.

I booked a one day private tour with Gil, for my girlfriend and myself. I had never visited Sao Paulo before... however my girlfriend used to live there. Gil picked us up promptly at the arranged time at our hotel... in a very nice vehicle. He did a great job of giving us a nice overview of the city and its history. My girlfriend told me that she learned things she never knew about the city. Gil is professional, and I highly recommend him if you are looking for a private tour of Sao Paulo.

I contacted Gil at the last minute after realizing I would have a few hours in Sao Paulo following my business meetings to see the city. He was friendly and responsive and I booked a four hour tour. Gil picked me up from my hotel (even arriving a few minutes early) and spent the next 4+ hours driving and walking me around the city. His van was clean and comfortable, and Gil is personable, knowledgeable, and insightful. I learned more in those hours than I could have from any guidebook or website. We visited Japantown, the Municipal Market, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Sao Bento Monastery (a highlight, I recommend making a stop here), the Santa Efigenia Bridge, the Municipal Theatre, the Museum of Modern Art, a breathtaking panorama from the top of the Museum of Contemporary Art, and lots of sights in between. Gil is willing and able to tailor the tour to suit your needs, and he even gave me an extra half hour without charging me any additional fee. I felt safe and well taken care of, not to mention enlightened, after my tour with Gil. Highly recommend.

We came into Santos by cruise ship December '16. Gil was there to pick us up and take us on the hour long drive to Sau Paulo at 9:30. The traffic back and forth was crazy. We had to allow two hours to get back to the ship at 5:30. That only left us 4 hours to see the city. Gil took us on a whirlwind visit of the city. We ate Pastels at a great indoor market, walked through some cathedrals, the historical district, Japantown and we drove through the high-end part of the city. We enjoyed the tour and wished we could have had more time. Gil was very knowledgable, friendly and helpful. My only apprehension would be that if you only have a short day, you may be better off puttering around Santos from a cruise ship because the drive to Sau Paulo is far considering traffic.

Gil was a wonderful guide to his great city of Sao Paulo. We had a long layover and Gil picked us up at the airport. He drove us around the city and we stopped for a great lunch and then dropped us off back at the airport. Gil is super flexible and accommodating. If there is anything you need, he will try his best to make it work! I highly recommend Gil!