Sao Paolo v Buenos Aires

Have never been to São Paulo, but have friends from there who moved to Argentina some years ago. Now I want to talk to them to ask if they are having second thoughts.

Connected there quite a few times and the only time we stayed overnight we booked a hotel at the airport. Even though we had the time to do it neither of us had any inclination to go into the city. From what I've heard Buenos Aires easily beats it from the tourist perspective.

I too never left the airport in Sao Paulo. I have never visited Brazil (except the Iguazu falls from the Brazilian side). My husband says that either Rio or Sao Paulo are too dangerous to visit. He refuses to come, and I am not eager to go alone, even if doing a group tour. Of course, I have female solo traveller friends who said that Rio is no different than Buenos Aires in terms of safety - you have to be aware and know where to go. Still, I do look like a tourist anywhere I go, so I am not keen to go on a vacation to stay alert more than I do in Buenos Aires. I have seen beautiful pictures of Brazil, but I can live with not visiting it.

Quote from Bombonera

I’ve been to Rio and Id say it is vastly more dangerous than Buenos Aires. Nothing happened to me there but it’s my perception.

I trust your word, since you're not the first one who described it in the same terms. Perhaps if I had a local inviting me over and showing me around it would be different. But it doesn't strike me like a place where I could wander alone. Perhaps nothing would happen, but I am not eager to seek troubles.

I agree with @Bombonera about Rio. While the beach is gorgeous and it is lovely for a city to face its beach or riverfront (rather than ignoring it, as BsAs does), to me the city doesn’t compare with Buenos Aires. And it’s very easy to accidentally wander from a safe area into a really unsafe one.