J O Ã O

Born in Budapest to a Hungarian Jewish family, João Schiffer was only seven months old when his family moved to Brazil. With an Msc in agricultural sciences from Godollo Hungary, and a career spanning several American and Germany companies before becoming a guide in 2011, he’s led a rich and varied life, all of which plays a part in his approach to guiding.

In addition to São Paulo, in Brazil, he can also take you to Santos, and Santana do Parnaiba. If you’re lucky enough to catch him when he’s in Hungary, he can also tour you through Budapest, the art city of Szentendre, Lake Balaton (one of the largest lakes in central Europe), and the Matra mountains.

João, or John in English, or Janoszek in Hungarian if you prefer, puts a lot of work into curating his research so that he focusses on the most memorable aspects and stories of any particular place or topic. His Jewish heritage also plays a role in his work, and in addition to the Chritian churches in his repertoire, he covers the Jewish Hebraica club, and works many elements of Jewish history into the narrative his guests receive.

Besides guiding, he is an active judô, karate and kravmaga practitioner – try not to get into any trouble where he will have to demonstrate his considerable skillset.