Lapa & Santa Teresa

The tour starts at Cinelândia, in the centre of Rio de Janeiro. 

Cinelândia was part of the urban reorganization of the city under Mayor Perreira Passos at the beginning of the 20^th century and the opening of Avenida Rio Branco, in 1905, then called Avenida Central. You will see the Municipal Theatre, the City Council, the National Library, the Museum of Arts, and the Cultural Centre of the Federal Court, apart from other beautiful examples of Brazilian architecture at this time.  

We visit the Cathedral de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro and walk towards Lapa in the street of antiques shops, Rua do Lavradio. You will see beautiful examples of Lapa’ s architecture and get a feeling for what to expect when returning at night time when Lapa turns into the centre of nightlife with clubs, bars, restaurants, music, people, and street party.

You will get to know the history of Lapa, se graffiti-art murals, the Arches of Lapa, and the Stairs of Selaron. You will have the opportunity to visit the artist’s atelier and acquire a piece of art right from the source.

We will walk up the stairs of Selaron and up the Ladeira de Santa Teresa past the convent of the Carmelitas into the charming neighborhood of Santa Teresa. We will visit the Cultural Centre Parque das Ruinas that offers great views of the city. Next to it is the museum Chácara do Céu, also worth a visit.

Last part is the area around Largo dos Guimarães, the centre of Santa Teresa with the cultural cinema, the bookshop and cultural centre Mercado das Pulgas and various restaurants, cafés, bars, boutiques and shops.

Santa Teresa is connected to the city by bus, apart from that, taxis are used frequently.

Duration: 4 h

Difficulty: easy 

What do you need: Your camera; we are walking in urban areas so there are possibilities to buy drinks and snacks.