Santa Teresa

A bohemian old neighborhood on a hillside, with yellow trams crossing the Lapa Arches and colonial mansions converted into galleries and restaurants. Rio's Montmartre.

Santa Teresa sits on the hills just south of downtown. In the 19th century it was a district of wealthy merchants' villas, and from the 20th century onward artists gathered there. Its cobblestone streets are lined with colonial-era houses, graffiti walls, studios and small bars, earning it the nickname Rio's Montmartre. The most classic experience is riding the yellow wooden tram (Bonde de Santa Teresa). It departs from Carioca station downtown, crosses the 18th-century Lapa Arches (Arcos da Lapa, originally an aqueduct), and climbs slowly up to Largo dos Guimarães. The trip takes about 20 minutes. The round-trip fare is BRL 20, and it runs roughly 08:00–17:00 Monday to Saturday, with shorter hours on Sundays. Queues often take 30 to 60 minutes, so go early. Highlights in the area include Parque das Ruínas (Ruins Park), a free viewpoint in a converted old brick-and-stone mansion with views over Guanabara Bay and downtown, which hosts concerts on weekends. Next door is the Chácara do Céu museum, with modern art and colonial furniture, free on Wednesdays. Around Largo dos Guimarães are Bar do Mineiro, serving Minas Gerais cuisine and feijoada, Aprazível, a treehouse restaurant that requires reservations, and the Espírito Santa restaurant, plus many ceramics and handicraft shops. From Largo dos Guimarães, you can walk down to the Selarón Steps in about 15 minutes. The neighborhood is reasonably safe during the day, but it has many alleys and steep slopes. Don't carry valuables, take a taxi after dark, and keep an eye on your phone when the tram is crowded. Plan for half a day. It pairs most conveniently with Christ the Redeemer (15 minutes by car) or with Lapa.

Santa Teresa

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