Things to do
Rio's historic downtown on foot
A day on foot from Praça Mauá to the Selarón Steps, with the VLT tram and metro to save time.
Updated on October 7, 2026 ✓ Information verified on October 6, 2026 adapted version of the Portuguese original
Downtown Rio (the Centro) holds much of the city’s history, just minutes by VLT light rail or metro from the South Zone. This route fits into one day, with breaks.
Morning: the Port Zone
- Praça Mauá and the Museum of Tomorrow: start early, when the light is good and the square is empty.
- Olympic Boulevard: walk to the Etnias mural and back.
- Take the VLT toward downtown.
Midday: the heart of downtown
- Confeitaria Colombo: a coffee break.
- Royal Portuguese Reading Room: check opening hours first.
- Cinelândia and the Municipal Theater: with the National Library and the National Museum of Fine Arts around them.
Afternoon: Lapa and Santa Teresa
- The Lapa Arches and the Metropolitan Cathedral.
- Selarón Steps: climb up toward Santa Teresa.
- Santa Teresa: a coffee at Largo dos Guimarães, then back by taxi or tram (bondinho).
Places mentioned
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Kids Downtown and Lapa Santa Teresa and its tram The neighborhood of cobbled streets and old mansions above downtown, with the yellow tram that crosses the Lapa Arches. See details -
Free access Downtown and Lapa Lapa and the Lapa Arches The old aqueduct that became a postcard, and the bohemian neighborhood of samba circles at the foot of Santa Teresa. See details -
Free accessKids Downtown and Lapa Selarón Steps The staircase covered in colorful tiles between Lapa and Santa Teresa, the work of Chilean artist Jorge Selarón. See details -
Downtown and Lapa Rio de Janeiro Municipal Theater One of Brazil's most important theaters, in Cinelândia, with an illuminated facade and a program of opera, ballet and concerts. See details -
Downtown and Lapa Royal Portuguese Reading Room A Portuguese-language library in downtown Rio, with a hall of wooden shelves up to the ceiling and a stained-glass skylight. See details -
Kids Downtown and Lapa Confeitaria Colombo A traditional downtown confectionery with a hall of mirrors, display cases and chandeliers, a sight in its own right. See details -
Kids Downtown and Lapa Museum of Tomorrow A science museum about the future of the planet, in a Santiago Calatrava building on the shores of Guanabara Bay. See details -
Free accessKids Downtown and Lapa Olympic Boulevard and Praça Mauá The bayside promenade born from the port's renewal, with the Etnias mural and Praça Mauá. See details - Free access Downtown and Lapa Valongo Wharf and Little Africa The old wharf where hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans landed, recognized by UNESCO in 2017, and the neighborhood that kept that memory alive. See details
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Free access Downtown and Lapa Pedra do Sal The rock with carved steps in the Saúde neighborhood, linked to the origins of carioca samba and to open-air samba circles. See details -
Downtown and Lapa São Bento Monastery On top of a downtown hill, a colonial church entirely lined with gilded woodcarving, still active, with Benedictine monks. See details -
Downtown and Lapa Paço Imperial The colonial mansion on Praça XV that was the seat of power in Brazil for over a century. Today it is a cultural center. See details - Downtown and Lapa Banco do Brasil Cultural Center (CCBB Rio) A 1906 building with a rotunda lit by a glass dome, which became one of the most visited cultural centers in the world. See details
- Downtown and Lapa Rio Art Museum (MAR) An eclectic mansion and an old bus terminal joined by a wave-shaped roof, on Praça Mauá. See details
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Downtown and Lapa National Museum of Fine Arts About 15,000 pieces, with the largest collection of 19th-century Brazilian art, in an eclectic palace on Avenida Rio Branco. See details -
Downtown and Lapa Ilha Fiscal The little green castle in the bay, stage of the Empire's last great ball in November 1889. Visits leave from the Navy Cultural Space. See details -
PaidKids Downtown and Lapa AquaRio, Rio's Marine Aquarium A marine aquarium with thousands of animals of hundreds of species, in an old warehouse in the Port Zone. A good outing for children and rainy days. See details - Downtown and Lapa Marquês de Sapucaí Sambadrome Oscar Niemeyer's concrete parade avenue where the samba schools parade. In January, the technical rehearsals are open to the public. See details
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Kids Downtown and Lapa Paquetá Island A peaceful island at the back of the bay, with no cars, reached by ferry from Praça XV. A Rio from another century. See details
Keep reading
Keep planning
- Rio de Janeiro museums The museums and historic interiors worth a visit, especially downtown and in the Port Zone. Read guide
- A short history of Rio de Janeiro The key moments in the city's history and where to see them today. Read guide
- Samba and nightlife in Lapa Samba circles, music venues and packed streets: how to enjoy carioca nightlife in Lapa and beyond. Read guide