Selarón Steps
Stairway Between Lapa And Santa Teresa Covered In Tiles From Around The World By The Artist Jorge SelaróN, Who Worked On It From 1990 Until His Death In 2013 · Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
The Selarón Steps are a public stairway of roughly 215 steps that climbs from Rua Joaquim Silva in Lapa up toward Santa Teresa, covered almost entirely in coloured tiles. The Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón, who lived in a house on the steps, began decorating them around 1990, first in the green, yellow and blue of the Brazilian flag and later with tiles sent or brought by visitors from many countries, plus hundreds of his own painted tiles. He kept working on it, replacing and adding pieces, until he was found dead on the steps in 2013. The result is a busy, cheerful mosaic that became one of the most photographed spots in Rio after appearing in music videos and tourism campaigns. It is free, open all the time and takes twenty minutes to see, so it is best treated as a stop on a walk through Lapa and Santa Teresa rather than a destination in itself. By mid-morning the lower steps fill with tour groups and photo queues, and the area has a real problem with pickpockets, so go early and keep your phone close.
Rua Joaquim Silva and Rua Manuel Carneiro, Lapa / Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The steps are a public street and never close, and there is no ticket or gate. In practice the useful window is daylight. Early morning is the quiet time, when residents are walking down to work and the first photographers arrive; from mid-morning the lower flights fill with tour groups, walking tours and vans, and by late morning people queue to stand on the same few steps for photos. Afternoons stay busy, especially at weekends and in the December to March summer and around Carnival and New Year, when cruise ships and holiday crowds arrive. After dark the steps are lit only by street lamps and the surrounding streets feel much less safe, so a night visit is not recommended even though Lapa's bars below are busy on Friday and Saturday nights. Small shops and vendors along the lower steps keep their own irregular hours and some close on Sunday. Maintenance and occasional re-tiling can screen off sections, and heavy rain makes the tiles slippery and sends water down the stairs. Walking tours that include the steps usually run in the morning; confirm the meeting point and whether the tour continues up into Santa Teresa.