Cinelândia to Lapa: belle époque avenues, the aqueduct and the Selarón steps: a walk in Rio de Janeiro

From Cinelândia's trio of 1900s palaces (Theatro Municipal, National Library, Museu Nacional de Belas Artes) through the 18th-century Passeio Público to the Carioca Aqueduct and the tiled Escadaria Selarón, with a detour to the pyramid cathedral.

Best time: A weekday afternoon: the National Library and the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes open only on weekdays (Mon-Fri, per their Google listings, Sept 2026). Lapa's bars fill after dark.

The route, stop by stop

1
Theatro Municipal
Rio's opera house on Praça Floriano (Cinelândia); admire the façade and, if a guided tour or performance fits, the foyer. 20 min
The opera house opened on 14 July 1909 as part of the Avenida Central rebuilding, still the home of the city's opera, ballet and orchestra seasons. Guided tours show the foyers…
2
National Library
Latin America's largest library according to UNESCO, born from the Portuguese Royal Library brought over after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. 20 min
Latin America's largest library, which UNESCO counts among the ten largest national libraries in the world; its collection of about ten million items began with the Portuguese…
3
National Museum of Fine Arts
National art museum since 1937 in a 1908 eclectic building, holding works that came with King John VI's court (weekday afternoons per Google, Sept 2026). 60 min
Brazil's main fine-arts museum, created in 1937 on Avenida Rio Branco next to the Theatro Municipal. After six years closed for works it reopened partially in 2026, starting with…
4
Passeio Público
Laid out by Mestre Valentim from 1779 to 1783, the first public park in the Americas (closed Sundays and Mondays per its Google listing). 15 min
The first public park created in Brazil, laid out in colonial times by Mestre Valentim on a filled-in lagoon, with a Rococo iron gate, the Chafariz do Menino fountain, statues…
5
Metropolitan Cathedral
Modern cathedral built 1964-1979 in a form based on Mayan pyramids, seat of the archbishop; step inside. 20 min
A concrete cone built 1964-1979 to a design by Edgar Fonseca that seats 20,000; inside, four floor-to-ceiling stained-glass strips rise to a cross-shaped skylight.
6
Arcos da Lapa
The mid-18th-century aqueduct that brought water from the Carioca river; since the late 19th century it carries the Santa Teresa tram. 10 min
The 42 double arches of the colonial Carioca Aqueduct, built 1718-1750 and the largest building work of colonial Brazil. Since the end of the 19th century it has carried the…
7
Selarón Steps
The steps between Lapa and Santa Teresa that Chilean artist Jorge Selarón began covering in tiles in 1990 as a 'tribute to the Brazilian people'. 20 min
The stairway between Rua Joaquim Silva in Lapa and Rua Pinto Martins in Santa Teresa that Chilean artist Jorge Selarón began covering with tiles from Brazil and abroad in 1990…

Walking directions

Cinelândia to Lapa: belle époque avenues, the aqueduct and the Selarón steps

The route, stop by stop

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