Escadaria Selarón Viewpoint climbs 215 steps between Rio de Janeiro's Lapa and Santa Teresa neighborhoods, covered in more than 2,000 ceramic tiles that Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón collected and installed by hand starting in 1990. What began as a repair to the crumbling staircase outside his house at Rua Joaquim Silva became his life's work until his death in 2013. Today the steps sit free to visit and always open, drawing photographers, tour groups, and locals cutting between the two hillside districts on any given afternoon.
How to Get to Escadaria Selarón from Lapa or Santa Teresa
The staircase connects Rua Joaquim Silva in Lapa at its base to Rua Manuel Carneiro in Santa Teresa at the top, so you can approach from either neighborhood depending on your day's route. From Lapa, the entrance sits a five-minute walk from the Arcos da Lapa aqueduct, making it easy to combine both landmarks in one outing before or after visiting the Lapa nightlife strip.
Coming from Santa Teresa, follow Rua Manuel Carneiro downhill and you'll reach the top of the steps near a small plaza with a kiosk selling coconut water and caipirinhas. This approach works well if you're already riding the Santa Teresa tram (bonde) and want to walk down into Lapa afterward rather than climbing up.
Taxis and ride-hail apps drop passengers at either end, but traffic on the narrow surrounding streets can slow arrivals during weekday rush hours between 5pm and 7pm. Many visitors combine the walk with the Metro Cinelândia station, roughly a 15-minute walk away, then continue on foot through Lapa's arches toward the stairway entrance.
Best Time to Visit Escadaria Selarón to Avoid Crowds
Early morning, around 7am to 9am, offers the clearest shots of the tilework without tour groups blocking the frame, since most organized walking tours arrive between 10am and 1pm. Weekday mornings are notably quieter than weekends, when the steps fill with visitors posing on the yellow, green, and blue tiles that reference the Brazilian flag.
Midday sun creates harsh glare on the glazed ceramic surfaces, so photographers favor the hour after sunrise or the golden light before sunset for richer color in the mosaic patterns. Late afternoon around 4pm to 6pm also draws a steady stream of visitors combining the steps with dinner plans in Lapa's bars and botecos.
Avoid visiting after dark unless you're with a group heading into Lapa's samba clubs, since the stairway itself has minimal lighting and the surrounding blocks quiet down once shops close. Carnival season and the weeks around it bring the heaviest foot traffic of the year, with lines forming just to climb partway up for photos.
The Story Behind Jorge Selarón's Tiled Steps
Jorge Selarón, a painter originally from Chile, began tiling the steps outside his home in 1990 using leftover construction materials and broken tiles he salvaged from demolition sites around Rio. He funded the ongoing project himself, partly through sales of his paintings to tourists who stopped to watch him work on the steps daily.
Over more than two decades, Selarón incorporated tiles sent to him from over 60 countries, including pieces from Portugal, Japan, and the United States, embedding them alongside his signature green, yellow, and blue ceramics. Visitors can still spot tiles bearing city names, national flags, and messages from travelers who mailed pieces specifically to be added to the mosaic.
Selarón died in January 2013 under circumstances that remain unresolved, having reportedly told friends and journalists in prior years that the steps would only be finished on the day he died. The stairway remains uncompleted by design, with new tiles occasionally added by fans and artists who continue the tradition he started, keeping the mosaic in a state of slow, ongoing change.
What to See Along the 215 Steps
The lower steps near Rua Joaquim Silva feature some of the most photographed sections, including large ceramic portraits and a prominent tile bearing the phrase 'Bem Vindo' welcoming visitors at the entrance. Look for the recurring pregnant woman motif, a recurring image Selarón painted and tiled throughout the staircase representing fertility and renewal.
Midway up, you'll find tiles depicting Rio landmarks like Christo Redentor and Pão de Açúcar alongside international references, creating a patchwork that mixes local pride with global tributes sent by admirers. Small ceramic frogs, hearts, and animal figures appear scattered among the larger portrait tiles, rewarding visitors who slow down rather than rushing straight to the top.
The uppermost steps near Santa Teresa show slightly different tile patterns, added later in the project's timeline, with brighter color blocks and less figurative imagery than the lower sections. From the top landing, you get a partial street-level view back down toward Lapa's rooftops, though the staircase functions more as a walkable artwork than a panoramic city overlook.
Safety Tips for Visiting Escadaria Selarón at Night or Day
Daytime visits carry minimal risk, though petty theft targeting phones and cameras has been reported occasionally, so keep valuables in a zipped bag rather than an open pocket while climbing. Street vendors near the base sometimes offer guided photo assistance for a small tip, which many visitors find helpful for getting shots without holding up the narrow passage.
The surrounding Lapa neighborhood shifts character after dark, becoming a nightlife hub with samba clubs and bars along Avenida Mem de Sá, but the stairway itself sees reduced foot traffic once shops close around 8pm. If you plan to combine a night out in Lapa with a stairway photo stop, go earlier in the evening rather than late, when fewer people are around to deter opportunistic theft.
Solo travelers and those carrying professional camera equipment should consider visiting in pairs or during peak daylight hours when the natural crowd presence adds a layer of security. Local guides recommend against wandering into the smaller side streets branching off the main stairway after sunset, sticking instead to the main tiled path between Joaquim Silva and Manuel Carneiro.
Nearby Attractions Near Escadaria Selarón in Lapa and Santa Teresa
The Arcos da Lapa aqueduct stands a five-minute walk from the stairway's base and serves as the boarding point for the Santa Teresa tram, a vintage yellow bonde that has run since the 1800s and now costs R$20 round trip. Combining both stops makes for a compact half-day loop through Rio's colonial and bohemian districts.
Santa Teresa itself offers narrow cobblestone streets lined with artist studios, small galleries, and restaurants like Espírito Santa and Aprazível, both within a 10-to-15-minute walk uphill from the top of the steps. The neighborhood's hillside views and colonial architecture make it worth extending your visit beyond just the stairway photo stop.
Back down in Lapa, the Sala Cecília Meireles concert hall and the weekend Feira da Lapa street market give additional reasons to linger in the area before or after climbing the steps. On Friday and Saturday nights, the blocks around the stairway fill with street musicians and food stalls, extending the neighborhood's energy well past the tiled steps themselves.
