Santa Teresa Neighbourhood Free Tour

Santa Teresa sits on a hilltop above downtown Rio, reached the traditional way: aboard the yellow bondinho tram that has rattled across the Arcos da Lapa aqueduct since the 19th century. This walk trades the beach for cobbled, sloping streets lined with colonial mansions, ateliers and street art, in a neighborhood that has drawn artists, musicians and bohemians for generations.

Your guide points out the studios where local painters still work, the viewpoints that open suddenly onto Guanabara Bay, and the bars where Santa Teresa's nightlife spills onto the pavement after dark. It's the Rio locals talk about when they say the city has more than one face.