Free Tour of Rio's Historic Center & Lapa

Free Tour of Rio's Historic Center & Lapa

At the indicated time, we'll meet at the Largo da Carioca Historical Clock, where we'll start a free tour through the historical center of Rio and Lapa, two essential neighborhoods to visit in Rio de Janeiro.

We'll start at Confeitaria Colombo, the most famous pastry shop in Brazil, because of its beautiful Parisian architecture and typical Portuguese and Brazilian sweets. Here, we'll stop for a while so you can try one of their delicacies if you want!

Next, we'll go through Travessa do Comércio, an area full of bars, restaurants, and lovely colonial houses! From there, we'll head to Praça XV, one of the most important squares in Rio. Here, we'll find the old port, the church of Nossa Senhora do Monte do Carmo, the old imperial chapel, and the Paço Imperial, the house where the Portuguese royal family lived when they arrived in Rio in 1808.

Our next stop will be at Cinelândia, which became popular in the 1930s and used to be frequented by the city's elite. Did you know it was nicknamed the Paris Carioca or Broadway? Here we'll also see the Municipal Theater, one of the most beautiful buildings in the city for its eclectic architecture and appearance similar to the Paris Opera House.

From there, we'll walk to the National Library, the largest in Latin America. This place was inaugurated in 1810 and houses the collection of the Royal Library of Lisbon. They preserve, update, and disseminate a collection that today has approximately nine million pieces!

Then, we'll arrive at the Lapa neighborhood, where we'll see the Lapa Arches, the largest architectural work of Brazil from the colonial period. We'll also tell you about the Metropolitan Cathedral of São Sebastião, a construction that resembles a Mayan pyramid.

To finish this free tour of the historic center of Rio and Lapa, we'll go to the Selaron Staircase, one of the main tourist attractions of the neighborhood. It was decorated by the Chilean artist Jorge Selarón in honor of the Brazilian people and has ceramic tiles from 60 countries and from all corners of Brazil!

Groups

This free tour of Rio de Janeiro does not accept reservations for groups exceeding 6 people. If you want to explore the carioca city on an exclusive tour just for you and your partner, family, or friends, we recommend booking our private tour of Rio de Janeiro with an English-speaking guide.