Lapa is one of the more interesting neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro. While typically known for nightlife, it has a few points of interest, including one of the city’s most visited sights.
Most people come to Rio de Janeiro for the beaches, scenery, and nightlife, but there is plenty to see in the historic city center, including the heart of the city, Largo da Carioca.
One of my favorite sites in all of Rio de Janeiro is the Escadaria Selarón. This stairway from Lapa to Santa Teresa has all its 250 steps covered in tiles from all over the world. Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón worked on them from 1990 until he committed suicide on the steps on January 10, 2013.
A short walk west of where Copacabana ends is a stretch of three other very popular beaches, Leblon, Ipanema, and Arpoador. This is my preferred stretch of beach in Rio de Janeiro and where I spent the most beach time. There’s also a promenade along most of the length of the beach, just like in Copacabana.
Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar), is part of Rio de Janeiro’s UNESCO World Heritage listing and provides my favorite viewpoint of the city.
Copacabana beach is one of the most famous beaches in the world. The word Copacabana itself creates images of hundreds of perfect bodies on a crowded beach, men and women flirting with each other, playing football, working out, or laying out for a tan.
Rio de Janeiro has some of the best and most famous beaches in the world, along with a strict beach culture that Cariocas say should be followed if you want to fit in.
Safety in Rio
One of the biggest questions people have about visiting Rio de Janeiro and Brazil in general is safety. When I told people I was visiting Rio, most of them told me horror stories of violent crimes friends had experienced there and warned me not to go or to be extremely cautious. My anxiety grew when I met a woman in Buenos Aires who had been mugged twice in a week in public and witnessed a man have his arm broken when he did not give muggers what they wanted.
There are countless choices for food in Rio de Janeiro. It’s not always cheap, but there are some interesting options. You can try rodízio, “a kilo”, a normal restaurant ordering off the menu, or a cost-effective menu executivo for lunch. Read my entry Eating in Brazil for more info.
One of the most beautiful cities in the world is Rio de Janeiro. It’s a city of incredible beaches and never-ending nightlife with an extremely relaxed atmosphere.