Selarón Steps, Lapa, Cinelândia & Historic Santa Teresa Tram Tour
Badge of Excellence
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Offered in: English
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Overview
The bohemian Santa Teresa and the nightlife hub of Lapa are two of Rio de Janeiro’s most atmospheric neighborhoods. With this walking tour, explore some of the city’s most photo-worthy spots, including the Ruins Park (closed Tuesdays), the vibrant Selarón Steps, and Cinelândia. Take in the views as you ride the local tram, stroll through the Passeio Público, and visit the legendary Confeitaria Colombo café.
- Three Rio neighborhoods on one tour: Santa Teresa, Lapa, and Centro
- Travel like a local as you ride the tram to Santa Teresa
- Tri-lingual guide with commentary in English, Spanish, and Portuguese
- Hotel pickup and drop-off from main South Zone hotels included
What's Included
- Guided half-day walking tour
- All Fees and Taxes
- Santa Teresa tram ride included
- Entrance fees
- Professional guide with live tour commentary in English, Spanish & Portuguese.
- Hotel pickup and drop-off from the main hotels in (Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Leme) hotels
- Comfortable air-conditioned vehicle
- Food and Drinks (available for purchase at Confeitaria Colombo)
- Gratuities (optional)
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.
Operating hours.9:00 am
Itinerary
1
Station of Santa Teresa trams
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Arcos da Lapa
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Santa Teresa
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Centro Cultural Municipal Parque das Ruinas
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Escadaria Selaron
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Passeio Publico
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Cinelandia
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
8
Confeitaria Colombo
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 100 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.5
based on 291 reviews
Loren_S, Feb 2026
The tour guides are excellent and knowledgeable. The van was comfy and cool. It was nice not to worry about anything and just do it. Only thing I would change (which I know would be somewhat burdensome but I think it would be beneficial) is having everyone meet at one or two pick up locations. A lot of time is lost picking and dropping off everyone.
eleni_l, Feb 2026
Amazing tour, a side of Rio that you definitely need to see. I’m not really sure if the tour was great, or our amazing tour guide Emma made it be amazing. She is the best tour guide that we have for a very long time, thank you Emma and thank you for showing us your beautiful country!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re delighted to know you enjoyed discovering this side of Rio and that Emma made the experience truly unforgettable. It’s an honor to have such passionate guides who love sharing the beauty of our country. We hope to welcome you again soon for more amazing adventures!
— C2Rio Team
Keri_U, Jan 2026
It was a good tour, saw lots of things. The only thing I wished I knew before hand was how much walking there is. 8,000 steps in the wrong shoes was tough. Guide was good, English was very good. Enjoyed the tour.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you very much for sharing your feedback! We are glad to know you enjoyed the tour and appreciated the guide’s explanations and English skills. We understand that the amount of walking can be challenging, and your comment is very helpful for future travelers to be better prepared. We hope to welcome you again for another great experience in Rio!
– C2Rio Team
ceciliastenkula, Jan 2026
Could have been interesting if the guide had been able to give some more context. Difficult to hear what he was saying, since no microphone and also heavy accent.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
We are truly sorry to hear that your experience did not meet expectations, Cecilia. Please accept our sincere apologies for the issues you encountered. This is not the standard of service we strive to deliver on our tours. Your feedback is very valuable to us, and we would like to better understand what happened. Kindly reach out to us at reservations@c2rio.travel so we can assist you further and work on a solution.
– C2Rio Team
Daniel_F, Jan 2026
Great tour for an introduction to Santa Teresa. The tour guides are super knowledgeable and informative. Moreover, tour guides who have an alacrity for capturing these moments on camera and working angles will always get a 10/10 from me! Well worth the money
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Daniel, thank you for your great feedback. We’re happy to hear the tour was a perfect introduction to Santa Teresa and that our guides’ knowledge, explanations, and enthusiasm made the experience so special. We’re glad they also helped you capture those memorable moments. It’s wonderful to know you felt it was well worth the money! 😊
Jason_F, Nov 2025
Interesting tour of tour of Rio's neighbourhoods. Tram ride was great and plenty of photos opportunities. Our guide Emma was very helpful and friendly.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you for your review, Jason! We’re glad you enjoyed exploring Rio’s neighborhoods, the tram ride, and all the photo opportunities. Emma will be thrilled to know her helpful and friendly approach made your experience even better. Hope to see you again soon!
Joanne_H, Oct 2025
We had a great time with Emma, the train had a very long wait possibly up to 2hrs so Emma asked if we would mind switching the tour around which we were happy to do. The steps are amazing, St Teresa is very arty and bohemian so great for street art lovers in particular.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Joanne, thanks for sharing! Great to hear Emma handled the long train wait smoothly by adjusting the plan. The steps and St Teresa sound like highlights—especially for street art fans. Glad you had a good time!
congeesoup1297, Sep 2025
Emma makes the tour super easy for us. She picked up us at the hotel right on time and took us everywhere with uber. she gave explanation about the hidden gems. she helped us take great pictures and gave us the flexibility of staying in a particular place as we wanted.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear Emma made your tour smooth and memorable. Her attention to detail and flexibility truly make a difference. We're glad you enjoyed the hidden gems and had fun capturing great moments. Hope to see you again soon!
Libby_B, Aug 2025
Great tour! Alexia is a fantastic guide! She is very engaging and provided excellent commentary throughout the tour. I would take this tour again.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Dear Libby,
Thank you for your kind review! We're glad you enjoyed the tour and that Alexia made it so engaging. We'd love to welcome you again!
Sincerely,
- C2Rio Team
Melissa_J, Jul 2025
Our guide was Emma and she was great. She explained everything we seen. Going on the trolley
in the local neighborhoods was cool and it was nice seeing the colorful Selaron steps.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Dear Customer,
Thank you so much for your kind words!
We're happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour and had a great time exploring the local neighborhoods and iconic Selarón Steps. Emma will be thrilled to know that her explanations and guidance made your experience even more memorable.
We truly appreciate your feedback!
Warm regards,
– C2Rio Team
Danielle_L, May 2025
Emma was great! Very knowledgeable and punctual and we had a great time! She even took us to get amazing snacks at this little food place in Santa Theresa. Highly recommend
Richard_W, May 2025
This was an enjoyable morning's tour. Vincente collected us from our hotel right on time and we set off for the Saint Teresa tram ride which was great fun. As was the visit to the Selaron Steps! Crowded but hugely enjoyable.
Colton_G, Apr 2025
Guide Emma was fun and informative easy to talk which answers all questions and has great ideas a wonderful guide well done
Kerri_M, Mar 2025
Daniel our tour guide really took care of us. He was very kind and accommodating. He knew the good places to go and got us some great pictures! We almost took our twin toddlers and I'm glad we didn't because it was not suitable for strollers (just a heads up for parents). The tour is a bit longer than 4 hours when you add in the pick up and drop off depending on where you are staying. Not an issue for us, just something to note. They were so very kind to drop us off at our hotel which I appreciated very much. The train ride was really great and we saw some amazing views of Brazil. The tour was not rushed and we even got to do a bit of shopping and local snacks. If you are considering a tour, I would definitely say take the tour with them!
Martha_N, Mar 2025
A nice tram and walking tour of Santa Teresa, Selaron steps and a few places in Centro. We rode the tram to the end at the top and back down to the central shopping area of Santa Teresa, so it was more riding and less walking than I expected, but enjoyable. We didn't stop to see the Mansion of Ruins which I thought was included. The guide pointed out some street art, explained some history and pointed out some nice houses and views. It was all very nice, but somehow I felt that it could have covered a bit more.
DARRIS_F, Mar 2025
It wasn't gd Had issues with the tour operator not being able to accommodate my hotel pick up. I went to another Hotel in Copacabana Beach not near my hotel in a Uber to be picked up I arrived 10 min late because of traffic. Tour operator couldn't be contacted directly. They left at a certain time without any consideration. I would've appreciated if they took my situation into consideration.
Paul_R, Mar 2025
The tour could have been better organized as far as the tram ride was concerned. There were many interesting sites visited.
Marie_K, Feb 2025
Vicente was an expert guide and was so interesting. He even said that if we had any questions after the tour, we could send him a text on What’s App.
Nancy_A, Jan 2025
Should include the length of the walk and the pavement surface including 215 steps without a railing. We were able to do it but others would not be able to. Did not expect transportation by Uber. Not particularly pleased by that surprise, especially when guide didn’t accompany us.
Daniel_T, Dec 2024
Decent tour, all of the locations were closed, guide tried her best to make the best of it. But met some cool people from around the world in the tour
Dominic_W, Dec 2024
Everything is closed in Rio on December 24th. This tour should not have been offered! Poor tour guide that had to bring us everywhere and keep saying “Oops, this place is closed, maybe the next one will be better!”. You would think a tour operator would know to ask the week prior when touring all these businesses!
Joanna_J, Dec 2024
It’s potentially a nice tour but not in 24 December because all the attractions were clised. The guide was not aware of it , so we walked from one place to another to hear from the guide :”oh, it’s closed’. The touur operator should have checked it and offer an alternative,
Rita_R, Dec 2024
It was very interesting, wish that group was not bilingual. It seemed that English stories were shorter. The guide was very helpful. The tram had high steps and it was difficult for older people to get in and out.
Derek_C, Nov 2024
Do not miss adding this experience to your time in Rio De Janeiro. We immensely enjoyed every minute with our guide Alan, he was phenomenal and couldn't have been a more perfect companion leading us through the beautiful Santa Teresa neighborhood he resides in. The tram ride itself was more than worth the price of this entire tour! Countless breathtaking views and scenery are offered in this experience. You are also afforded a more thorough and alternate perspective of the Selaron Steps offered by other tours. If you're looking for some time away from the beach, without question this would be an experience easily worth adding to your time in Rio!
Maciej_F, Oct 2024
Great tour. Our guide Analía was wonderful. We had a very small group. Just four of us and two other tourists from Germany. Total of 6. Tram ride was really fun but keep in mind this is a walking tour. So be ready and wear some comfortable shoes. Our hotel pick up time was at 8:30 from Copacabana hotel. Do not hesitate and book it today. You you have a great time.
Moustafa_H, Oct 2024
We had a great walking tour with our guide Leticia and a nice small group. Leticia is not only very knowledgeable but also a lot of fun, she told us lots of stories and we learned a lot about the history of the city. The highlights were the tram ride, the walk through Santa Teresa neighborhood and of course the Selaron steps with Leticia’s detailed explanation!
Iwan_B, Oct 2024
Great service and guide . Nice pace and very interesting.Great value. Good communication from company and well looked after.
Erena_W, Sep 2024
Tram Ride was interesting, we rode thru the town and saw how people live in the hills of Brazil. Nice scenery as well
Frank_H, Sep 2024
Sadly this company are not very well organised. This was a Tour that I had booked months ahead. And then the day before they messaged me to tell me my hotel was not in the zone they pick up from. I was in flamengo and they said the Tour starts in copacabana. So this meant getting a taxi to the hilton hotel in copacabana. I did this and waited for the guide who came a little late. We got in a taxi and then on our way to pick up the other person in the Tour as there was only two of us that day we drove past my hotel in flamengo ! Also why was it the other person did not have to go like me to the hilton ? Very poor organisation. The Tour itself was good. However the guide spent most of her time on her mobile. I am not sure what she was doing. We got some pieces of information now and then. At the end we should of according to the company have been taken back to the start point in copacabana. But as we would go past my area I asked to be dropped off there. After a lot of talking the driver finally agreed. But he did not want to stop until he got to copacabana really. Saying there was nowhere to stop. Really ? Your a taxi. You find somewhere to stop. Usually I will always give a tip to the guide. But on this occasion I did not think it was worthy. A lot needs to be improved by this company.
James_Z, Sep 2024
It was very disappointing for several reasons. First we all had a very hard time understanding the English of our tour guide, who was lovely but hard to understand. Next we spent over half an hour sitting in a neighborhood coffee shop doing nothing. Then we were rushed through the Lapa steps, which they were going to just drive by to show us until someone spoke up and asked if we could walk down them. After that quick walk, we were taken to another local tourist trap for awful desserts and more coffee. After 40 minutes here, our tour was over. It could have been more cultural, but our coffee stops took upmost of the time. Wouldn't recommend this tour.
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