Friday, November 04, 2011

Rio Top 10 - 3. Santa Teresa

From Lapa (see previous post) just a staircase (Escaderia Selaron) away


lies the trendy neighborhood of Santa Teresa, famous for its winding, narrow streets


which are a favourite spot for artists, also street artists:


In contradiction to guidebooks, Santa Teresa felt perfectly safe even for gringos, even though it is situated between several favelas (see behind)


We found Santa Teresa to be a lovely neighbourhood with a lively artistic community and friendly people, nice houses on hillsides with lots of vegetation around


and also great views, especially from Parque das Ruinas, with great scenic spots overlooking:
- Downtown Rio with the Cathedral and Arcos da Lapa aqueduct


- Guanabara Bay with Sugarloaf mountain behind


- and surrounding favelas of course


Side Info: a historic tram used to ride through Santa Teresa, but due to an accident this summer, its operation was halted for investigation and (hopefully) full renovation.


In conclusion, we would recommend visiting this area for anyone who wants to see a little more of Rio than only its beaches and obvious landmarks (Sugarloaf and Corcovado).

All photos from Rio de Janeiro

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