215 coloured steps
Over 125 metres.
Donatas Dabravolskas — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Balou46 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Balou46 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Balou46 — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Selarón Steps are a stairway of 215 steps, 125 metres long, climbing from Lapa to Santa Teresa, every step covered in coloured tiles by the Chilean artist Jorge Selarón. He began in 1990 by repairing a few crumbling steps outside his house with tiles in blue, green and yellow, the colours of Brazil's flag; it became the passion of his life, he sold paintings to pay for it, and he kept changing and adding tiles until his death in 2013, calling it a work that would never be finished. The steps carry thousands of tiles from more than 120 countries, many of them given by visitors from around the world, so people sometimes find a tile from home. The city listed the stairway as protected in 2005 and made Selarón an honorary citizen of Rio, and today it is one of the most photographed places in the city after Corcovado and Sugarloaf. The steps are five minutes' walk from the Lapa Arches. Come early in the morning, before the crowds, for photos, and visit by day, as the area can be unsafe at night.
Over 125 metres.
Given by visitors.
Blue, green and yellow.
Rua Manuel Carneiro, between Lapa and Santa Teresa
Early in the morning, before the tour groups, and by day in general, as the area can be unsafe at night.
