Hotels near Escadaria Selaron

Escadaria Selaron is a 125-step staircase climbing from Rua Joaquim Silva in Lapa toward Santa Teresa, covered in more than 2,000 ceramic tiles. The Chilean artist Jorge Selaron started tiling the steps outside his house in 1990 and kept at it for 23 years, swapping tiles as visitors posted them from home. Around 60 countries are represented somewhere on the risers. Green, yellow and blue dominate, the colours of the Brazilian flag.

Entry is free, the steps are open at all hours, and 20 minutes covers the walk up and back with photo stops. Early morning is the only quiet window - by 10:00 the lower flight is a queue of tripods. This is a working residential street rather than an enclosed site, and the top end opens onto much calmer lanes.

Pro Tip: Arrive before 08:30 and start from the top on Rua Pinto Martins, walking down. You get the tile detail without other visitors in frame, and the early light hits the lower steps square on.