Santa Teresa travel guide

A tram ride from the cathedral to Santa Teresa over the Arcos de Lapa viaduct is an unmissable Rio experience. The old yellow trams clatter up the winding, hilly streets lined with pretty colonial houses and lavish mansions towards the forested slopes of Tijuca national park, leaving in their wake sweeping views of Guanabara Bay and the Sugar Loaf. Along the way they pass the Largo do Guimarães and the Largo das Neves, little praças of shops and restaurants that feel as if they belong clustered around a village green rather than in a large city. For nowhere in this city of distinct neighbourhoods is more of a world unto itself than Santa Teresa. The neighbourhood has a strong community identity forged by one of the highest concentrations of artists, writers and musicians in the city, who congregate in bars like O Mineiro on the Largo dos Guimarães or Bar Porto das Neves on the Largo das Neves. At weekends the lively nightlife spills over into clubs like Espírito Santo and then into neighbouring Lapa which is only a five-minute taxi ride away. Those who can bear to be away from the beach often find staying in Santa Teresa a far more culturally rewarding experience than the southern suburbs and there are many excellent options.

A sense of separation is reflected not only in the suburb’s geography, but also its history. In 1624, Antônio Gomes do Desterro chose the area both for its proximity to Rio and its isolation, and erected a hermitage dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Desterro. The name was changed from Morro do Desterro to Santa Teresa after the construction in 1750 of a convent of that name dedicated to the patroness of the order. The convent exists to this day, but it can only be seen from the outside.