5 Best Sights in Santa Teresa and Lapa, Rio de Janeiro

After traveling the world and living in more than 50 countries, Chilean painter Selarón began working in 1990 on the iconic tile staircase that is now one of the highlights of Lapa. With tiles from around the world, Selarón's staircase is the product of years of dedication, artistic vision, and donations of tiles from places far and near. Sadly, in 2013 Selarón was found murdered at his nearby home. The colorful stairs provide a great photo opportunity—Snoop Dogg and Pharell Williams shot the video for their song "Beautiful" here.

Formerly the Aqueduto da Carioca (Carioca Aqueduct), this structure with 42 massive stone arches was built between 1744 and 1750 to carry water from the Carioca River in the hillside neighborhood of Santa Teresa to Centro. In 1896 the city transportation company converted the aqueduct, by then abandoned, into a viaduct, laying trolley tracks along it. For decades, Santa Teresa's rattling yellow street cars (the bonde or bondinho) passed over the aqueduct as they carried passengers from Centro up to the hillside neighborhood of Santa Teresa. The historic bonde underwent extensive upgrades to improve its quality and safety in time for the 2016 Olympics.

Much of the activity in close-knit Santa Teresa takes place around its village-like squares, among them Largo do Guimarães, a social hub that frequently hosts street parties. The informal restaurant Bar do Arnaudo is popular with locals; the neighborhood's main drinking and dining strip spans out from here. On weekends, live music spills out from bars opening onto the square, and street vendors sell beer and caipirinhas. If you follow the tram track 1.2 km (¾ mile) northwest from here you'll come to Largo das Neves (Neves Square), with its picturesque, whitewashed church. Families and other locals gather in this square until late at night.

The collection of mostly modern works at this museum was left—along with the hilltop house that contains it—by one of Rio's greatest arts patrons, Raymundo de Castro Maya. Included are originals by 20th-century masters Picasso, Braque, Dalí, Degas, Matisse, Modigliani, and Monet. The Brazilian holdings include priceless 17th- and 18th-century maps and works by leading modernists. The views of the aqueduct, Centro, and the bay are splendid from the museum's grounds. The adjoining Parque das Ruinas (free) is well worth a visit, too, and has some spectacular views from the top floor of a once-abandoned colonial mansion.

The first audiovisual museum in Brazil, the Museum of Image and Sound (MIS) was founded to acquire, preserve, and exhibit important collections tied to Rio's cultural history. The museum houses collections of images and sound in a range of mediums, including engravings, drawings, caricatures, musical instruments, photographs, books, discs, recordings, and even antique gramophones, microphones, and musical instruments. The collections highlight the works of many of Rio's lesser-known names of the past, such as the Batista sisters of Brazil's Golden Age of Radio, and Elizeth Cardoso, considered to be one of the greatest female singers of Brazilian popular music.