arcos da lapa

Lapa Arches

Downtown Rio de Janeiro has a lot of history to tell and Lapa is a part of it. This is an exciting and very bohemian neighborhood where the Lapa arches and the Selaron steps stand out as main landmarks. The first one was built in 1723 being the Carioca aqueduct of the city back then and exhibiting typical colonial architecture and engineering. Nowadays it is the tramway of the famous “bondinho”  (tramcar) that connects the Rio city center with the popular neighborhood of Santa Teresa.