Escadaria Selarón – The Lapa Steps, Rio de Janeiro

The Selarón Staircase, in Rio de Janeiro

The Selarón Staircase, or Escadaria Selarón, is the famous colourful staircase of Rio, a giant mosaic covering its steps. The Rio de Janeiro audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this monumental and joyful work of art, become one of the symbols of the town, between the districts of Lapa and Santa Teresa.

The giant mosaic of a passionate artist

Here it is at last, the famous colourful staircase so awaited, and for once, it is as beautiful in reality as in photo! This giant mosaic, splendid, entirely covers the steps of the staircase that links the districts of Lapa and Santa Teresa. The Escadaria Selarón is the work of a single man: Jorge Selarón, a Chilean painter fallen in love with Rio, who settled in the district and undertook, from the end of the 1980s, to cover the dilapidated staircase in front of his home with colourful ceramic tiles. What was to be only a small personal project became the obsession and the work of his life: for more than twenty years, he covered the hundreds of steps with thousands of tiles, earthenware and fragments of ceramic come from all over the world, offered by visitors or recovered a little everywhere, in an explosion of colours dominated by red, yellow and green. The artist considered his staircase as a tribute to the Brazilian people. Become world-famous, the staircase is today a must-see place of pilgrimage. A unique work of art and a symbol of Rio, the Selarón Staircase is a must-see stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

Here you climb the splendid giant mosaic that entirely covers the steps of the staircase linking Lapa and Santa Teresa, work of the Chilean artist Jorge Selarón who, for more than twenty years, covered the hundreds of steps with thousands of colourful tiles come from all over the world, in an explosion of red, yellow and green, in tribute to the Brazilian people. The Selarón Staircase is a symbol of Rio. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Selarón Staircase links the districts of Lapa and Santa Teresa, in Rio de Janeiro, reachable on foot. It is a public open-air place, freely accessible, very frequented. It is best to visit it during the day and to stay attentive to one's personal effects in the crowd.

Who created the Selarón Staircase in Rio de Janeiro?

Jorge Selarón, a Chilean painter fallen in love with Rio: from the end of the 1980s and for more than twenty years, he covered the hundreds of steps of the staircase linking Lapa and Santa Teresa with thousands of colourful tiles come from all over the world, in an explosion of red, yellow and green, in tribute to the Brazilian people.