Travessa do Comércio – Trade Lane

The Travessa do Comércio, in Rio de Janeiro

The Travessa do Comércio is a charming cobbled alley of Rio that keeps all the charm of colonial Rio. The Rio de Janeiro audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this picturesque passage with old stone houses, accessible by a historic arch, in the heart of the oldest district of the town.

The alley of colonial Rio

This small cobbled street that you now take is called the Travessa do Comércio, and it keeps all the charm of colonial Rio, with its old stone houses and its narrow sidewalks. You access it by a fine old arch, the Arch of Teles, which gives onto the street and marks the entrance of this picturesque passage, one of the rare vestiges of the Rio of the origins. In the heart of the oldest district of the town, around the Praça XV, this alley plunges you into the atmosphere of the colonial and imperial city of the past, at the time when Rio was only a small town of merchants and officials of the Portuguese crown. Lined with old buildings with colourful façades, sheltering today bars, restaurants and cafés, the Travessa do Comércio has become one of the most lively and convivial places of the Carioca nights, where you come to have a drink and to gather, especially at the end of the day. The alley was also, it is said, the place where the famous singer and actress Carmen Miranda lived for a time. A picturesque alley and a witness of colonial Rio, the Travessa do Comércio is a fine stop of the discovery of Rio de Janeiro.

What to see

Here you wander in the charming cobbled alley that keeps all the charm of colonial Rio, with its old stone houses with colourful façades and its narrow sidewalks, accessible by the fine Arch of Teles, one of the rare vestiges of the Rio of the origins near the Praça XV; lined with bars and restaurants, it is today a lively high place of the Carioca nights, where Carmen Miranda is said to have lived. The Travessa do Comércio is a witness of colonial Rio. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Travessa do Comércio lies near the Praça XV, in the oldest district of Rio de Janeiro, reachable on foot by the Arch of Teles. It is a public alley freely accessible; the bars and restaurants have their own hours and animate it especially at the end of the day and in the evening. The usual vigilance is required in the evening.

What is the Travessa do Comércio in Rio de Janeiro?

A charming cobbled alley that keeps all the charm of colonial Rio, with its old stone houses with colourful façades and its narrow sidewalks, accessible by the fine Arch of Teles near the Praça XV; one of the rare vestiges of the Rio of the origins, it is today lined with bars and restaurants and lively in the Carioca nights.

Where is the Travessa do Comércio in Rio de Janeiro?

Near the Praça XV, in the oldest district of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.