Lapa Neighborhood

Even in the daytime, Lapa is an interesting district to explore, with its striking colonial buildings now home to a string of vintage shops and cafés frequented by Rio’s creative types. The area is also home to one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the Lapa Arches (Arcos da Lapa), an enormous 18th-century aqueduct that towers 210 feet (64 meters) over the central square. The Museum of Image and Sound (Museu da Imagem e do Som), which offers a journey through Brazilian cultural history, and the massive, modernist Metropolitan Cathedral are both located here.

Many general sightseeing tours of Rio de Janeiro make a stop in Lapa. But if you want to explore deeper, you can join a tour (by bike or by foot) that is more specifically focused on the city center, where Lapa is located. These tours typically also include a visit to the picturesque Santa Teresa neighborhood, uphill from Lapa. If you’re interested in nightlife, join a Lapa bar crawl with skip-the-line entrance to top clubs.