Discover our 6-step route to visit downtown Rio on foot. You can't discover Rio de Janeiro without visiting the downtown area, also known as Centro. Known worldwide for its Carnival, the metropolis has other assets. A land of diversity, it offers travellers a new experience in each of its districts. Let's go for a visit!
Downtown Rio de Janeiro in brief
The visit to downtown Rio, called Centro, is best done during the week. One of the best ways to get to the city centre, where verticality rules, is by metro. There are no security problems during the week. You will discover a commercial district where you can find everything, colonial monuments, skyscrapers, etc...
Don't hesitate to wander around the Centro for a few hours. We suggest you follow our itinerary.
First of all, here is the map of our tourist route in downtown Rio with the location of our 6 key stages that will make your visit to the district easier.
STEP 1 - Cinelandia Metro
Get off at the Cinelandia metro station. It takes about half an hour to get there from Ipanema or Copacabana.
Once you get to the exit, climbing the escalators, for those who have only seen the seaside neighbourhoods, it's a shock! We pass businessmen in suits, workers everywhere. The city is bustling in every avenue, in every street.
Visiting Rio de Janeiro also means discovering all kinds of shops, in profusion in the Centro. Our journey begins in the heart of modern Rio, that is to say in the middle of offices, towers and large residential buildings, not forgetting the colonial style buildings.
And it is precisely the contrast between all these architectural styles that makes this tour of downtown Rio so captivating.
The Municipal Theatre on Rio Branco Avenue is the most spectacular monument in the area. The Floriano square is a meeting point for cariocas. It is particularly lively at midday, when the terraces fill up.
STEP 2 - Visit the Lagoa de Carioca in downtown Rio
The Lagoa de Carioca is a large square reserved for pedestrians. You can often find vendors of all kinds: handicrafts, souvenirs, trinkets... The Santo Antonio convent dominates the square. Its church is one of the oldest in the city.
We advise you to climb the steps that follow the hill to reach the church. The panoramic view over the square is nice and the site allows you to get away from the crowd for a while. For information, the visit of the church is not free.
STEP 3 - Gourmet break in a sweet shop in downtown Rio
You'll probably need to eat while visiting downtown Rio. We have tested 2 addresses that we highly recommend.
A lunch break? Here are 2 typical and unmissable addresses:
La confeitaria ColomboRua Gonçalves. Art nouveau confectionery. Excellent coffee and cakes. High budget.
Predilectum170, Rua do Rosario. Restaurant by weight. Lots of choice (raw vegetables, meat, fish, ...). Friendly service. Friendly atmosphere. Frequented by many cariocas. If you want a coffee at the end of your meal, it is free and self-service. Located opposite the cash desk. This is the case in many restaurants.
STEP 4 - Saara district in downtown Rio
Here we are at our 4th stop in the commercial district of Saara.
Many pedestrian streets run through this very lively district. The visit of the district allows you to live like a carioca by going to the numerous disguise shops. Carnival obliges ^^
There are also many shops selling colourful clothes, antique shops and second-hand goods. Immersion and change of scenery guaranteed in the middle of the cariocas, the inhabitants of Rio.
STEP 5 - Visit the Rio de Janeiro cathedral
You can also visit Rio's cathedral. You can't miss it when you walk around downtown Rio de Janeiro. Indeed, its very original shape in the form of a pyramid surprises and attracts the eye very quickly.
Very atypical and modern in terms of architecture, this cathedral seduces or repels visitors. Indeed, from the outside it looks like a large, cold concrete pyramid 80 metres high. Inside, you will find many colourful stained glass windows that are completely abstract.
The best part is at night when the pyramid lights up with a set of lights visible from the heights of the Santa Teresa district for example. We lived this moment and it is true that it will remain a strong moment of our stay in Rio. With a drink in hand, we were fascinated by the view of downtown Rio and its illuminated cathedral, glittering in its heart. Sorry but it was difficult to take pictures as the evening was so animated ^^
STEP 6 - Lapa Aqueduct
This 6th stage allows us to immortalize the Lapa aqueduct where the orbonde tramway used to run to connect the city centre to the Santa Teresa district. Following a fatal accident in August 2011, the line was closed. It has since been reopened. A good thing: the tram line has been made safe, modernised and the aqueduct renovated.
If you want to do this tour of downtown Rio with a local guide, it is possible. The link is here:
Book your guided tour of historic Rio
After the visit to the city centre, discover the other districts of Rio
