Selarón Steps: Rio's 215-Step Tile Mosaic

The Selarón Steps (Escadaria Selarón) are a 215-step staircase in Rio de Janeiro covered in more than 2,000 ceramic tiles sent from over 60 countries. They are free, open 24 hours a day, and sit on Rua Manuel Carneiro, linking the Lapa neighborhood below with Santa Teresa above. Most visitors spend 30 to 45 minutes here — enough to climb, shoot a few photos, and find the tiles from their own country wedged between Portuguese azulejos and Japanese porcelain.

The Story Behind the Tiles

One Man, One Staircase, Twenty-Three Years

Jorge Selarón was a Chilean painter who moved to Rio in the 1980s and rented a small house beside a crumbling public staircase on Rua Joaquim Silva. In 1990 he started patching the broken steps with leftover construction tiles. What began as a repair became an obsession that consumed the rest of his life: he covered the staircase by hand, sold paintings on the steps to fund materials, and re-tiled sections whenever they wore out or a new donation arrived.

The result is a rarity in Rio — a major landmark created by a single person rather than a government or a company. The dominant palette is blue, yellow, and green, the colors of the Brazilian flag, and Selarón called the work a tribute to the Brazilian people. Selarón was found dead on his own steps in 2013. The staircase was later protected as a city landmark, which means the tiles you photograph today are officially preserved.

Where the Tiles Came From

The project collected tiles from more than 60 countries, and the mix is genuinely odd. You will find hand-painted Portuguese azulejos, Japanese ceramics, fragments of mirror, and blue-and-white Delft-style pieces, all cut and fitted together with grout visible between them. Visitors and locals still push small painted tiles and handwritten notes into the gaps — an informal ritual that keeps the staircase changing year after year. Look closely near the bottom flights: that is where the earliest Selarón work survives, and the tile placement is rougher and more improvised than the neat upper sections.

Getting There and Planning Your Visit

Metro, Taxi, or On Foot from Lapa

The nearest metro stations are Cinelândia and Glória, both roughly a 10-minute walk from the bottom of the stairs. Cinelândia sits slightly closer to the Lapa entrance; Glória is the better choice if you plan to approach from the Santa Teresa side. The 15-minute walk from Carioca station also works if you are already downtown.

Taxis and rideshares drop passengers at the bottom of the staircase on Rua Joaquim Silva, which is the classic entry point. Parking is genuinely difficult in this part of town, so driving yourself is not worth the hassle. Walking up from the Lapa Arches takes about five minutes and gives you the full view of the tiles unrolling ahead of you — the best approach for a first visit.

The Right Time of Day

The staircase faces south-southwest, so morning light is cleaner for photos; in summer, afternoon sun hits the tiles directly and backlights anything you shoot toward the top. Weekday mornings before 9am are the quietest window — by 10am, at least in my experience, tour groups from Copacabana and Centro have already arrived in force. Tourists cluster between noon and late afternoon, so a 7:30 to 8:30am visit lets you shoot the classic straight-on view from the bottom third of the stairs with almost nobody in the frame.

Do not bother queuing at the bottom flight where people line up for the standard portrait shot. Walk a couple of flights up and you get the same composition with no wait — a detail most guides skip.

What It Costs and How Long It Takes

There is no ticket, no gate, no reservation. The steps are public and open 24/7, and the price is zero. Budget 30 to 45 minutes for the visit itself, plus walking time. If you combine the steps with Christ the Redeemer or Sugarloaf on a half-day tour, expect only a 20 to 40-minute stop here, which is sufficient to climb partway and take photos but not to study the tiles.

Safety and Practical Notes

Go in daylight. The Lapa and Santa Teresa border area feels noticeably less safe after dark, and most local advice is a firm no-go at night. Keep cameras and phones tucked away on the walk between the staircase and the metro, and carry small change if you want snacks or souvenirs from the vendors lining Rua Joaquim Silva. The steps themselves are uneven and slick after rain — wear shoes with grip, not flip-flops.

The staircase is not wheelchair accessible. Visitors with mobility issues can take a taxi to the top end on Rua Pinto Martins and see the upper section without climbing, though the famous full-mosaic view is honestly from the bottom third.

Combining the Steps With the Rest of Rio

The staircase sits at the seam between two very different neighborhoods, and that is the reason to shape a route around it rather than treating it as a five-minute photo stop. The Arcos da Lapa, the white 18th-century aqueduct that now carries the Santa Teresa tram, is a five-minute walk from the bottom. Continue up into Santa Teresa for cobblestone streets and the tram ride, or head east into Centro toward the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Municipal Theatre. Plan a half-day at minimum if you are including transport and heat: summer humidity in Rio slows even short walks.

One caution worth knowing: during Carnival, road closures and street parties can make the staircase impractical to reach, and some tours skip it entirely. Check locally before committing to a Carnival-week visit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an entrance fee or ticket for the Selarón Steps?

No. The staircase is a free public space open 24 hours a day with no gate or staff. Fees for guided tours that include it vary by operator and are subject to change — check the operator's site for current rates.

How many steps are there, and how long is the climb?

The staircase has roughly 215 steps (some sources cite 250 by counting landings) and runs about 125 meters from bottom to top. Walking the full climb takes only a few minutes; most visitors spend their time stopping for photos rather than ascending continuously.

How do I get to the Selarón Steps by metro?

Use Cinelândia or Glória station, both about a 10-minute walk from the stairs. Cinelândia is marginally closer to the Lapa entrance; Glória works better if you want to approach from the Santa Teresa end.

Is it safe to visit the Selarón Steps?

In daylight, yes — it is busy, staffed by vendors, and heavily visited. After dark the surrounding Lapa and Santa Teresa streets become risky, so visit before sunset, keep valuables out of sight, and take a taxi or rideshare rather than walking back to the metro at night.