There are a lot of historical sites to see and things to do in Rio de Janeiro. As we quickly found it, it’s possible to see almost all of them in just one day! Here’s how we did it:
Candelaria Church
This is our starting point (should have been the Selaron Steps…). The Candelaria Church is interesting, because instead of facing downtown Rio, it faces the waterfront. Why? Well, when the first settlers found Rio, they built the church to face all the visitors and people coming in! As Rio became more populated and built up, the people considered trying to turn the church around (literally). This ended up being not possible. So now as another, larger, more central, church has been created, Candelaria stands where it has from the beginning.
Bank of Brazil Cultural Center
The Bank of Brazil is no longer an actual bank, but a cultural center with exhibits and art. Luckily for me (not so much Michael), there was a Jean Michel Basquiat exhibit going on while we were there! We I decided to go back to see it after we saw all these sites, and it was pretty amazing. Full of his story, inspirations, and even Andy Warhol collaborations. For FREE.
Olympic Torch
So technically this isn’t the real olympic torch, but a statue of it is just as cool, right? It works as kind of a wind machine where parts rotate and it’s just really pretty.
November 15 Square
This square contains the Praça XV Station ferry terminal. It’s named for the proclamation of the Republic of Brazil which happened on (you guessed it) November 15th, 1889. The Square itself is surrounded by historical buildings and statues.
Paço Imperial
The Imperial Palace is located next to the November 15 Square and was built in the 18th century. This beautiful white and beige building was used as housing for the governors of colonial Brazil.
Arco do Teles
The Teles Arch is another 18th century creation that simply marks the entrance into the Teles de Menezes Residence. It’s nothing too crazy, but it marks the way we took to get to the Colombo Confectionary (mentioned below).
Colombo Confectionary
So I actually had no idea that this place is a “hotspot” until a local tour told us about it. Apparently people from around the world come to eat here. Well, for me, this was a flop. It was BEYOND crowded and the people behind the counters were kind of rude. When Michael was able to actually order something, he found it repulsive. So, I guess it’s not for everybody. But if you go and eat any of their sweets, let me know how it is! I wanted one and unfortunately didn’t get one due to the crowded and rude nature. If you want to know what foods local Brazilians suggest, check out this post!
Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian
The “new” central church of Rio de Janeiro is quite odd. It takes on a non-traditional pyramid shape that I wouldn’t call beautiful (by any means) like the others. However, stepping inside will give you goosebumps. Floor to ceiling stained glass windows create a cross above you and its round shape gives way to incredible acoustics. Absolutely magical.
Lapa Arches
The iconic Lapa Arches are even more incredible in person. Spanning from hill to hill, they boast architectural and functional beauty. No longer used for their original purpose (as an aquaduct), there is now a cable car that runs on the top of them. We didn’t do the cable car, but heard it was closed for some time due to a dummy trying to get a selfie out of it and falling. There are now cables to stop people from doing that.
Selaron Steps
Seeing the Selaron Steps for the first time was a disaster. There were a million people, shoving, pushing, dancing, no one knowing what the heck was going on. It was awful. BUT, we did figure out how to get them entirely to ourselves the next day! If you want to know the not-so-secret secret, and see some pretty awesome pictures, check out this post.
Municipal Theater
This stunning, gold lined, opera house is a must see. If you get the chance (unlike me) to go see a show there, tell me how it is! I’ve heard wonderful things about the inside of it, but the outside is a spectacular sight in it’s own right. The Municipal Theater sits in the Centro District and is newer than other buildings. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century but is still considered one of the most important (and beautiful) theaters in the country.
I do realize that there are a TON more sites to see in Rio de Janeiro. These however, are the ones I accomplished in an afternoon of walking around the city with Strawberry Tours. I found it to be the perfect day trip especially if time isn’t on your side.
Have you been to Rio and seen some of these? What did you think? Drop a comment below and let me know!
Also, if you want more posts on Brazil including hikes and lots of food, click here!
Wow, you guys made some good time–even with waiting in line at the Colombo Confectionary. (Sorry it was a disappointment!) So happy to see interesting buildings like the Bank of Brazil turned into cultural centers. The Lapa Arches look to be a great architectural feature, as well.
Thanks for a great itinerary covering a lot of ground, which is exactly how I like to travel. You’ve introduced me to many historical sites in Rio de Janeiro I’ll have to get to when I visit.
You definitely need to check it out! I’m a big fan of what they did with the old bank. Such a cool idea to keep people coming in and preserving the history.
I ever really thought of Rio as having historic sights so i was interested to read your article. The Candelaria Church is such a beautiful building and I loved visiting the Selaron Steps – I was probably one of those millions of people pushing and shoving, pretty sure I wasn’t dancing though! I was interested to see a confectionary place in your historic post. What makes it historic?
I was also confused to see how a confectionery could be historic, but Colombo was founded in 1894 making it over a century old. While it still runs as a business, they keep true to it’s original Art Nouveau decor, making it feel as though you have stepped back in time. It’s quite amazing!
I am a big history lover. So, I knew this article was for me. And I loved it. So many historic things to do in Rio. I could spend a day in each of them. I like that you pepper your article with bits of history as well. Such an interesting theory behind why the Candelaria Church faces the sea.
Truly hate it when something becomes so popular that vendors start getting rude. I have seen this in so many places. It is sad to see this happen at the Colombo Confectionery as well.
I could have easily spent a week taking a deep look at these places too! Glad you enjoyed the tid bits of actual history. I hope that someday people calm down and just be nice… is that too much to ask?
Rio is high on our bucket list! The Lapa Arches looks gorgeous! I love the light color and architecture. It looks like a great photo stop. The Municipal Theatre looks really beautiful too. That would be a must-see for me too!
They were both so beautiful! No wonder all the instagram-ers love it!
This was so interesting in couple of reasons. First, I have always dreamed about visiting Rio de Janeiro but I still haven’t been able to. Second, for some reason, I haven’t ever read about a lot, so I didn’t really know what is there. Until now. One thing from this list I would love to see is the Olympic Torch.
The Olympic torch was pretty neat! I had no idea that they even had it there until I went. So cool!
It would be great to see so many historical sites in Rio de Janeiro. I loved the architecture of Municipal theater. I had seen so many pictures of Selaron steps but without people and I always wonder how they managed to take such pictures. Hopefully you managed to take some picture with not too many people. Candelaria Church is stunning with those frescoes inside the dome.
Rio is full of such incredible sites! I definitely managed to go back to the steps for pictures by myself. It was glorious.
Great post!! I haven’t been to RIO DE JANEIRO yet but it sure looks really pretty. I am glad that you made the post so comprehensive that it was honestly really easy to take guides. I love the pictures though. I never knew that RIO DE JANEIRO churches were so beautiful they almost look like the one Italy. I have seen Selaron Steps in a lot of places but I never knew it was in Rio De Janeiro.
Thanks so much! Rio was so surprisingly beautiful and historic to me. They’re churches are simply amazing. Highly suggest visiting!
Aren’t walking tours great? Not only do you get to see a lot of the city’s highlights, but you get to learn a little more about the history and culture as well. Those pictures of the Selaron Steps look like a nightmare. Cool that you were able to get to them at another time with better results!
They are the BEST! I enjoy walking so much, and it gives me a chance to get some exercise in while sightseeing! The Selaron Steps were a disaster, but totally worth going back to by ourselves. Thanks!