Rio de Janeiro/Centro

Rio's Centro (Downtown) is a district in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Centro has most of the city's notable churches and museums, including the Modern Art Museum, as well as many of its most famous bars.

Understand
Lapa is one of the most thrilling places to be in Rio after dark, with streets and bars full of people, all in historical buildings (most of them from the early 1800s). In Lapa you can hear typical Brazilian music such as samba, forró, and choro. It's the place to try typical Brazilian food and drinks like the world-famous caipirinha. The nearby Santa Teresa neighborhood, located on the hills to the southwest, is a beautiful historical district and home to many of the city's artists.

Get in
Line 1 of the subway provides access from both the Zona Sul and the Tijuca area of the Zona Norte. The station at Central do Brasil is the transfer point for Line 2 which services most of the Zona Norte.

Get around
You can walk to Santa Teresa from surrounding districts such as Catete, though it's a stiff uphill climb, and some of the streets aren't entirely safe.

By light rail
The VLT light rail system serves many places in the area, including Santos Dumont airport and Praca XV port.

By metrô
Line of the subway has stops in most of the important neighborhoods of the Centro:
 * Cinelândia - for Praça XV, the National Library, City Hall, Municipal Theatre, Museum of Modern Art and Odeon movie theatre. To Lapa (Bohemian district).
 * Carioca - for Santa Teresa tram station, downtown offices
 * Uruguaiana - for a popular market
 * Saara / Presidente Vargas - for downtown offices and street commerce
 * Central - for Central do Brasil rail station, Itamaraty Palace, and for Line
 * Praça Onze - for the Sambadromo
 * Estácio - used to be for subway Line 2, but it's no longer used for transfers during weekdays (it's still used at weekends), so, be sure not to come all the way to this station instead of switching trains at Central.

By bicycle
A number of bike rental services are available.

Stay safe
Avoid entering or leaving Santa Teresa on foot after nightfall. During the day it's a nice hike up the streets, but the neighborhood is surrounded by three different favelas, and muggings after dark are not unheard of even for the locals. Take taxis and stay in groups. Avoid dark, empty places in general.