The plaza named after Joaquim Fonseca Guimarães (a local resident whose house became Hotel Santa Teresa, just up the road) now forms the center of bohemian Santa Teresa. A festive Carnaval street party originates here, and a number of restaurants, handicrafts and thrift shops lie within a short distance.

This is the final cable-car stop on the bonde before it heads back downhill to Centro.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Bonde

0.01 MILES

The bonde is the last of the historic streetcars that once crisscrossed the city. Its romantic clatter through the cobbled streets is the archetypal sound…

2. Centro Cultural Laurinda Santos Lobo

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Built in 1907, this large mansion once served as a salon for artists from Brazil and abroad and as the location of parties hosted by socialite Laurinda…

3. Casa de Benjamin Constant

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This tranquil estate served as the residence of one of Brazil's most influential politicians in the founding of the young republic. Benjamin Constant …

4. Museu Chácara do Céu

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The former mansion of art patron and industrialist Raymundo Ottoni de Castro Maya contains a small but diverse array of modern art, formerly Ottoni's…

5. Retrato Espaço Cultural

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Opened by a photographer in 2017, this new cultural space features a dynamic lineup of still-image and videography exhibitions, film screenings,…

6. Parque das Ruínas

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This park contains the ruins – exterior brick walls and a newly built staircase – of the mansion belonging to Brazilian heiress Laurinda Santos Lobo. Her…

7. Largo das Neves

0.51 MILES

A slice of village life in the city, this small plaza is one of Santa Teresa's most picturesque little squares. While Largo das Neves is empty by day, on…

8. Escadaria Selarón

0.6 MILES

One of Rio's best-loved attractions, the steps leading up from Joaquim Silva became a work of art when Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón decided to cover…