Santa Teresa by Tram

The bondinho sways up the hill from the Arcos da Lapa — 18th-century aqueduct arches doubling as the tram viaduct. The ride leans into curves on narrow tracks, opening views of Guanabara Bay, Sugarloaf, and favelas on adjacent hills in a panorama both beautiful and honest about its contradictions.

At the top: cobblestoned streets, colonial mansions in various states of repair, artist studios. Bar do Mineiro on Largo do Guimarães serves feijoada in tile-floor rooms with ceiling fans. Café do Alto does tapioca crepes — crispy-edged, filled with cheese or coconut — at wooden tables overlooking the valley. Samba leaks from bars on the Largo with the casual authority of a rhythm rehearsing for a century.

The Escadaria Selarón — 250 mosaic steps by Jorge Selarón — is crowded by noon. Come at eight when morning light hits tiles at a low angle and the only others are joggers using it as a stair-climber. The most Rio use of public art imaginable.