Rio Street Art Tour

Rio Street Art Tour

We offer two different routes, depending on the guide available for the day. Each tour highlights unique areas and artworks, but both provide an authentic and enriching experience of Rio’s urban art scene.

Route 1:

During the tour, you’ll gain insight into the history and evolution of street art in Rio — from its humble beginnings with graffiti tags in the suburbs to its rise as a globally recognized art form. Today, Rio is considered one of the meccas of street art worldwide.

As this is a walking tour, we’ll begin right outside our meeting point at the Municipal Theater. Our first stop is the iconic Selarón Steps, a vibrant mosaic of over 2,000 tiles from around the world, created by the late Chilean artist Jorge Selarón. This colorful stairway, located in the Lapa neighborhood, is also known as “The Great Madness.”

From there, we’ll hop on the VLT (Rio’s modern tram system) and head to the Olympic Boulevard, where you’ll stroll past some of the city’s most impressive urban artworks. A highlight here is the massive “Etnias” mural, covering over 3,000 square meters — it’s so big, it holds a Guinness World Record!

Next, your guide will lead you to Praça Mauá, the gateway to Avenida Rio Branco and Rio’s revitalized Port District. Here, you’ll find cultural landmarks like the Museum of Tomorrow and the Rio Art Museum (MAR), surrounded by innovative public art and architecture.

Our final stop is at Pedra do Sal, a historic site originally settled by Afro-Brazilian communities. Known for its deep cultural roots and as the birthplace of samba, this area is rich in music, heritage, and — of course — street art. It’s the perfect place to unwind, soak in the local vibe, and maybe enjoy a cold beer.

To wrap up, your guide will accompany you back to the nearest subway station and provide directions to help you return to your accommodation. If you’re staying downtown, we’ll also share some great recommendations for nearby bars, restaurants, and museums in case you’d like to keep exploring on your own

Route 2:

Street Art Tour – Glória & Santa Teresa

The tour begins in the historic neighborhood of Glória, right in front of the Love Time Hotel. There, your guide will introduce the experience and explain how the tour will unfold. You’ll start by exploring some of the diverse and colorful styles of street art found in Rio.

Next, we’ll head by included transportation to the charming bohemian district of Santa Teresa. Known for its creative spirit, this neighborhood is home to murals painted by both local and international artists during the annual Santa Teresa Urban Art Festival. As we walk through its winding streets, you’ll discover striking new artworks and hidden gems around every corner.

Our walking route leads us to Rio’s downtown area, where we’ll hop aboard the modern VLT tram (ticket included) to reach our final stop: a massive and iconic mural by world-renowned Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra.

Social help with Rise Up & Care

We from Brazil Expedition Team collaborated with Rise Up & Care to launch the book Scout’s Superhero Search – The Birdieman of Rio De Janeiro. This is an action to help children in the favela of Chacrinha and Miratus, a Badminton school that exists there- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZCxo4MOYTU. For more information about the project-https://www.scoutheroes.com/?no_redirect=true    We participated in the project and recommended graffiti artist Caze to work on the illustrations for the Rise Up And Care book. You can check out some of the images below:

Some Testimonials about our Rio Urban Art Tour 

Excellent Tour! Street Art from over 3 decades! If you’re a fan like I am, I highly recommended!

Matthew

Un visite du street art de la ville captivante, notre guide Edmundo était passionnant et nous a appris énormément de chose!

Manon

A great tour if you love graffiti or street art! Edmundo does a great job explaining all of the artist styles and the projects that led to these pieces being created in a variety of different places.

Benjamin 

This was a wonderful tour. Felipe was very knowledgeable and engaging. It was great seeing this side of Rio.

Carla