Iconic Stairway Escadaria Selarón is Rio de Janeiro’s Most Vibrant Spot

Photo by Ben Ostrower on Unsplash

If you’re ever lucky enough to visit Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, you’ll never run out of colorful places to explore, but there’s something that sets Escadaria Selarón apart. This beautiful stairway is one of the city’s most vibrant landmarks and it celebrates its culture and history in a unique way.

Escadaria Selarón is the brainchild of the Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón, who used over 2,000 tiles from around 60 countries to decorate the 125-meter long stairway. It was located right next to his home, and he started this creative journey in an attempt to bring some color to this part of Rio while paying homage to the Brazilian people who welcomed him as their own.

Selarón’s work on this iconic stairway didn’t stop until his death in 2013, and he constantly kept adding something new to it and making it even more vivid than before. 250 stairs of Escadaria Selarón are now mostly covered with green, blue, and yellow tiles, mimicking the colors of the Brazilian flag.

Thanks to Selarón’s dedication to his craft, Escadaria Selarón went on to become one of the symbols of Rio and it’s often hailed as the most beautiful stairway in the world. You can find it between the neighborhoods of Lapa and Santa Teresa, and visit it at any time because it’s open to the public.