Arco do Teles

Directly across Praça XV [1] from the Paço Imperial [2], you’ll notice the impressive Arco do Teles that leads down the Beco de Telles, a cobblestoned alley lined with rather elegant 19th-century buildings. Wandering down this street and the equally narrow and atmospheric Travessa do Comércio, Rua Visconde de Itaboraí, and Rua Ouvidor allows you to get a sense of what Rio [3] was like in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Today, these twisting streets are home to a vibrant collection of restaurants and bars where workers from the neighborhood congregate for a quick lunch or an after-work beer or caipirinha.