Santa Teresa Cable Car

The Santa Teresa Cable Car and the Museu da Chacara do Ceu are off the beaten track but well worth it. (NB if you don't have much time, take a cab from your hotel directly to the Museum described below and take the cable car going down only.) Starting from downtown Rio, you take the Santa Teresa Cable Car This goes over an elevated stretch supported by a wall of arches in the Roman aqueduct fashion -- impressive to look at from below, and the ride in the cable car is picturesque. You can go all the way to the top of the Santa Teresa hill and look around for a bit and then come down halfway, or you can just stop halfway on the way up. "Halfway" means the stop for the Museu Chacara do Ceu. This is a small art museum in a really beautiful setting. It usualy one or two world-class temporary exhibits besides its (small) permanent collection. It's about a half-mile's walk (or 3/4 mile?) from the cable car stop. Here is the address: Rua Murtinho Nobre, 93, Santa Teresa, phone 2224-8981.