Go for a late breakfast, snack or coffee, sit outside by the sea and take in the increndible view of Copacabana, Pao de Açucar, etc. The service is crap - but the experience is worth it.
Things to do
It is a big staircase that his artist Selarón decided to cover the steps with colorful mosaics. At the begining all the mosaics were about brasilian topics but then people from the worldwide started to leave mosaics from theirs countries so nowadays you can see mosaics from everywhere.
The landmark aqueduct dates from the mid-1700s when it was built to carry water from the Carioca River to downtown Rio. Today it carries the famous bonde on its way to and from Santa Teresa atop the hill. By night is a neighborhood with live music and great atmosphere everywhere in the bars and also in the streets.
beautiful park, ancient look, art school wich has taught many of brazillian new artists
Views of downtown, artists, colorful colonial buildings, music in the streets, full of energy. This is a good tip for Rio. For me this is the neightborhood to look for accomodation, apart from this is because in Arcos de Lapa you wil find the most autentic party by night, where the cariocas goes and not Copacabana or Ipanema which are more dangerous because is where the tourist usually goes. Arcos de Lapa is 5 minutes walking to Santa Teresa.