Rio de Janeiro · CITY TOURS
One day, and the whole city on the list. The 15 below cover the combined runs that take in both summits, the downtown walks and the half-days, priced and honest about how much of each is spent in traffic.
See Rio Carnival from backstage at Samba City, try parade costumes, learn samba, and enjoy a caipirinha near the port.
“We enjoyed our tour and our guide was good fun. Only issue was the meeting place was difficult to find and a lot of the group had problems finding it too.”
See Rio your way with a private guide, car, flexible route, famous beaches, Sugarloaf, Christ the Redeemer, and local neighborhoods.
“Marco did a wonderful job of navigating rain and second tier attractions, since we’ve been to Rio before. Nice guy, decent English, patient, and fun.”
See Christ the Redeemer, Tijuca Forest, Maracanã, Selarón Steps, Sambadrome, and Rio Cathedral on a practical five-hour tour.
“Nice guide and driver, and the statue is cool, but some things could be better. The pickup was about 15 minutes late with no communication, even though my hotel was the first stop. and the city tour was kind of meh, with a lot of time allocated. Lots of waiting around. Also, at least my group consisted of both English and Portuguese speaking, so the guide would say everything twice, and often when he got to the English part, we were already past whatever he was talking about.”
Review of Petrópolis Imperial City Tour from Rio, with palaces, royal jewels, Gothic cathedral, mountain views, lunch, and optional beer tasting.
“It was a nice day trip with the casino and palace definitely being the highlights and worth the price of the tour.”
Ride Rio’s Samba Bus past Copacabana, Sugarloaf, Lapa, Christ the Redeemer, and Ipanema with music and flexible hop-on stops.
“Pena ter pego um dia com chuva! Nao aproveitamos!”
Review of a full-day Petrópolis tour from Rio with imperial sights, lunch buffet, Bohemia Brewery, beer tasting, and return transport.
“When we made the reservation, there were at least two pick-up options right next to our hotel in Leblon (a very popular location). But after the purchase, we were told the nearest pick-up point was actually 2.2 km away, and at a very early hour in the morning. This wouldn’t have been a problem if we had been picked up where we originally booked, but the company made no effort to respect that or to ask the driver to meet us there. The worst part is that, on our way to the only pick-up point they left us with, we were robbed. It turned what was supposed to be a…”
Explore Rio’s historic center on a private three-hour walk from Cinelândia to Paço Imperial, with lively local history and classic sights.
“Although we saw some great sites, the guide made us feel like he needed to be somewhere else, and our 2 1/2-hour tour ended after 1 1/2 hours. It was not an inexpensive tour so we left feeling taken advantage of (and perhaps not seeing everything we were supposed to see?). Perhaps a price adjustment is in order.......”
Review of Rio’s full-day city tour with Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, lunch buffet, historic sights, and practical booking advice.
“It is a shame that I have to give them one star at all. Be warned this is advertised as a city tour with several stops. Once in the bus you will notice 19 seats for customers. 7 of them you can’t see out the window. The last two rows are above the windows and the other seats. You have to try and bend over and really contort your body to see out of the bus. You have no control over what seats you pick because it is based on when they pick people up. If you are closer to the excursion, you will be picked up last and have…”
Explore old Rio on foot, from Candelária and São Bento to Imperial Palace, Mauá Square, Colombo Bakery, and the Metropolitan Cathedral.
“On this tour your will visit several churches along with other places of interest. Melanie was an excellent tour ambassador for, Rio de Janerio! She shared history of the city and allowed us time to make our way through the sites. I recommend, shopping at the local market near Rio Cathedral and taking in linch at places less touristy as the line ups are shorter and the snacks and meals overall throughout Rio are of European standard. I recommend doing this tour on your first or second day of your visit as it provided you with an understanding of the cities layout and identifies places you may which to spend…”
Ride Rio’s Corcovado Train to Christ the Redeemer, then see Selarón Steps, the Cathedral, Sambódromo, and Maracanã in five hours.
“de tour was erg leuk!! we hebben heel veel gezien van de stad.”
Private bilingual Rio transfer with flight tracking, airport meet-and-greet, clean cars, local tips, and service for up to three people.
“The transfer was very present. We were treated with high respect. We requested a last minute change of our schedule, the owner was very accommodating, that we can go to the airport ahead of time and in a very relaxed manner. The driver was also very knowledgeable , he told us the history of the place. Overall, it was a great experience. Thank you”
See Rio’s Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, Santa Teresa, and Selarón Steps on a practical five-hour small-group city tour.
“Fantastic city tour; our guide Alex was very knowledgeable and gave us the background on each of the locations we went to. In spite of the long line ups at various locations Alex managed to get us through with a minimum of delay. He took very good care of us as we are both seniors. Would recommend this tour if you are going to be in Rio for one or two days.”
See Christ the Redeemer, Selarón Steps, the Sambadrome, Tijuca Forest, Maracanã, and Rio’s beaches in a five-hour city tour.
“Very nice everything and excellent predisposition by guide Marcio. He was able to transmit all his extensive knowledge to the group, being able to express himself using his native language as well as Spanish. A genius guide Marcio👏🏻. The tour was very beautiful and the Christ impressive.Auto-translated”
Review of Petropolis from Rio: imperial sights, museum, cathedral, mountain views, buffet lunch, transport, value, and practical drawbacks.
“Just to let you know that our Petrópolis tour was beyond expectations. Everything on time and the best tour guide ever Mr Julio. Professional, energetic, spoke 3 languages and fun to be in his group. He really made the most out of the tour and even some parts felt custom made. Really compliments. Michel”
See Rio’s Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, Carnival sites, cathedral, and Selarón Steps with lunch and a multilingual guide.
“It was an awesome experience with Carolina! Timing at each site was just nice. She was knowledgeable and friendly. Well recommended!”
Pick a summit, a stretch of sand or a night out.
