Rio de Janeiro · FULL-DAY
This is the shortlist you would send a friend: 15 full-day tours worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
Review of the Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande day tour from Rio, with island stops, swimming, lunch, transport, costs, and practical tips.
“Loved this excursion. My sister and I had a n amazing time. Met some great people and jumped for island to island. Well worth it would do it again in a heartbeat!!”
Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande by bus and schooner, with calm beaches, swimming, snorkeling, lunch, and a long but scenic day.
“I wanted a small group excursion to have a relaxing and fun day. This boat is not for 45 people like advertised… 45 people go on each bus and there are three buses loading the boat with over 150 people. YES!!! be prepared to join 150 on your boat ride!! Also the bus ride was about 5 hours each way to and from the boat. It was was a very chaotic day with extremely loud music and not fun at all!!! I couldn’t wait to get back home never again. On the positive side the bus driver and our guide was super nice.”
Hike Pedra do Telégrafo for sweeping Rio views, then unwind at Grumari or Prainha Beach with transport and a guide.
“I had a fantastic time on this tour! It was both fun and easy to do, making it perfect for anyone looking for a great outdoor experience. Our guide, Nicolas, was incredibly friendly and had amazing energy throughout the day. He took excellent care of the group and even captured some great pictures for us. The highlights were definitely Pedra do Telégrafo, which was absolutely stunning, and Grumari Beach, which was equally beautiful. Overall, the tour was amazing, and I highly recommend it to anyone considering it!”
Tackle Rio’s 10.4-km Tijuca Forest hike for rare jungle trails, caves, waterfalls, peaks, and sweeping city views in a small group.
“Tijuca day with Riccardo was fantastic. Except for Tijuca forest exploration, Riccardo gave us a very nice background about Brazil, the former and recent times. It was a very nice experience and is worth to recommend.”
See Christ the Redeemer before crowds, ride Sugarloaf’s cable car, eat in Ipanema, and tour Rio’s great landmarks in one full day.
“A tour where you will know and see most of the important things of Rio. The most important was that we visited the Christo Redentor early in the morning and when we arrived we were the first there which help us take the best photos. Our guide was excellent (speaking both Portuguese and english) very friendly and with very good knowledge of Brazilian history. I recommend this tour to everyone.”
Review of the Angra dos Reis day trip from Rio, with island stops, lunch, transport realities, value, weather risks, and booking advice.
“This is a long day. I got picked up at 7:30am and didn’t arrive back to my hotel until 10pm. You spend about 5 hours round trip driving to the location. Then when you get on the boat you are on it for about 5 hours. While on the boat you are with 200 other people. They let you off the boat at 4 locations, but by the time you get off you might have 20 minutes in the water because you have to wait for everyone to get off and back on the boat (you have about 30 minutes-45 minutes at each location). Lunch isn’t until 5 and it’s…”
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…”
See Christ the Redeemer, Santa Teresa, Selarón Steps, downtown Rio, and Sugarloaf Mountain with a private guide and driver.
“Amazing personalized private tour. Patty, our guide, pick us from the hotel with brand new car and personal driver. Tour started with Cristo Redentor and Patty showed us the perfect spot/angle to take pictures and even other tourists were following ours. Tour is completely private, driver waited at every exit point to pick us. We enjoy all the itinerary and most importantly Patty is extremely friendly. She helped us a lot in tips/info/ translation around Rio. We could not expect better service than this! Thanks Patty for the unforgettable trip! Hope to see you again during the carnival”
Rio’s full-day tour links Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, Carnival landmarks, and lunch, with bilingual guides and shared transport.
“Our guide Louis was very competent with good knowledge of the history of the city. He shared a lot of interesting facts about Rio de Janeiro with us. His English is excellent and we felt very comfortable with his guidance. He answered all our questions.”
Review of the Búzios boat tour from Rio, with beach stops, buffet lunch, Rua das Pedras, transport tips, costs, and key drawbacks.
“Non appoggiatevi a questo tour! Non è mai arrivato nessuno a prenderci. Poco professionali.”
See Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, Maracanã, Lapa, and more on an 8-hour Rio tour with lunch, transport, and guide.
“This was a disappointment. Our tour guide provided very little if any narrative of Rio’s history and did not point out many notable sights as we drove along. We were cramped into a mini bus which was extraordinarily small for the 12 or so in the group. The only positive was that she was very organized, able to navigate the group through the crowds at Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf. This was not worth the money.”
Explore Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande by boat, with turquoise lagoons, quiet beaches, regional lunch, and round-trip transport from Rio.
“Muy buena actividad. Tuvimos un muy buen guia. Estaba preocupado por nosotros todo el tiempo. En el bus que ibamos tuvo un problema pero rapidamente nuestro guia solucionó el problema y la actividad se hizo a tiempo.”
Review of Rio to Búzios day trip with catamaran, beach swims, buffet lunch, Rua das Pedras, transport tips, and honest drawbacks.
“Estuvimos esperando dos horas y cancelaron de la nada”
Review of Rio’s private 8-hour tour to Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, and Lapa, with hotel pickup, flexible planning, and private transport.
“Her name is Aline Scot Plavnik. She was very well spoken and incredibly knowledgeable. It was a private tour for us and we had many highlights already booked. Aline adapted to our needs easily and quickly while telling about things to see that we didn't know we should see, like the stairs and Santa Theresa.”
See Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, Rio beaches, and downtown in one full-day tour with cable cars, lunch, and transport included.
“Interesant tour. Vous allez par différents lieux impossible d'aller par vous même dans un seule journée. l'organisateur vous guide par tout comme si vous êtes son enfants. Toujours en train de voir que vous soyez à l'aise. Il parlait en 3 langues. Malgré que le transport est superbe, le son du système audio très mauvais. Beaucoup de difficulté a comprendre pour la qualité du son. Impartialité au momnet de venir vous chercher et ça cause une angoisse de savoir si l'excursion va avoir lieu ou si vous avez été oublié.”
Pick a summit, a stretch of sand or a night out.
