Brazil · CITY TOURS IN RIO DE JANEIRO
The 14 best city tours in Rio de Janeiro you can book today, with what each costs, how long it runs and who it suits. Number one is top for a reason; start there.
Go behind Rio Carnival at Samba City, see floats and costumes, learn samba, try on parade outfits, and enjoy a caipirinha.
“This was such a fun activity! The guides went out of their way to entertain and everyone on the tour, no matter their age, had a great time!”
See Rio your way with a private guide, car, flexible hours, beaches, landmarks, scenic views, and local stops from $56 per person.
“Thank you so much Dario, we loved having you as our private tour guide! I cannot recommend this enough whilst you are in Rio. There was excellent communication beforehand to organise the itinerary and we managed to cover off everything we wanted to see on the day! Not only was the car comfortable, Dario knew everyone which seemed to help us skip the queues especially at Sugarloaf Mountain! Dario also gave us plenty of history on Rio and always had an answer to any questions we had. Nothing was too much trouble for Dario, from taking our pictures for us, holding our bags and not rushing us as we queued…”
See Christ the Redeemer, Tijuca Forest, Selarón Steps, Maracanã, and Rio’s cathedral on a practical 5-hour city 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.”
Spend a day in Petrópolis exploring imperial palaces, royal jewels, Gothic churches, mountain views, and an optional historic brewery.
“The itinerary was excellent, as well as the guide.”
Rio Samba Bus review: see Copacabana, Sugarloaf, Lapa, Christ the Redeemer, and more with live commentary, music, and flexible stops.
“Pouvoir prendre le bus à n’importe quel arrêt à l’heure que l’on veut ou peu .😔perdu notre activité parce que on pouvait pas ce rendre à l’arrêt de départ”
Explore Petrópolis from Rio with imperial sights, a buffet lunch, Bohemia brewery tour, beer tastings, and return transport.
“This was an impromptu outing which turned out to be quite interesting. Rafael, the guide, was really enthusiastic about doing his job; in Portuguese, English and Spanish, nonetheless. He was able to keep it light yet intellectually challenging for the duration of the whole program; which lasted approximately 8 hours. I went on this tour with my wife and sister. My sister and I are Brazilians and my wife is American. Rafael’s quality of service managed to please us all despite our individual cultural and educational differences. I feel the same can be said of the other participants in the group.”
Explore Rio’s historic center on a private three-hour walk from Cinelandia to Paço Imperial, with local stories, grand buildings, and street life.
“Amazing tour in Centro! Danielle was a super guide who took us through Rio’s exciting history and architechture over the past 200 years. Highly recommended!”
See Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, Selarón Steps, Maracanã, and more on a 9-hour Rio tour with lunch and transfers included.
“Long day but worth it. Our guide had lots of information to share. We were a group of 20. The only downside was that sitting in the very back of the bus we couldn’t really see any of the scenery and had a hard time hearing the guide.”
Explore Rio’s old center on foot, from Candelária and São Bento to Paço Imperial, Confeitaria Colombo, and the Olympic-era port.
“our tour guide was absolutely wonderful. She was very knowledgeable and took us to interesting places. I am not very good at names, but I believe her name was Malenia. I would recommend this tour.”
Ride Rio’s Corcovado Train to Christ the Redeemer, then see Selarón Steps, Maracanã, Sambódromo, and the cathedral in five hours.
“de tour was erg leuk!! we hebben heel veel gezien van de stad.”
Review of Rio’s private bilingual airport transfer, with flight tracking, clean cars, friendly drivers, local tips, and practical value advice.
“Vitor met us at the airport exit and provided an excellent intro to Rio. He also took us for the return and provided information & time for a side trip for small fee. Excellent driver and touring help. Book with Vitor!”
See Rio’s top sights in five hours, from Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf to Santa Teresa and Selarón Steps.
“It’s a half day tour, but you will not miss any compared to any full day tours. I highly recommend it.”
See Christ the Redeemer, Selarón Steps, Maracanã, Tijuca Forest, and Rio’s beaches on a practical five-hour city tour for $90.
“The whole experience was amazing! We loved it. The treatment, the information super complete, very respectful and excellent Service of the guide!!Auto-translated”
Review of a 10-hour Petrópolis tour from Rio, with imperial sights, museum entry, buffet lunch, mountain views, and practical tips.
“Wonderful trip to Petropolis with a knowledgeable guide. Beautiful, historic place. Highly recommend”
Pick a city, a waterfall or a stretch of sand.
