Brazil · CITY TOURS
A guide is the difference between photographing a city and understanding one, especially where the good part is a neighbourhood rather than a monument. These 15 cover Rio, São Paulo, Salvador and Curitiba, priced by length.
See São Paulo’s top districts, landmarks, street art, markets, and skyline views on a practical seven-hour shared city tour.
“It is an amazing tour! Nadia was a rockstar in Spanish and included a lot of fun facts about the city and was always really helpful.”
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 São Paulo’s churches, street art, historic center, Paulista Avenue, and Ibirapuera views on a practical five-hour guided tour.
“The guide was very professional. He spoke about the places we visited and explained in detail their historical and cultural significance. He didn't forget to include anecdotes and interesting observations. The journey in the air-conditioned bus with other tourists was very pleasant.”
Explore São Paulo by private car with a flexible guide, from Paulista Avenue and Ibirapuera Park to Cathedral Square and local food stops.
“Fantastic information, very attentive to our interests, and very personalized experience overall!”
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 São Paulo’s street art, churches, historic center, Japanese district, parks, and city views in a practical half-day tour.
“Excellent experience. Strongly recommended. Our guide was Maurício. He was very knowledgeable. It is a half day but takes more than six hours. Covers lot of places. Also there are heavy traffic jams. Make sure to bring some snacks and water (drinks).”
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.”
See Manaus in four hours with the Amazon Opera House, Indian Museum, markets, river views, hotel pickup, and a small bilingual group.
“The tour was really good, it was just the two of us, the guide and the driver, so really private. Our guide Jennifer had good local knowledge and spoke English well.”
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 Salvador’s Afro-Brazilian roots through sacred sites, São Joaquim Fair, acarajé, Candomblé, and a seaside community lunch.
“Wilson was a terrific guide for a wonderful day off the tourist track that displays the evolution in beliefs and faiths that has sustained Salvador's Black population over the centuries. The stops and sights offer exposure to real people and their ways of life in regular neighborhoods and how those (people and neighborhoods alike) have adapted over the centuries from Indigenous settlement through colonial imposition to the present day. A very satisfying experience that gives resonance to a Salvador visit.”
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.”
Pick a city, a waterfall or a stretch of sand.
