Samba & Carnival in Rio de Janeiro: The 14 Best Experiences

1.Rio de Janeiro: Beginner Samba Lesson in Ipanema

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,071 reviews · 1 hour · from $25Our pick

Learn samba basics with an experienced carnival performer in Ipanema, then try on costumes and receive photos from your one-hour class.

“Gaby was such an incredible teacher who was patient, entertaining and lovely to meet. It was such a fun experience right before Carnival with amazing music and fun dance routines. I highly recommend to book this experience and have Gaby showcase a snippet of Brazilian culture.”

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2.Rio: Pub Crawl in Lapa with Cachaça Tasting and Live Samba

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 881 reviews · 4 hours · from $33

Rio’s Lapa pub crawl pairs cachaça tasting, a free caipirinha, live samba, and a DJ club night with friendly local guides.

“The guide Eric (!) was fabulous. We had so much fun and he took care of everything 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Highly recommend this tour”

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3.Rio: Carnival Backstage Tour at Samba City with Cocktail

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 520 reviews · 90 - 150 minutes · from $27

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!”

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4.Hop-ON Hop-OFF Sightseeing Bus in Rio de Janeiro – Rio Samba Bus

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 457 reviews · 1 day · from $30

Review the Rio Samba Bus, a one-day hop-on hop-off tour with samba, MPB, 24 stops, Rio landmarks, and practical tips.

“It is a bus with only one level- up top with no shade at all. It was hot! Since there weren’t ear plugs, it was just a recording over speaker- you couldn’t really hear what they were saying. I thought we’d get closer to Christ the Redeemer but it was just in the distance. At least they sold cold beer on board….”

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5.Santa Teresa, Lapa, and Cinelândia with Tram Ride and Selarón Steps

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 274 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $60

Ride Rio’s historic Santa Teresa tram, stroll Lapa and Cinelândia, and see Selarón Steps on a practical half-day city tour.

“Everything is closed in Rio on December 24th. This tour should not have been offered! Poor tour guide that had to bring us everywhere and keep saying “Oops, this place is closed, maybe the next one will be better!”. You would think a tour operator would know to ask the week prior when touring all these businesses!”

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6.Rio de Janeiro: Samba Class in Copacabana

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 262 reviews · 1 hour · from $25

Learn samba in a friendly one-hour Copacabana class with bilingual instructors, music, carnival flair, and useful Rio nightlife tips.

“The class was so much fun! I highly recommended getting out of your comfort zone and getting a taste of samba. The instructor was very kind, and great energy!”

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7.Rio: Ginga Tropical Samba and Folklore Show Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 231 reviews · from $61

See Rio’s Carnival spirit in an 80-minute samba and folklore show with live music, regional dances, audience participation, and a samba class.

“The show was so beautiful and exhilerating!!!!! I keep going over it in my mind. So well orchestrated representing our history. Loved the performance and including the audience in your choreography. Just outstanding!! I have told my friends and family! Please come to the United States. All the performers are so gorgeous. I plan to visit Rio again in the future. Thank you for touching my heart ❤️”

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8.Ginga Tropical – Brazilian Samba and Folklore Show

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 216 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $65

Review of Rio’s Ginga Tropical samba show, with Brazilian folklore, live music, audience dancing, practical timing, value, and booking tips.

“It is very interactive- lots of audience participation! Get ready to move around and dance! One cannot be shy!!!”

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9.Pedra do Sal: Live Samba Night with Local Guide & Drink

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 183 reviews · 2h 30m · from $41

Experience Rio’s samba roots at Pedra do Sal with a local English-speaking guide, live music, a welcome drink, and Little Africa’s nightlife.

“It was such a great experience, especially when traveling alone. The group was really fun and I felt safe the whole time. Even the guide shared a lot about the history of the place, which was really interesting, and the drinks were great too 😃 Overall, a super experience”

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10.Rio de Janeiro: Samba Class and Samba Night Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 115 reviews · 4 hours · from $63

Learn samba in Rio with a bilingual instructor, then join a live band at a samba club or Monday street party.

“Bruno is amazing, as a teacher and as a guide. Without him we would not enjoy the samba concert as with the places he took for us. Totally recommended.”

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11.Rio: Caipirinha Workshop and Samba Class

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 113 reviews · 2 hours · from $12Best value

Learn to make two caipirinhas, take a samba class, and meet Rio nightlife companions at Pura Vida Hostel in Copacabana.

“We enjoyed the Samba class with Bruno. It was very relaxed and way more fun than we imagined. Sadly, we did not stay for the Caipirpirinha workshop. This was because in the information given, the start time of the event was stated as 7.15pm. However, the Samba didn't start until 8pm. We had to leave just as the Caipirpirinha workshop was starting. This was very disappointing especially as we had enjoyed the Samba class and the venue so much.”

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12.Rio Samba Bus: hop-on hop-off city tour in Rio de Janeiro

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 94 reviews · 2 hours · from $31

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”

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13.Walking tour of the bohemian neighborhoods of Santa Teresa and Lapa

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 59 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $72Top rated

Ride Rio’s yellow tram through Santa Teresa, see Selarón Steps and Lapa’s arches, and explore historic Cinelândia with a local guide.

“We had a great time on this tour. It was just my husband and I alongside our guide Lorena. We especially enjoyed Santa Teresa and selaron steps. Metro and tram tickets included in the price of the tour and we also enjoyed a Caipirinha. Lorena was very friendly and knowledgeable and answered questions we had about rio. I would definitely recommend this tour.”

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14.Samba Class in Copacabana

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 52 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $35

Learn authentic samba in a friendly Copacabana studio, with simple steps, cultural context, costume photos, and no partner required.

“I was the only student! Bem Vind was the instructor. He explained very clear about each step. Very professional with counts and accent of each step. He went right to the dance and I just followed him, he stopped and explained when he saw I did not get it, then we kept repeating until I felt comfortable. We did across the floor and turns, forward & backwards. This is a crash course, being a dance director of ballet and modern dance, Samba is quite challenging for me. I wish I stay for a week to take the class daily. He taught the class that we used the whole space.”

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