The 6 Best Guided Tours in Rio de Janeiro

The 6 most interesting guided tours and day-trips in Rio de Janeiro. What are the best guided tours in Rio de Janeiro? Your complete guide to the very best guided tours and day-trips in Rio de Janeiro with my reviews and all pros and cons of each tour. A comparison and detailed description of the 6 best guided tours by bus, minivan and private car with driver and personal guide you can book in Rio de Janeiro to visit Copacabana and Ipanema, the lively Centro district, the charming neighborhoods of Lapa and Santa Teresa, the Tijuca Forest National Park and the legendary Maracanã, the panoramic viewpoint of the Sugarloaf and the Corcovado with the the statue of Christ the Redeemer. In addition to the unusual walking tour to visit infamous Rocinha favela and the full day tour by bus and boat to Angra dos Reis and the beaches of the wonderful Ilha Grande. With some considerations, my suggestions, the important things you need to know before choosing your tour and direct links to book online by credit card.

Photo Credit: Viator

What Are the Best Guided Tours and Day-Trips in Rio de Janeiro?

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The 6 Best Guided Tours in Rio de Janeiro

Are you going to Rio de Janeiro and would like to visit the city with a guide? Are you looking for an organized group tour by minivan or bus to see the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana and go and admire the panorama of Rio de Janeiro from the top of Corcovado? Do you want to take the cable car to the Sugarloaf Mountain or reach the colonial district of Santa Teresa? Or do you want to evaluate how much a private car with a driver at your complete disposal costs so as to be more free and visit only what interests you?

In a city like Rio de Janeiro, certainly more problematic than many other cities in the world, booking an organized tour with the assistance of a local guide can be a good option, even for those who are usually used to doing things on their own. Maybe for the first day only, so as to settle in and visit the main attractions, and then in the following days continue the visits alone and independently.

Among the many guided tours offered by the travel agencies in Rio de Janeiro and bookable online, I have chosen 6 different tours. These are not the only ones you can book but in my opinion they are among the best and most complete guided tours available on the market to explore Rio de Janeiro.

The 6 best guided tours in Rio de Janeiro: panoramic tour of Rio de Janeiro with Corcovado, ultimate full day tour of Rio de Janeiro including Corcovado and Sugar Loaf, Rocinha Favela tour with a local guide, small group tour to Santa Teresa by the Bonde, Rio de Janeiro tailor made tour with private car and guide, and guided day-trip to Angra dos Reis with boat tour to Ilha Grande from Rio de Janeiro.

All tours are described below, in a very detailed way, with my considerations, some suggestions and all the pros and cons of each tour. Have a look and see if there is a tour you like.

You can book all tours easily by credit card through Get Your Guide and Viator. For the great majority of tours you get instant confirmation, while for some, tour confirmation is subject to availability and will be given within 48 hours of your booking.

Photo Credit: GetYourGuide

Panoramic Tour of Rio de Janeiro with Corcovado

A well-designed and highly appreciated guided tour that allows you to have an excellent overview of the city of Rio de Janeiro and its most famous attractions while spending as little as possible. But how does the tour take place and what do you see? Once you leave the hotel, the first stop is the scenic Sao Conrado beach, a popular landing place for hang gliders launched from the Pedra Bonita above. Here you leave the coast to enter the Tijuca Forest National Park and take a short walk to admire the lush (that’s right) rainforest. Now it is time for the largest and most spectacular of Rio de Janeiro’s attractions, driving through the forest you reach the top of Corcovado at 700 meters high, here it takes just a few steps on foot to find yourself at the base of the great statue of Christ the Redeemer, true symbol of the city, with a great 360° panorama over the whole of Rio de Janeiro. The tour then continues towards the colonial district of Santa Teresa where there is a stop for lunch or to browse the nice little shops in the neighborhood. Around 3.30 pm the tour continues towards the Lapa district to visit the famous Escadaria Selaron portrayed in the video Beautiful by Snoop Dog. At around 4.30 pm you reach the base of the Sugar Loaf, here you can choose whether to abandon the tour by purchasing the ticket for the cable car on the spot and then returning to the hotel on your behalf or stay on board the bus and be taken back to your hotel. The quality/price ratio of the excursion is really excellent.

Pick-up and drop-off in Rio de Janeiro: it is included for all the hotels located in the districts of Gloria, Catete, Flamengo, Copacabana, Botafogo, Ipanema and Leblon; once booked you will be notified by e-mail of the exact pick-up time, however, in order to have no doubts, reconfirm the exact time the day before by contacting the local supplier (you receive phone and email immediately after booking), if necessary ask the staff of the hotel to do it for you, just in case leave a small tip.

Duration of the tour: between 6 and 7 hours depending on the time you are picked up at the hotel and the time you are dropped off at the end of the tour, the departure is usually scheduled between 9 and 10.30.

Guide: English and Spanish speaking.

Features: group tour shared with other participants, depending on the number a minivan or a larger bus can be used; confirmation is immediate upon booking.

Price: is per person and includes transport from/to the hotel, the guide and the entrance ticket to Christ the Redeemer of Corcovado; lunch and the optional ascent to the Sugar Loaf at the end of the excursion are not included.

Pros: the Corcovado ticket already included in the price.

Cons: as for almost all guided tours, the climb to Corcovado takes place by road and not by train, but it has its own reason, totally useless to spend more for the train ticket when you already have a vehicle that takes you to your destination without any additional cost; otherwise no other cons, not even one, even the cost is really good, difficult to spend less.

Good to know: if you decide to go up to the Sugar Loaf by cable car at the end of the excursion, buy the ticket directly at the ticket office and then return to the hotel on your own by taxi or if you want to spend little with a combination of bus plus metro, while you are in the area I think you might as well take advantage of it.

Recommended: this is the perfect tour to get a first overview of Rio de Janeiro, spending as little as possible and without having to deal with transport or other tasks.

Price, info & Booking: GetYourGuide | Wonders of Rio: Christ, Selaron Steps, and Tijuca Forest

Another option with Sugarloaf already included: a very similar tour is GetYourGuide | Corcovado, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Selarón Steps 6-Hour Tour that allows you to include the Sugar Loaf cable car ride in the price of the tour.

Photo Credit: GetYourGuide

Ultimate Full Day Tour of Rio de Janeiro including Corcovado and Sugar Loaf

A complete guided tour that lasts the whole day. Which not only includes a visit and both entrance tickets to Rio’s two most beautiful attractions, Corcovado and Sugar Loaf, but also a tour through Rio’s historic heart, the Centro district. Thus the visit is more complete. Here is the program. In the morning you leave from the hotel and, passing through the Tijuca Forest National Park, reach the summit of Corcovado with the great statue of Christ the Redeemer and the most beautiful panorama in all of Rio de Janeiro. At the end of the visit, you descend towards the historic heart of the city, visiting the unmistakable and huge modern truncated cone building of the Catedral Metropolitana and then cross the districts of Cinelândia and Centro and reach the Sambodromo where parades are held during the carnival. Not even a glimpse from the outside is missing at Rio’s most famous stadium, the legendary Maracanã. Lunch in a steakhouse is then included before heading to what is the grand finale of the day. Crossing the center of Rio again, in fact, you reach the Urca district near the picturesque Praia Vermelha, one of the most beautiful beaches in Rio de Janeiro, it is here that you board the cable car that takes you to the top of the Sugar Loaf in two sections. On the top of Sugar Loaf you find yourself 400 meters above the city with great and truly spectacular views of the beaches and the bay. Once you get off the Sugar Loaf by cable car, the return to the hotel is included. Another tour with an excellent quality/price ratio.

Pick-up and drop-off in Rio de Janeiro: included for all hotels located in Copacabana, Leme, Ipanema and Leblon.

Duration of the tour: between 8 and 9 hours, the tour starts at 8 or 9 am but hotel pick-ups start even 40 minutes earlier, the return to the hotel is usually scheduled between 5 and 6 pm.

Guide: English speaking guide (as well as Spanish and obviously Portuguese).

Features: shared group tour with other participants usually carried out by minivan, with the latest update it is possible to provide the option to go up to Corcovado with the typical train; the local supplier is C2RIO, by far one of the best travel agencies in Rio de Janeiro, the reviews on TripAdvisor are good if not excellent.

Price: is per person and includes transport, guide, buffet lunch, entrance to Christ the Redeemer at Corcovado and the cable car ticket at the Sugar Loaf; the only things not included are drinks and tips.

Pros: entrance tickets to both Corcovado and Sugar Loaf already included, as well as a sumptuous BBQ buffet lunch in a churrascaria, it seems that the quality of the food on offer is really good.

Cons: no one; then, of course, like all shared group tours that include departure from hotels, take into account the waste of time on departure and return to collect/leave the participants in the different hotels.

Good to know: pick-up is included from hotels only, not available from hostels, private homes and B&Bs.

Recommended: if you want to see the best of Rio de Janeiro in one day.

Price, info & Booking: GetYourGuide | Rio: Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, Selaron & BBQ Lunch

Video: the experience of the two stages cable car ride from Praia Vermelha to Morro da Urca and from here to the top of the Sugar Loaf with the view of Rio at sunset in the images by digitalphat:

The tour option with a private car and a personal guide: it is the exact same tour, always organized by C2RIO, however, carried out on a strictly private basis, with a sedan or SUV and a total exclusive guide for 8 hours, this is the link to check prices and book GetYourGuide | Rio de Janeiro: Sugar Loaf & Corcovado Private Day Tour; in this last tour lunch is not included, the guide will suggest you where to have lunch if you want.

A similar group tour to visit Rio de Janeiro with lunch included: a group tour of Rio de Janeiro that includes entrance tickets to Christ the Redeemer, Rio Cathedral and Sugarloaf Mountain, a visit to the Selarón Steps and two further stops to admire the Maracanã and the Sambodromo from outside, this is the link to check the price and book GetYourGuide | Rio de Janeiro: 6-Stop Highlights of Rio with Lunch, the actual provider of the services is Rio Carioca Tours.

Photo Credit: GetYourGuide

Rocinha Favela Tour: Visiting Rio de Janeiro’s Most Famous Slum

The largest favela in Brazil, and the second most populous slum in all of South America. 180,000 people live there and it is located in the Zona Sul of Rio de Janeiro, between the neighborhoods of São Conrado and Gávea. It is called Favela Rocinha, it is built on a steep hill just one kilometer from the beaches crowded by tourists and is very famous. For a long time inaccessible to any tourist, it is now possible to visit it accompanied by a guide. And it is an unusual and really interesting tour, one of the most special experiences you can have in Rio de Janeiro. Once you reach the upper part of the favela with a minibus, you will cross it on foot accompanied by a resident guide, walking down the hill street after street, visiting a house, entering several shops and stopping to admire the views of Rio de Janeiro from above. The tour is accompanied by a guide residing in the favela, so you get an insider’s perspective on daily life and learn about the challenges these communities face.

Pick-up and drop-off in Rio de Janeiro: if things have not changed the pick up from the hotels is not provided, you meet your guide at one of the two meeting points provided for this tour, the first one at the entrance of the very famous Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel, on Avenida Atlântica 1702 in Copacabana, the second in Ipanema at the entrance to the Praia Ipanema Hotel on Avenida Vieira Souto 706.

Duration of the tour: approx 3 hours.

Guide: English, French, Spanish and Portuguese speaking guide.

Features: group walking tour, the local supplier is Favela Walking Tour, very well-appreciated on TripAdvisor.

Price: includes transport by minivan from Copacabana and Ipanema and back, the guided walk inside the Rocinha Favela.

Pros: the chance to visit a favela with the highest degree of safety possible.

Cons: the question always remains whether visiting a slum is tourism or voyeurism.

Good to know: as for all favela tours, the price you pay includes a monetary contribution to the favela community. Please wear comfortable shoes.

Price, info & Booking: Viator | 3 Hour Rocinha Favela Walking Tour

Other Rocinha Favela tour options: there are several other well known Rio de Janeiro local operators offering guided tours in the Rocinha favela, two of the most popular and successful tours are GetYourGuide | Rio De Janeiro: Half-Day Rocinha Favela Walking Tour by Local55Travel and GetYourGuide | Rio de Janeiro: Rocinha Favela Walking Tour with Local Guide organized by Local Walking Tours.

If you want to visit Favela Santa Marta: located a few steps from Botafogo in the heart of Rio de Janeiro Favela Santa Marta is probably the steepest and most colorful slum of Rio, it became famous since 1996 when Michael Jackson filmed his video for the song “They don’t care about us” here. Favela Santa Marta has some incredible views out towards Ipanema and Sugar Loaf Mountain, and can be visited with the help of one of the best favela local tour operators of Rio, Favela Santa Marta Tour, here is the link to book GetYourGuide | Rio de Janeiro: Favela Santa Marta Tour with a Local Guide. Take into consideration that this is a very particular tour because you reach the top of the favela in an unusual way by boarding a scenic cable car, then take a panoramic guided walk inside the favela.

Photo Credit: Viator

Small Group Tour to Santa Teresa by the Bonde, Corcovado and Copacabana: Rio de Janeiro Like a Local

An unusual but highly profitable excursion. Completely different from any other tour presented here. There is a guide but not the car or the minivan and not even the classic bus. Instead, you travel the length and breadth of Rio de Janeiro by public transportation, so you feel more like a local than a traditional tourist. You visit the historic center of Rio, the colonial district of Santa Teresa arriving there with the tram Bonde, admire the view from Corcovado and explore Copacabana and Leme properly: a complete Rio experience.

But how does the tour take place and where do you go in detail? The starting point of the tour is Copacabana, from here by subway you reach the Carioca station, located in the Centro district and dominated by the tallest skyscrapers of Rio de Janeiro. On foot, strolling through the financial district, you head towards the departure station of the Bonde, the last still existing of Rio’s characteristic trams: on board the tram you pass over the dizzying Aqueduto da Lapa and after 20 minutes of fascinating journey you find yourself in Largo dos Guimaraes, the heart of the bohemian district of Santa Teresa. Here you explore the cobbled streets and the curious little shops of the neighborhood, then admire the famous and colorful Selaron’s Staircase and then go back down towards the subway, usually Cinelandia station. In the early afternoon, take the bus to the top of Corcovado to see the most beautiful panorama of Rio the Janeiro from the shadow of the large statue of Christ the Redeemer. Then comes the grand finale: with your guide you will reach the suggestive district of Leme first and then the famous Copacabana, walking not only along the seafront but also in the secondary streets. It is on the Avenida Atlantica in Copacabana that the tour ends.

Pick-up and drop-off in Rio de Janeiro: if things have not changed, the meeting point for all participants is at the Copacabana Palace Hotel at 1702 Avenida Atlântica in Copacabana, next to the statue located outside the hotel entrance; you double check in the official link of the tour and in the confirmation email that is sent to you immediately after booking; reconfirm the tour the day before and be there 15 minutes before the departure time.

Duration of the tour: 8 hours, departing at 9 am and returning to Copacabana around 5 pm.

Guide: English speaking guide.

Features: small group tour with a maximum of 12 participants, takes place on foot and by public transport; the local provider is the highly acclaimed Urban Adventures, which ranks high in customer reviews on TripAdvisor.

Price: is per person and includes assistance from the guide, metro and bus tickets, the special ticket for the Bonde tram to Santa Teresa and entry to the statue of Christ the Redeemer at Corcovado.

Pros: unlike many other guided tours, you reach the colonial district of Santa Teresa aboard the famous Bonde tram; a visit to the quaint and quiet neighborhood of Leme that many tourists miss and a “behind the scenes” walk in the streets of Copacabana.

Cons: only one, there is no pick-up from the hotel.

Good to know: to participate, the minimum age is 6 years; wear comfortable shoes, you will walk a lot.

Recommended: if in a single day you want to visit not only two of the most famous attractions of Rio de Janeiro, the Santa Teresa district and Corcovado, but also take a look at the historic center of the city and explore the streets of Copacabana, all moving by public transport and on foot, like a real carioca.

Price, info & Booking: Viator | Rio de Janeiro Combo Tour: Santa Teresa, Corcovado, Christ & Copacabana, please take note this tour does not always operate.

Photo Credit: Viator

Rio de Janeiro Tailor Made Private Tour

No pre packaged programs. No fixed itineraries. Instead, you have a private car with a driver and guide at your disposal for 8 hours to go where you wish and visit what you want. At a more than reasonable cost. As soon as you meet your guide in the hotel lobby, you are the one who gives directions on where to be taken. That is, you only visit the places and the attractions that interest you most. You can first wander around the fashionable neighborhoods of Zona Sul, Copacabana and especially Ipanema and Leblon, and then reach the central areas of Rio de Janeiro and go and take a look at the historic attractions of Rio, with Praça XV de Novembro and Travessa do Comércio. Or reach the new waterfront of Praça Mauá and Porto Maravilha overlooking the bay of Guanabara to visit the futuristic structure of the Museu do Amanhã designed by Santiago Calatrava. Or even push yourself to the top of Corcovado to admire the panorama of Rio de Janeiro from the imposing statue of Christ the Redeemer.

Pick-up and drop-off in Rio de Janeiro: your hotel in Rio de Janeiro.

Duration of the tour: 8 hours, departure usually around 8 am with return at 4 pm.

Guide: if things have not changed the tour is only available with an English, Spanish or Portuguese speaking guide.

Features: tour on a strictly private basis with car and driver/guide at your full disposal, maximum 4 people, the actual provider of the service is the well-rated Luis Darin Tour Guide In Rio, the operator’s reviews on TripAdvisor are really very good.

Price: the cost is per car/minivan including the driver/guide; from a simulation I did when updating this article, the cost changes little from 2 to 4 people, please check if this is still the case, if yes clearly the more you are the more the quality/price ratio you gain.

Pros: being a private full day tour, the cost is not excessive; the tour is at its best if you intend to use your private vehicle to travel as much as possible through the streets of Rio, along the Copacabana and Ipanema waterfront and visiting the colonial district of Santa Teresa and the district of Centro, or to reach the summit of Corcovado using your car; booking this service if you want to go by cable car to the Sugar Loaf makes little sense (you pay for the vehicle and guide while you spend most of your time on the cable car).

Cons: no one, anyway keep in mind that neither lunch nor any entrance ticket is included, if you decide to go to Corcovado or any other attraction that has an access cost this will be an extra, you will have to pay it on the spot.

Recommended: to couples and even more to families and groups of friends who want to have a first introduction to Rio de Janeiro with the great comfort of a private vehicle, without wasting time and spending an extremely reasonable amount of money.

Price, info & Booking: Viator | Full-Day Custom Private Tour of Rio

Other private options: there are several local operators in Rio de Janeiro offering customized tours, with car and private driver/guide at your complete disposal to visit what you want; one of the best is Viator | Private Custom Full-Day Highlights in Rio: Only the best Sights! carried out with a driver and a private guide who accompanies you from the first to the last minute and with different costs based on the size of your group, the tour is available in different languages including English, German, French and Spanish, the prices are not bad.

Photo Credit: Viator

Day-Trip to Angra dos Reis with Boat Tour to Ilha Grande from Rio de Janeiro

Do you want to spend a day at the beach seeing one of the most beautiful places in Brazil? Do you like the lively atmosphere, music and drinks? If the answer to all questions is a firm yes then this could be the right tour. The destination is the tropical bay of the splendid Ilha Grande just off the coast of Angra dos Reis, located 250 km west of Rio de Janeiro. Once you reach Angra dos Reis by coach you embark on a large schooner to explore the islands of Ilha Grande bay. During navigation and before landing at Japariz Beach where lunch is provided, 3 stops are generally made, each of about half an hour, at 3 different bays: Cataguases Island, the beautiful Lagoa Azul and the Praia do Araçá/Freguesia de Santana, with its small church between palm trees dating back to the 18th century. Sometimes and alternatively you visit the island of Gipoia and the Botinas Islands. You can swim and sunbathe while sailing. Keep in mind that often on board there is an orchestra playing, and when the orchestra stops they put on the music, the beer flows freely and the caipirinha certainly does not lack, the participants laugh, joke and dance: this is how the Brazilians interpret the beach and beach life. This tour gives its best on midweek days (to avoid traffic along the road and crowds in the bay on weekends) and in the months from late October to April, in the Austral Summer. If you go to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande in July and August may find gray days and the weather too cool for swimming or sunbathing.

Pick-up and drop-off in Rio de Janeiro: included for all hotels in the central area of Rio de Janeiro and from the beaches of the Zona Sul including Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon.

Duration of the tour: about 13 hours, sometimes more; the boat cruise in the waters of Ilha Grande lasts more or less 4 hours.

Guide: speaking Portuguese and a little English, the crew on board the boat speaks almost exclusively Portuguese, not that there are any particular communication problems (with Brazilians we always understand each other), but it is good to know.

Features: bus and boat tour shared with other (and sometimes numerous) participants.

Price: is per person and includes transport from the Rio de Janeiro to Angra dos Reis and back by coach, navigation in the Ilha Grande bay aboard a schooner and lunch; drinks are not included as well as snorkeling equipment.

Pros: the opportunity to get out of the big city of Rio, admire the landscapes along the road leading to Angra dos Reis, and enjoy half a day aboard a boat in one of the most beautiful bathing spots of the entire Atlantic coast of Brazil.

Cons: as per all group tours on departure and arrival the bus stops at a lot of hotels to collect passengers, this means wasting time; do not expect a peaceful tropical idyll to enjoy in peace, not only will you be aboard a boat together with a significant number of other tourists, but in addition to your own boats there are numerous others, and all follow the same route, stopping in the same beaches and at the exact same moment…

Good to know: bring a snack because you usually have lunch very late, sometimes in the middle of the afternoon; the lunch is quite basic; do not think about a cultural tour or to receive too much information from the guide; to reach Angra dos Reis it takes between 3 and a half hours and 4 hours by bus, and the same to return to Rio at the end of the excursion, be aware before booking, those who complain have not looked at the map first; if you want to snorkel, the equipment has an extra cost, be quick to request it because sometimes there is not enough for everyone; lastly, the duration of the stops for snorkeling and swimming is obviously limited, if you want to enjoy Ilha Grande properly then you should plan a stay on the island of at least 2 or preferably 3 nights.

Recommended: please note that this is not a family tour, but for singles or groups of friends who go to Rio de Janiero, do not continue the journey to other seaside destinations in Brazil, and want to spend a day at the beach having fun.

Price, info & Booking: Viator | Full Day Tour to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande from Rio de Janeiro

Video: the transparent waters of Ilha Grande with Lagoa Azul and the beach of Freguesia de Santana and its charming church among the palm trees in the video by VBC Imagens Aéreas:

Important!

Before booking read the full description of the tour you like in the official page of Viator and GetYourGuide carefully, please check what is included and what is not, meeting points, times of departure and cancellation policies.

After booking, if you have any queries or doubts, immediately contact Viator or GetYourGuide Customer Service in order to receive assistance.

And the day before the tour, please reconfirm the pick-up time with the local supplier. You receive phone and email from the local supplier of the tour immediately after your booking. Maybe your hotel can help.

Read the reviews. If the majority of the reviews are positive that’s a good thing. And always check all the info you read here in the official page of each tour, things change and the official site provides the latest updates.

Last Update: December 7th 2023

Front cover photo credit: Rio de Janeiro, GetYourGuide