Corcovado by morning train, Sugarloaf by cable car, Copacabana by dusk.
Which Christ the Redeemer ticket skips the van queue. What a sunset sail across Guanabara Bay costs. Whether Ilha Grande or Arraial do Cabo earns a fourteen-hour day. Reviews of the tours you can book in and around Rio.
The statue, the cable car, Rocinha on foot, Guanabara at sunset.
Four bookings most first visits hang on, what each one costs and what the people who went say about it.
01from $45Up by rack railwayChrist the Redeemer Entry Ticket by Corcovado TrainThe little red train climbs through Tijuca forest to the statue. Take an early departure, before cloud settles on the summit.
02from $46Late afternoonSugarloaf Cable Car Official TicketTwo cable cars, Urca Hill first, then the summit. Ride up an hour before sunset and stay for the city lights.
03from $36The other RioRocinha Favela Walking Tour with Local GuideA walk through Rocinha, Rio’s largest favela, led by a local guide.
04from $75Golden hour, afloatSunset Sailing TourUnder sail past the Urca cliffs as the sun drops behind the mountains of the bay.
Christ the Redeemer or Sugarloaf first? Choose your way up.
Almost every Rio itinerary begins on one of two granite tops. Rack railway, van, cable car or rotor blades: here is what each way up costs.
★★★★★★★★★★ 4.4 · Christ the Redeemer Entry Ticket by Corcovado Train
Corcovado and the statueThe train through the forest, or a van to the top terrace.
Sugarloaf by cable carTwo rides, two summits, the bay on every side.
Before the crowdsDona Marta and the Two Brothers at first light.
From the airA loop round the open arms in under half an hour.
All 53 Christ the Redeemer tours →
What Rio de Janeiro visitors book before anything else.
Every Rio tour on the site →The tours that fill first in Rio, from the statue ticket to the Rocinha walk, and why each one earns its place.
1
6-Stop Highlights of Rio with Lunch
Cover Rio’s headline sights in eight hours by minivan: Christ the Redeemer, Maracanã and the Sambadrome from outside, Selarón Steps, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and Sugarloaf by cable car. Hotel pickup, listed entry fees, lunch, and a multilingual guide are included. Guides such as Juan, Joao, Carlos, and Ursula have earned praise for clear explanations and adapting the day when weather shifts.
From · $130
Read our review →
2
Christ the Redeemer Entry Ticket by Corcovado Train
from $45
3
Rocinha Favela Walking Tour with Local Guide
from $36
4
Sugarloaf Cable Car Official Ticket
from $46
5
Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, Selaron & BBQ Lunch
from $69
6
Half-Day Rocinha Favela Walking Tour
from $35
7
Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande Full-Day Tour
from $77
8
Maracanã Stadium Official Entrance Ticket
from $24
Paraty, Ilha Grande, Búzios: the coast a day out of Rio.
The Costa Verde runs west to colonial Paraty and car-free Ilha Grande; the Costa do Sol runs east to Búzios and the white sand of Arraial do Cabo. Petrópolis, the old imperial summer town, sits up in the hills. Most are long days with an early pickup.
Rio looks best from the water, with Sugarloaf off the bow.
Sunset sails under the Urca cliffs, open-bar sailboats out of Marina da Glória, schooners and speedboats on the Costa Verde. The bay is busy all day and calm for most of it.
Tijuca Forest, Pedra da Gávea, the Two Brothers: Rio is a hiking city.
A national park runs through the middle of Rio. Waterfall trails under the Tijuca canopy, the long scramble up Pedra da Gávea, the short climb to the Two Brothers for sunset over Ipanema.
Corcovado in cloud: a ground-level plan for Rio’s grey days.
The statue stands on a peak about 700 metres up, and on humid or wet days the summit sits inside the cloud while the beaches below stay bright. Check the forecast for the top before you ride up, keep the ticket flexible, and have a plan at street level: a samba class, a Lapa night, the museums downtown, a market walk.
Rio prices, from a samba class to a helicopter seat.
Every Rio tour on the site sorted into three price bands. Plenty of the best mornings here cost less than dinner in Leblon.
Favela walks with resident guides, beach samba classes, the Maracanã ticket and the Lapa bar nights.
The statue-and-Sugarloaf combos, Tijuca hikes, sunset sails and the long coach days to the coast.
Hang gliding over São Conrado, helicopter loops and private days with a car and guide.
- 1Hang Gliding Adventurefrom $229
- 2Helicopter Tourfrom $220
- 3Hang Gliding Tandem Flightfrom $301
Four Rio bookings that will not wait until you arrive.
Most of Rio can be arranged the night before from a kiosk on the beach. These four run on train timetables, the wind, fixture lists and the hour the sun comes up.
- 01Christ the Redeemer Entry Ticket by Corcovado TrainThe rack railway runs to timed departures, and the morning trains fill first in high season.
- 02Hang Gliding AdventureFlights leave Pedra Bonita only when the wind allows. Book early in the trip so a weather day can be moved.
- 03Maracanã Stadium Match Ticket with DrinkMatch tickets are sold fixture by fixture, and the big derbies at Maracanã sell out.
- 04Sunrise at Observatory & Christ the RedeemerSunrise tours run one departure a day, timed to the light, in small groups.
Lapa, Pedra do Sal and Santa Teresa: where Rio goes out.
Samba starts late and spills onto the street: Pedra do Sal on a Monday, the bars beneath the Lapa Arches, the old tram up to the hilltop bars of Santa Teresa. Go with a guide the first night and on your own after that.
Rio after dark, in full →
Three things you will only ever do in Rio de Janeiro.
Plenty of cities have a famous view. Few let you jump off a mountain onto a beach, learn samba on the sand, or stand on a rock that photographs like a cliff over the Atlantic.
Hang gliding off Pedra Bonita
Tandem pilots run off a wooden ramp on Pedra Bonita, about 500 metres above the sea, and glide out over the Tijuca forest to land on São Conrado beach. Flights wait on the wind, so a slot early in your stay leaves room to move it.
- 1Hang Gliding Adventure★★★★★★★★★★ 4.6 · 760 reviews
- 2Hang Gliding Tandem Flight★★★★★★★★★★ 4.8 · 426 reviews
- 3Paragliding Tandem Flight★★★★★★★★★★ 4.8 · 186 reviews
Samba, any night of the week
Samba is taught on the sand at Copacabana and Ipanema in the morning and danced in Lapa long after midnight. One lesson is enough to hold your own in a circle, and the Carnival schools rehearse in their own halls through the months before the parade.
- 1Beginner Samba Lesson in Ipanema★★★★★★★★★★ 4.9 · 1,071 reviews
- 2Pub Crawl in Lapa with Cachaça Tasting and Live Samba★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 · 881 reviews
- 3Carnival Backstage Tour at Samba City with Cocktail★★★★★★★★★★ 4.6 · 520 reviews
Pedra do Telégrafo
A ledge in the far west of the city, above Barra de Guaratiba, where the camera angle turns a short drop into a cliff over the Atlantic. The photo queue forms early, the trail is short, and Grumari beach is close by for the afternoon.
- 1Pedra do Telégrafo Hike and Beach Full-Day Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 417 reviews
- 2Pedra do Telégrafo Hiking Tour ( Telegraph Rock – Avoid Crowds) – Rio de Janeiro★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 41 reviews
- 3Pedra Do Telegrafo and Grumari Beach with Photos★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 31 reviews
By place: Rio itself and the coast to either side
By kind of day: peak, trail, beach or samba hall
The newest Rio de Janeiro tours on the site.
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Rio Highlights: Christ, Sugarloaf, and More in a Private Tour
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Rocinha Walking Tour: Get a Feel for the Brazil’s Largest Favela (Shared Group)
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Tijuca Forest w/ Chinese View,cascatinha Taunay,horto waterfall and parque laje
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