Petrópolis from Rio: The 13 Best Imperial City Day Trips

1.Petrópolis Day Trip with Optional Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 203 reviews · 12 hours · from $48Our pick

Ride from Rio to Petrópolis for a full day of imperial-era sights, including the Imperial Museum, Quitandinha Palace gardens, the Cathedral of Saint Peter of Alcantara, and the Crystal Palace. A multilingual guide leads the route. Lunch and a Bohemia Brewery visit are optional; guide names have included Rafael, Julio, and Mama Chris.

“Petrópolis is an amazing city, go there is mandatory to anyone who wants to know the true history of Brazil. Everything about that place is magical and the guide Mama Chris and the driver Victor will provide you the best experience you can have. Chris is so kind, helpful and into every detail about the city and its history that you feel like in a private tour. Would do again… 10/10.”

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2.Petrópolis Day Trip from Rio de Janeiro including Imperial Museum and Crystal Palace

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 101 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $93

Spend about nine hours traveling from Rio to Petrópolis, the former imperial summer retreat. A guide leads you through the Imperial Museum, cathedral, and Crystal Palace, with a lunch break and free time. Hotel pickup, return transport, and the museum ticket are included. Santos Dumont’s house and the Bohemia brewery cost extra.

“enjoyed the trip, very outgoing tour leader. Packed day, quite long.”

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3.Imperial City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 95 reviews · 9 - 10 hours · from $68

Leave Rio by air-conditioned bus for a full day in Petrópolis, the former summer retreat of Brazil’s imperial family. Visit Quitandinha Palace, the Imperial Museum and its royal jewels, the family mausoleum, Crystal Palace, the Flower Clock, and Santos Dumont’s house. An optional brewery tour adds tastings. Guides on past departures have included Chi Chi, Tete, Tanya, and Osleide.

“I would recommend. Tete a great guide. interesting trip. time was spent in a very nice atmosphere. great organization.”

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4.Petropolis The Imperial City with Beer tour and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 83 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $59

Spend about 10 hours traveling from Rio to Petrópolis, the mountain city tied to Brazil’s imperial era. The tour includes transport, an accredited guide, an Imperial Museum visit, buffet lunch, and a tour of Bohemia brewery with three tastings. You’ll also stop at Quitandinha Palace, the cathedral, Crystal Palace, Casa do Alemão, and Katz chocolate shop.

“Very nice walk, lots of history, beautiful road. We really liked Petropolis and were surprised. Very good food, excellent brewery! All very good! We recommend it.Auto-translated”

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5.The Imperial City with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 59 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $56

Travel from Rio to Petrópolis for a full day of imperial-era sights, including an hour inside the Imperial Museum, photo stops at Quitandinha Palace, the cathedral and Crystal Palace, plus an all-you-can-eat Brazilian buffet. An accredited guide leads the group, and guide Julio has been praised for his energy and multilingual commentary. Museum entry and transport are included; drinks and sweets are extra.

“A well-organized full-day tour of Petropolis with a professional and friendly team. Great sights, smooth transportation, and an informative guide. Highly recommended.”

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6.Petropolis Bohemia: Historic tour and visit to the Bohemian Brewery

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 45 reviews · from $58

Spend about nine hours touring Petrópolis, from its neo-Gothic cathedral and Imperial Museum to a guided Bohemia Brewery visit with three tastings. A buffet lunch and transport in an air-conditioned vehicle are included. You can also opt to visit Santos Dumont’s unusual house, though its entrance fee is extra. Guide Gabriel has been praised for clear English explanations.

“Tanto a visita ao museu imperial, quanto a visita à Bohemia fazem deste passeio uma experiência incrível.”

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7.Guided Tour to the Imperial Cida of Petrópolis with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 44 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $80

Leave Rio at about 8 am for a shared, bilingual-guided day in Petrópolis. See Dom Pedro II’s summer palace, the Crystal Palace and the imperial tombs in the cathedral, with lunch included. The tour also lists Santos Dumont’s unusual house, but its admission costs extra. Guide assignments vary; Chris, Mama Chris and Júlio have led trips.

“Ok, first of all, we had a phenomenal tour guide (Chris) and a very good bus driver. Petropolis is a beautiful city that is definitely worth a visit and we enjoyed spending the day there. The only cons of the trip I would say is that the Crystal Palace was closed for renovations when we visited, and also the limitations in the lunch (where you are only allowed 2 proteins) should have been communicated clearly.”

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8.Imperial Petrópolis – Historic Tour + Teresa Street and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 44 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $57

Leave Rio at 7 a.m. for a full day in Petrópolis, visiting the Imperial Museum, cathedral and Crystal Palace, with a panoramic look at Quitandinha, buffet lunch and free time on Rua Teresa. Santos Dumont’s house is optional and costs extra. Guides have included Aldo and Adriana, also called Drika, but your guide may differ.

“Toda o passeio foi muito agradável e o grupo e a equipe maravilhosa. Parabéns!! Eu recomendo 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏”

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9.Petrópolis Trip with Palace, Imperial Museum & Brewery

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 42 reviews · 9 hours · from $55

Travel from Rio to Petrópolis by shared vehicle, with a bilingual guide and stops at Quitandinha, the Imperial Museum, the cathedral and Crystal Palace. The route also mentions Santos Dumont’s home, where entry costs extra. Brewery arrangements may vary, so confirm which sites and tickets are included before booking.

“Educational trip, our tour guide Julio was funny and attentive. He's also multilingual - speaks Spanish, English and Portuguese.”

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10.Historic Petrópolis From Rio: The Imperial City –Palaces, Architecture & Culture

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 32 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $296Top rated

Take a private day trip from Rio to Petrópolis, the former imperial summer retreat. A licensed guide leads you through Quitandinha Palace, the Imperial Museum, the cathedral, Santos Dumont’s house, Crystal Palace, Bohemia brewery and Rua Teresa. Transport and listed attraction admissions are included, though the Quitandinha ticket details need confirmation.

“My tour guide Bruno was simply amazing. The conversations regarding general knowledge of Petropolis, Rio.and Brazil, and recommendations on everything from hiking to dining were every bit worth the trip. Petropolis is a lovely, quaint city with an interesting history. One note, we skipped the brewery which apparently isn't very interesting, but instead took a drive and quick hike through Tijuca forest! Thank you for an amazing day trip!”

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11.Petrópolis Tour departing from Rio de Janeiro

★★★★★★★★★★3.2 · 13 reviews · 9 hours · from $48

Travel from Rio to Petrópolis for a day of imperial-era sights, including Quitandinha, the Crystal Palace and Santos Dumont’s house. Round-trip transport, Imperial Museum entry, a buffet lunch and a guide in English, Spanish or Portuguese are included. Guide Julio has earned particular praise for his lively history explanations, but mixed itineraries can mean delays.

“Tuve una mala experiencia con la empresa, no la recomiendo en absoluto!! No pude concretar por la app la compra del tour, sin embargo me descontaron 93 dólares de mi tarjeta. Pese a los reclamos. la empresa se negó a reembolsar el dinero aludiendo a su política de cancelaciones. Una vergüenza!’”

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12.Private Tour with Museum Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 9 reviews · 8 hours · from $170

Spend eight hours exploring Petrópolis with a private guide, hotel pickup and entry to the Imperial Museum included. Visit Quitandinha Palace, the cathedral, Santos Dumont’s former home and the Crystal Palace. Guides such as Ederson have led visitors in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Palace tickets and food are extra.

“Muy buena. Linda e interesante. Sobretodo el palacio/museo. El palacio de cristal no vale la pena”

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13.Full-Day Tour to The Imperial City of Petrópolis

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 6 reviews · 10 hours · from $96

Spend about 10 hours traveling from Rio to Petrópolis with a multilingual guide and round-trip hotel transfer from selected neighborhoods. Visit the Imperial Museum, then see the cathedral and Crystal Palace, with free time for other sights. Museum entry is included; other attraction tickets, food, and drinks are extra.

“Overall we enjoyed the tour. Petropolis was a wonderful destination. Would have preferred spending more time sightseeing and less on shopping, lunch and breaks.”

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