Rio de Janeiro Private 7-Hour Tour
About this activity
Highlights
- Private tour with hotel pickup and drop-off
- Visit to Christ the Redeemer statue
- Tour of Sugarloaf Mountain
- Exploration of Selarón Steps
- Professional English-speaking guide
Full description
Included / Excluded
- Private transportation with hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional English-speaking guide
- Visit to Christ the Redeemer statue
- Tour of Sugarloaf Mountain
- Exploration of Selarón Steps
- Meals and beverages
Itinerary
Reaching the Cosme Velho district, you'll take a unique Swiss cogwheel train that climbs the mountain from its base to nearly the summit. The very top is reached by climbing a flight of stairs to arrive at the iconic Christ the Redeemer Statue. The view, from this vantage point, with the surrounding Tijuca National Forest spreading below and a circle of mountains closing the horizon at the very back of the Guanabara bay is truly spectacular. After some time to walk around and take photos, we make the way back down.
From Santa Teresa to Lapa, there is the famous Selaron steps, a stairway decorated with colorful tiles. Known for its energetic bohemian vibe, “Lapa” is the most buzzing area in town day and nighttime.
Pass by: Have you ever heard of the Lapa neighborhood? If not, it should! It's very easy to know that you've arrived in Lapa. There is a famous monument that is the official image of Lapa, the large white arches aqueduct postcard of Rio.
Walk through Rio’s downtown through some of the coolest touristic areas catching sights and culture until Mauá square. The walk passes by historic attractions, lots of bars and restaurants, arriving at Mauá square where all tribes and people get together.
See a different side of Rio in its up-and-coming Porto Maravilha area symbol of the renewed Rio after the Olympics.
Admire the gorgeous cutting-edge museum structure, designed by famous architect Santiago Calatrava.
Mural painted by Eduardo Kobra listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest graffiti in the world.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro stands out among the buildings in the Center of the city. Its unique architecture catches the attention of everyone passing by and surprises those who visit it! Its appearance and history are unconventional and make it one of the most curious spots in the wonderful city!
The Sambodrome is the home to the Rio Carnival, where the parades take place during three nights every year, a concrete structure built specifically for the Carnival. It's an avenue with bleachers on both sides divided into sectors.
The most important Brazilian football temple. Scenery of important Brazilian football classic and facts, like hosting the final matches for the 1950 and 2014 football World Cup and the Olympics final football match in 2014.
We will then go up the Sugarloaf Mountain. A series of two cable cars will take you to the top of Sugar Loaf. At the top, again some of the most breathtaking views of Rio, this time from a different vantage point than at Corcovado. After that, tourists may want to enjoy lunch at a very nice “all-you-can-eat buffet” steakhouse restaurant (not included).
Pass by: Pass by Copacabana beach that was inspiration of songs and poetry, and one of the most famous postcards in Brazil. Copacabana is also stage of one of the biggest New Year's Eve in the world, the neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro has a lot of history, cultural life and bohemia.
Important information
Know before you book
- This tour is wheelchair accessible; please inform the operator in advance.
- Stroller accessibility is available; please notify the operator beforehand.
- Service animals are allowed; please inform the operator when booking.
Know before you go
- Wear comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing.
- Bring a camera to capture the breathtaking views and landmarks.
- Ensure you have a valid ID for any required entry tickets.
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Accessibility
- Infant Seats Available
Traveler reviews
Best tour guide and driver ever
Our ship was delayed in docking, but our guide and driver were still waiting 3 hours after we were able to dock. Guide Antonio (call me Tony) was one of the best we have experienced using Viator. Even though we had missed our scheduled time at Sugarloaf Mountain, his familiarity with the Mountain lines and Mountain staff allowed us to take advantage of the skip the line (best choice we made prior to arriving in Rio…recommend you do skip the line for the Mountain and Christ The Redeemer—and do it well before you arrive in Rio as times for skip the line sell out). Tony went everywhere with us and explained what we were seeing as well as where to stand to take the best pictures. We did not have tickets for Christ The Redeemer as skip the line was sold out, but Tony’s contacts at the site arranged for us to skip the line and a good thing as lines were long and visitors plentiful. Again Tony went with us and we have some excellent photos of the site. Then we experienced the Lapa Steps. Carnaval was in full swing and we were treated to the parades and mingling with locals enjoying the party. Tony also even made sure that we had pictures of ourselves at the sights and at the Lapa Steps. We also have to give excellent marks to our driver, Marcello. Don’t drive in Rio during Carnaval yourself. This was one of the best tours we have had with Viator and Tony and Marcello are the reasons.
Outstanding Tour with Romayne/Romo!
We had a great tour with Romo and this company. Ahead of time they advised us to get the skip the line tickets for Christ the Redeemer statue and then the regular ticket starting 2 to 3 hours after the planned time for the Redeemer tour and that was excellent advice. Romo was able to help us snaking through the many lines, skip the usual, longest lines with his many years of experience. This was even true on Sugarloaf Mountain where we did not have an express pass but having a guide who knew many people there made it just as seamless and quick. Even with the the tour guide and these tickets bought in advance you should plan that it will take 4 to 5 hours to see both Christ the Redeemer statue and Sugarloaf Mountain. However some of that's because the distances between the base where you get on and how far it is to get up to the top of the two places. He enabled us to get great views overlooking many beaches including boca cabana, the city , today and the ocean. At our request we also saw several large and his historic churches including the Benedictine Monastery with the gold leaf over all the walls and ceiling, the Metropolitan cathedral which is shaped like a pyramid and seats 20,000 people. And while our driver was driving all around the city and did a great job of pointing out various points of interest, slowing down to talk about them, stopping to let us take pictures, etc. Could not imagine a better tour guide for this 7 hour tour. The only negative had to do with our transportation. We the four of us rode in a Ford Explorer equivalent so we had plenty of room. And although it looked nice from the outside it was very well worn on the inside. Also, the air conditioning quit working during the course of the tour , although with the windows down and the car moving we were still comfortable even with temperatures in the '80s and humidity in the 90s. Strongly recommend the company refurbished the interior and obviously fix the air conditioning. And the suspension also seems to need an upgrade as I suspect the shocks etc I have not been changed in many miles.
Beautiful beach fills up a lot and I recommend going to another beach
Beautiful experience, I didn't understand the language much but I liked it a lot
We had an awesome Rio...
We had an awesome Rio tour mainly because of our great tour guide Camila and driver Mateo. Camila was so knowledgeable about past and present of this city and about all the important places in Rio. This tour exceeded our expectations and we definitely recommend this tour to others.
A great day
Exellent communication prior to trip, and perfect trip with Marco. All sights, very good information and he managed to avoid all queues so we had direct access to all attractions, and that in Carnaval week