Rio de Janeiro · 1-DAY TOURS
Good 1-day tours fill up weeks ahead; the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Guided Rio all inclusive day covering Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, Maracana outside, Sambodrome, Selarón steps, and lunch buffet.
“Gustavo was excellent; helping us navigate Rio in a prompt but relaxed pace. We felt we had enough time at each site and Gustavo did a great job of helping us maximize our time.”
Full-day schooner cruise from Rio to Arraial do Cabo, with swim stops at Ilha do Farol, Gruta Azul, and Praia do Forno.
“Quite a nice day. Long day in the end but worthwhile to see some islands and have a nice swim spot.”
Arraial do Cabo day trip from Rio with air-conditioned pickup and a schooner boat tour. Swim at Ilha do Farol, Praia do Forno.
“Tour was BEYOND terrible: 1. Tour was not in English tho I asked for English. Tour Guide barely acknowledged me and never explained anything. Very rude, unprofessional, bad energy. I had to ask other ppl what this ignorant woman was saying. 2. There is a 4 hour drive from Copacabana that is not mentioned. Then another 2 hours boat ride. 3. No stopping at a beach. You only stop for an hour for ppl to jump in the water. It’s lame and boring. You basically pay and travel 6 hours to in water for an hour. 4. Boat is very loud and cheesy. Boat staff does not speak any English.…”
One day in Rio packs Christ, Sugarloaf, Copacabana, Sambadrome, Maracanã, Cathedral, Tijuca forest views, and Selarón stairs, with lunch.
“I was a bit apprehensive when we began the tour because we had specified an English speaking guide, but found that we had been put in a Portuguese and Spanish group instead. While my girlfriend and I are fluent in Spanish, we’re much more comfortable with English. That being said, we really enjoyed our tour with Marcio. He was very knowledgeable about all the places we visited, and engaging with all of tour group members. He also took several group and individual pictures which he shared at the end of the day. The lunch was a standard Brazilian buffet, you just have to pay for your drinks and dessert. The…”
A full-day Petrópolis escape from Rio, with Imperial Museum highlights, a neo-gothic cathedral, palace gardens, and optional lunch and brewery.
“Christine or Mama Chris was an absolutely fantastic guide. She was so much fun, has a huge heart, extremely friendly, caring, very professional and informative and had the most wonderful sense of humour. We were so privileged to have her as our guide, simply was the BEST. This company are extremely lucky to have her as an employee. Christine, thanks from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness and making sure we had a awesome memorable day. Good Luck Christine, you are a very special lady with a heart of gold.”
A long day trip from Rio to Arraial do Cabo for clear-water beaches, scenic boat stops like Blue Grotto, and sunset views.
“Our entire tour with Talia was outstanding, from pick-up to drop-off!”
Take on a hard 10.4 km hike in Rio’s Tijuca Forest, with coffee ruins, caves, waterfalls, and Taquara Hill views, small group.
“Our guide for this tour was Alex and our overall experience for the hike itself and of Alex was amazing. The hike: for nearly the entire duration of the ~5 hour hike, we didn’t see a single other person! A lot of the path felt very ‘untouched’ and the view points at the top were spectacular. The guide: Alex was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of interesting facts about the forest flaura & fauna as well as telling us a lot about the history of the country. He was very entertaining and we had a great time. Alex even gave us a lot of local Rio recommendations on…”
Private Rio day tour with Christ, Sugarloaf, Selarón steps, Sambadrome and downtown sights. 10 hours with pickup and licensed guide.
“Camila was great. She is personable and very knowledgeable about Rio and its history. She did a great job of giving us a feel for the character and history of Rio in a short period of time. I highly recommend this tour if your time in Rio is limited.”
One-day trip from Rio with a schooner ride, lagoons, and white-sand beaches in Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande.
“The tour is fine until you get to the boat. It was chaos, felt extremely overbooked. All this would have been tolerable if the boat staff was even a little polite. I have been on many an excursion and boat related excursion and none have ever bee”
A full-day guided trip from Rio to Petrópolis, visiting the Imperial Museum, St Peter of Alcantara Cathedral, Crystal Palace, plus options.
“The only trip we have been disappointed with. We were seated over the back wheels and i hit my head on the roof twice. The seat belt was broken and very uncomfortable. The tour guide had three groups. Spanish at t6he front, Portugese in the middle and English at the back. She struggled with English and although we couldn't understand her we were compelled to pay attention and we misses a lot of the scenery. We would recommend this tour only with a better tour guide and road worthy vehicle.”
Private Rio day tour with Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, Selaron Steps, and the Metropolitan Cathedral, plus guide and private transport.
“Patricia picked us up at the Port from our cruise ship and took us on a customised tour for the whole day. We visited the Maracana Stadium, learnt all about Carnival, walked up the Seralon Steps then went to Christ the Redeemer. We had Patricia’s wonderful descriptions of all of the history. After driving along Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, we parked at the Cathedral then walked downtown to the beautiful Library and visited Confeteria Columbus. We were returned to the port in time to get ready for dinner on the ship. Thank you for your wonderful and warm conversation- your English is excellent!”
Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande by schooner, with hotel transfers and a hot and cold buffet lunch. Swim stops plus snacky island vibes.
“The tour guide and schooner crew were great. The weather was awful. The crew tried all day to get the party going, but it was just too cold. The scenery was beautiful and I can imagine on a sunny day it would be fabulous. Will try it again on my next visit to Rio.”
Rio day trip to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande with free pickup, Lagoa Azul snorkeling/swimming, beach time, and lunch, plus boat party vibes.
“This tour was all about selling you stuff, I personally wouldn't bother.”
8-hour Rio highlights tour to Christ, Sugarloaf, Selaron, Lapa and more, with cable cars and lunch included. From $117.62.
“I booked this activity about 2 months in advanced. Received a confirmation from Viator, tour operator never showed up for pick-up nor contacted me. Viator attempted to contact operator but they never responded. I lost the whole day because it was too late to reserve a tour for that day; no tours were available. I do not recommend this tour operator.”
Búzios day trip from Rio, with a guided walk, schooner cruise past top beaches, and a filling buffet lunch, all in 12 hours.
“Trasferimento in pullman lunghissimo….andata 5 ore, ritorno 4,5 con la sensazione di essere all’interno di una cella frigorifera (nonostante avessimo fatto richiesta la temperatura e rimasta intollerabile) Il giro in barca-barcone …sembrava di essere allo stadio, non c’era posto x sedersi Buzios viene presentato come un paesino con acqua cristallina e paesaggi da paradiso….indescrivibile!!! Il centro di Buzios è in realtà una località pulita e ben organizzata a livello turistico il top?…il cibo!!!!…nella presentazione c’è scritto “in uno dei migliori ristoranti di Buzios”…dove siamo stati noi potrebbe ambire al peggiore nel quale ho mangiato Le aspettative erano alte …forse….a chi organizza ...”
Every kind of day this city offers, and the best of each.
