The 15 Lapa Tours in Rio de Janeiro That Earn Their Price

1.Pub Crawl in Lapa with Cachaça Tasting and Live Samba

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 881 reviews · 4 hours · from $33Our pick

A 4-hour Lapa pub crawl with cachaça tasting, a free caipirinha, live samba, and a DJ nightclub finish, led by multilingual local guides.

“Everything was so well organised and our guides, Andressa and Marcos were just the most friendliest and nicest people ever. They made this night very very enjoyable for us. The best part was that they interacted with each and every person in the group instead of leaving everyone to be on their own. Had a wonderful night overall. Highly recommend this to anyone coming to Rio.”

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2.Santa Teresa, Lapa, and Cinelândia with Tram Ride and Selarón Steps

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 274 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $60

Tram to Santa Teresa plus Lapa and Centro on foot with a tri-lingual guide, hotel pickup, and tickets.

“It was very interesting, wish that group was not bilingual. It seemed that English stories were shorter. The guide was very helpful. The tram had high steps and it was difficult for older people to get in and out.”

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3.Walking tour of the bohemian neighborhoods of Santa Teresa and Lapa

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 59 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $72.09Top rated

Ride Rio’s yellow Bonde up Santa Teresa, then walk to Selarón Steps, Arcos da Lapa, and Cinelandia in a small 3.5-hour tour.

“Wonderful experience and really Ivan was really friendly. We discovered a lot of little gems from Santa Theresa. We strongly recommend this tour.”

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4.Centro Historico and Lapa – Santa Teresa Walking, Historical and Bohemian Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 44 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $137.8

Rio’s Centro, Lapa, and Santa Teresa on foot plus the yellow Bonde tram ride, with big landmarks, street art, and included drinks.

“Superbe découverte du centre ville. Yvan nous a fait découvrir l’histoire de Rio pendant une journée. Merci encore à lui pour toutes ces explications. Je recommande vivement”

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5.Historical Downtown and Lapa – Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 44 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $40

A 3-hour guided walking tour through Rio’s Centro and Lapa, with major landmarks, strong history talk, and photo stops like Selarón’s stairs.

“Disappointed that our tours booked in English were cancelled due to a minimum of 3 people needed in order to conduct the tours. The fine print does state that a minimum of 3 are needed but we would have been happy to tip more to meet the minimum. Both tours were cancelled a few hours before the scheduled start time. Our time in Rio was limited and thus it was impossible to find an alternative at the last minute. Wish we had had some warning a few days in advance and we could have prepared a backup plan.”

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6.Historical Downtown and Lapa Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 32 reviews · 3 hours · from $60

3-hour small-group walk through Rio’s historic downtown and Lapa, visiting the cathedral, imperial palace, and national library.

“Interesting, great information, our guide was very knowledgeable. Took us to places we wouldn’t have found if we were walking around on her own!”

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7.Tour 1 ( 8 hours ) : Sugar Loaf , Corcovado , Old Downtown Lapa and Santa Teresa

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 17 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $320

8-hour Rio private tour linking Sugar Loaf, Christ, Lapa and Santa Teresa by air-conditioned van, with key tickets extra.

“We waited for pur guide for over an hour with a no show. At the pier waiting for him was very frustrating.”

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8.Lapa – Night Life Tour in Rio

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 14 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $100

A 5-hour Lapa nightlife tour in Rio with Arcos da Lapa, club stops, and a party ticket. Samba and funk, small group.

“Je conseille cette excursion à tout le monde,nous avons eu la chance d’avoir un guide exceptionnel,bienveillant,de très bon conseil,super sympathique et parlant parfaitement l’anglais!nous avons pu découvrir tous les bons coins et meilleurs plans de de Lapa,sa diversité et ce dans une ambiance de folie et en toute sécurité! Très très bon plan par cher comparé aux autres excursions.je regrette juste ne pas l’avoir faites au début de mes vacances pour avoir la possibilité de revenir à Lapa”

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9.Lapa and Santa Teresa Private Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $68.67

Santa Teresa to Lapa in 3 to 4 hours, with the Santa Teresa tram, Ruins Park viewpoints, Selarón steps, Arcos da Lapa, and a cachaça stop.

“Carina’s tour through Santa Teresa, Lapa, and Glória was exceptional! Her passion and insider knowledge brought these neighborhoods to life. She shared fantastic tips for activities and restaurants, making the experience even more enriching. It was perfectly curated and couldn’t have been better. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Rio!”

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10.Tour 8(4 hours )Tour Old Rio:Lapa ,Imperial Palace , Columbus Cafe , Opera House

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $180

Private 4-hour Old Rio tour from Copacabana, with Selarón Steps, the Metropolitan Cathedral, Opera House exterior, Colombo cafe, and Imperial Palace.

“I was introduced to Claudio by the owner Casa Beleza in Santa Teresa after the 1st day I arrived. On the 2nd day, Claudio & I walked around Centro & saw my sites. I ended up having lunch as well. If you need a tour guide, Claudio is your guy! (Thx Claudio)”

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11.Samba Night in Lapa Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $83.38

Private 4-hour samba night in Rio's Lapa. English guide plus venue ticket, then a local pub, starting 8pm at Beco do Rato.

“We had the most incredible and authentic samba experience at a local bar! The atmosphere was amazing as we immersed ourselves in the rhythms of samba music, dancing the night away. Our guide, Monique, now our Brazilian friend, went above and beyond to share her deep knowledge of samba's rich history, making the experience even more enlightening. We recommend this tour to anyone seeking a genuine taste of Brazilian culture. It's an opportunity you won't want to miss!”

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12.E-Scooter Ride: Lapa + Santa Teresa + Selaron Stairs

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $99

3-hour small-group e-scooter ride through Rio, from Santa Teresa to Lapa and Selaron Stairs, with English guidance and top sights.

“La trottinette électrique est un moyen très agréable pour visiter la ville de Rio”

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13.Rio Santa Teresa and Lapa Samba Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $225

Small-group samba night in Rio, mixing Santa Teresa snacks and history with Lapa music stops, skewers, caipirinhas, and local samba circles.

“This was a wonderful way to get a taste of Rio’s nightlife and different kinds of samba! Damiana is a wonderful guide - so knowledgeable and energizing. She provides terrific history and background that helps us appreciate more deeply what we are seeing. We went to places we never would have found on our own.”

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14.Lapa and Santa Teresa with Tram Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 5 reviews · 4 hours · from $200

Ride Rio’s bondinho through Lapa and Santa Teresa, see Arcos da Lapa and Selarón Steps, then finish at Confeitaria Colombo.

“Tour molto carino e guida molto professionale e preparata, probabilmente però non vale i soldi spesi, troppo costoso per essere un tour a piedi di mezza giornata”

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15.Lapa and Santa Teresa

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 4 reviews · 6 hours · from $52

A 6-hour Rio walking and tram day through Lapa and Santa Teresa, with Selarón Steps, Arcos da Lapa, the cathedral, and a scenic train ride.

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