3-Day Customizable Tour of Rio de Janeiro

3 Days

Mobile Ticket

Hotel Pickup Offered

English,Spanish

Language Offered

Overview

Create your own 3-day exploration of Rio on this customizable tour. Meet your local guide upon arrival at the airport, then transfer to the South Zone of the city for 2 nights of accommodation in this trendy neighborhood. Choose your own adventure from any number of activities, including a visit to Christ the Redeemer or the Tijuca Forest, walking through the city's favelas or a cruise on Guanabara Bay. Mix in free time as you see fit and enjoy air-conditioned transportation between sites.

3-day customizable tour of Rio de Janeiro starting with pickup from the airport
Select an outing for Day 2 and another for Day 3 among three options available for each day
Enjoy a city tour and visit Sugar Loaf Mountain, or ride a cog train up Corcovado Mountain (Day 2 options)
Explore Tijuca Forest aboard an open-air Jeep and take an easygoing trek to see waterfalls (Day 2 option)
Visit Petrópolis, Brazil's Imperial City, and wander through the former summer palace of its last emperor (Day 3 option)
Discover Rocinha, a favela in Rio's South Zone, or snap shots of Rio's skyline while on a Guanabara Bay cruise (Day 3 options)
Stay for two nights in a South Zone hotel (3-, 4- and 5-star accommodations are available)

Inclusions & Exclusions

Departure & Return

What To Expect

Arrive in Rio and meet your guide at the airport, then transfer to your accommodations in the South Zone to get a good night's rest before your fully-customizable adventure begins. Each of the activities, with the exception of the Petrópolis Day trip, take a half day, which allows for plenty of free time to explore Rio on your own. Choose from 3-, 4- or 5-star single or double accommodations (see hotel listing under the Important Info tab), and select your activities for each day when booking.Day 2 (select one):Tijuca Forest Jeep TourSugar Loaf Mountain and City TourCorcovado Mountain with Christ the Redeemer StatueDay 3 (select one):Guanabara Bay CruiseRocinha Favela TourPetrópolis Day TripItineraryDay 1: Airport "“ Hotel After convenient pickup from Rio de Janeiro International Airport timed with your flight arrival, sit back and relax as your driver takes you to your hotel in the upscale South Zone (Zona Sul) district. Check in at your accommodation, where you'll stay for two nights, and finalize your activity schedule for the next two days with your guide. If you arrive during the day, stretch your legs with a walk around Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. Perhaps sip an evening cocktail (own expense) at an open-air cafe along the shore and soak up beautiful views of the lagoon and the white-sand beaches.Overnight stay at a South Zone hotel Day 2: Sugar Loaf Mountain and City Tour, Corcovado Mountain with Christ the Redeemer Statue, or Tijuca Forest Jeep TourAfter pickup from your hotel, travel with your guide for one of the following tours, each of which covers different must-see sites in Rio. Sugar Loaf Mountain and City Tour (4 hours)In the morning, zip around Rio's top historical sights in air-conditioned transport. Visit the bustling Cinelandia Square, or officially Praça Floriano Peixoto, named after the second president of Brazil. Pass by the Municipal Theater, the National Library and the National Museum of Fine Arts. Stop by the cone-shaped Metropolitan Cathedral, a design inspired by a Mayan pyramid. A fan of Carnival? Check out the Sambadrome, where the city's samba schools compete with Olympics-level dedication during the annual festival. Next, board a glass cable car in the Urca district that whisks you up Sugar Loaf Mountain. Make a brief stop at 700 feet (213 meters) above sea level to snap shots of the city, Guanabara Bay, the Rio-Niteroi Bridge and Corcovado Mountain. Then reach the apex of Sugar Loaf, 1,299 feet (396 meters) high, and marvel at panoramas of the Santa Cruz Fortress and the beaches of Niteroi and Copacabana. After drop-off at your hotel, explore the city on your own in the afternoon.Corcovado Mountain with Christ the Redeemer Statue (4 hours)Enjoy a free morning to yourself and then in the afternoon, hop aboard a cog train and travel through the lush Tijuca Forest. In 20 minutes, you're at the top of Corcovado Mountain, next to the feet of the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, 130 feet (39 meters) tall, and looking up at his arms that stretch 98 feet (30 meters) wide. Soak up the sights of Rio from your mountaintop vantage point as you learn about the 1931 art-deco statue named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. Tijuca Forest Jeep Tour (4 hours)In the morning, hop aboard an open-air Jeep and head to the tropical Tijuca Forest, located minutes from the city center. Learn about the reforestation program of Tijuca National Park and the importance of the Mata Atlântica ecosystem, part of the protected Mata Biosphere Reserve, which covers 14 states in Brazil. Inside the rainforest, take photos of the Emperor's Table, where Brazil's last emperor supposedly held picnics, and the pink-and-purple Mayrink Chapel with painted panels. At Vista Chinesa, where the country's first Chinese immigrants settled, admire views of Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, Guanabara Bay and even as far as Niteroi.Disembark for an easy 30-minute eco-trek under the canopy with your guide. Walk to the clear cascade of Cachoeira dos Macacos, pass the Cascatinha waterfalls and learn about the rich plant and wildlife you see along the way. At the end of your Jeep tour, you'll be dropped off at your hotel. Overnight at a South Zone hotelDay 3: Petrópolis Day Trip, Rocinha Favela Tour, or Guanabara Bay Cruise After you check out of your hotel, your guide takes you on one of the following tours, each of which explores sites off the beaten track. After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel and then transferred to the airport.Petrópolis Day Trip (10 hours) Enjoy a 90-minute drive north past forests and waterfalls to Petrópolis, a popular mountain resort known as Brazil's Imperial City, nestled in the wooded hills of the Serra dos Órgaos. Arrive in the cobbled streets of Petrópolis and enter the Imperial Museum, housed in the former summer palace of Pedro II, Brazil's second and final emperor. Inside the restored Austrian-style palace built in 1845, get a look at how the country's royalty once lived. Stroll by tapestries, antique furniture and jewels, and admire the imperial crown studded with over 600 diamonds, weighing nearly 4 pounds (1.7 kg). Next, visit the Gothic-style St Peter of Alcantara Cathedral and see the tombstones of Pedro II and his family. Follow your guide to a tranquil park and marvel at the Crystal Palace, a ballroom made of glass and steel, where Princess Isabel held expositions and royal parties. Purchase lunch at a restaurant of your choice in town, and feel free to ask your guide for recommendations. Your tour ends with transport back to Rio.Rocinha Favela Tour in Rio de Janeiro (4 hours)On this morning tour, gain insight into the day-to-day lifestyles of locals who live in the hillside favela of Rocinha, located in the South Zone. Favelas are Brazil's version of a shanty town, overcrowded settlements built around the perimeter of Brazilian cities. Over time, many favelas create their own community-based organizations. Follow your guide up Rocinha's narrow staircases, into winding streets, and enjoy city vistas that most people don't get to see. Meet locals at a craftsmanship store and a cultural center. Part of your tour proceeds is given to a local favela community. Guanabara Bay Cruise (4 hours)Spend the morning appreciating the city of Rio from Guanabara Bay, where Portuguese explorers arrived on January 1, 1502, and hear about how they originally named the bay Rio de Janeiro, or River of January. During the 2-hour cruise, focus your camera on Sugar Loaf Mountain, Copacabana Beach and the statue of Christ Redeemer from your prime vantage point on the water. Catch sight of the neighborhoods of Botafogo, Flamengo and Urca, as well as Fort Sao Joao, Flagstone Island, Santa Cruz Fortress and Rio-Niteroi Bridge. When the ship docks back at the pier, you're driven back to your hotel.

3-Day Customizable Tour of Rio de Janeiro

Inclusions & Exclusions

Departure & Return

What To Expect

Hotel Pickup

Additional Info

Cancellation Policy

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