Full Day Tour of Rio de Janeiro

Your tour of Rio will start with your guide meeting your group at the Palace Copacabana Hotel to escort you personally via the efficient (and safe) metro system to the very center of Rio, Carioca Square. Once there, your guide will lead you on an excursion dedicated to showing you the Real Rio.

From Carioca Square, you’ll head through the financial district towards the tram that will take you up the hill to Santa Teresa, the boho-chic center of the Rio’s artist scene. Your tram ride will take you past the Lapa neighborhood of Rio, home to an aqueduct dating back to the 18th century but now one of Rio’s most sizzling areas for nightlife.

You’ll get off the tram at Largo dos Guimaraes, the main stop for the Santa Teresa neighborhood. The colonial neighborhood has been experiencing a renaissance of sorts, and is now one of the city’s most beloved areas. Cobblestone streets and 18th century architecture now house fine restaurants, fabulous lounges and eclectic art galleries.

As your tour continues along those historic streets, you’ll stop by Escadaria Selarón (Selarón’s Steps), famous for its tiles that were collected from cities all over the world by Jorge Selarón in 1990. There are more than 250 tiles, representing more than 60 different countries. The steps have been featured in countless productions, from The Amazing Race to Pharrell’s “Happy” video.

From Selarón’s Steps, you’ll jump on the metro to the marvelous Copacabana beach where you’ll stop for lunch at one of the local restaurants to recharge with a meal, an acai smoothie, and a quick walk along the beach.

After Copacabana, you’ll head to one of the world’s most stunning icons, the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue, which stands more than 98 feet high and almost 2400 feet above sea level at the very top of Corcovado Mountain. On your way to the statue, you’ll pass through the verdant Tijuca National forest, where if you’re lucky, you may get to see some Capuchin monkeys.

Considered one of the 7 New Wonders of the World, the Christ the Redeemer statue provides one of the world’s most breathtaking views. From there you’ll have a vista of the entire city – from the gorgeous Guanabara Bay and the bridge from Rio to Niteroi, to Corcovado Mountain and sizzling Copacabana.