Rio de Janeiro Tour: Marvelous City

• Upon arrival at the Rio de Janeiro airport, you will be greeted by a Brazil For Less representative who will take you to your confirmed Rio de Janeiro hotel. See our selection of excellent Rio de Janeiro hotels.
• You will have the remainder of the day to enjoy at your leisure, resting at your hotel and exploring the dynamic city on your own.
• Check out our Rio de Janeiro Travel Guide for suggestions on where to eat and what to do in Rio.

• Today you’ll enjoy a private half-day tour up Corcovado, the mountain in the middle of Rio de Janeiro that is famous for its massive Christ the Redeemer statue.
• You’ll ride through Laranjeiras, one of the city’s oldest residential districts, and into the traditional Cosme Velho neighborhood. Here, you will board a mountain train for a scenic trip through the Tijuca forest, the largest urban forest in the world.
• Upon reaching the top, 2,300 feet above sea level, you’ll be greeted by spectacular 360-degree city views. Soak up the scenery and feel dwarfed by the 130-foot tall religious statue, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
• You’ll then return to your Rio de Janeiro hotel to enjoy the evening at your leisure.

• Spend the day as you wish in beautiful Rio. Today you can sleep in, relax in the sun on one of Rio’s magnificent beaches, or explore the bustling streets of the city.
• See our blog, Rio de Janeiro, the gem in colonial Portugal’s crown, for ideas on what to see in the city.

• Check our exciting additional Rio de Janeiro tours if you want to extend your stay, or meet your transfer to the airport for your journey home or on to your next destination.
• Browse our full range of Brazil travel destinations for additional vacation ideas, and feel free to ask your travel advisor for any suggestions.

Note: Hotel prices during Reveillon (Brazil’s New Year’s Eve festivities) and Carnival increase. Please ask your travel advisor how prices for your Brazil vacation may differ during these periods.

• 3 nights in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil hotels based on US standards
• All tours stated in the itinerary with expert English-speaking guides
• All transfers and entrance fees
• All breakfasts

PLEASE NOTE:

A tourist visa is required upon entry to Brazil for citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Travelers not within this group are advised to check with the Brazilian consulate where they reside for visa requirements and inquiries. For more information on obtaining a Brazil tourist visa, please read our blog on how to apply for a Brazil visa.

Begin your tour with a stroll along the most beautiful beaches of Rio de Janeiro before heading for dinner and a traditional Brazilian samba show. You’ll experience the rhythm that pulses through the veins of Brazilians. Samba, like the country where it originated, has its roots in African and European rhythms. The music and dance are now synonymous with Brazil’s world famous Carnival celebrations.

You will start this half-day tour with a drive through the beautiful city of Rio during which you’ll be able to spot the Sambadrome, where the Carnival parades take place, and the Metropolitan Cathedral. You will also see the Cinelandia Square surrounded by interesting historic buildings, including the Municipal Theater, National Library and National Museum of Fine Arts. You will continue on to the Sugar Loaf Mountain, one of the symbols of the city, located in the Urca neighborhood. You will ride the cable car up to 705 feet (215 meters) to a viewpoint from where you can see the entire Guanabara Bay, the Rio Niteroi Bridge and Corcovado Hill, on top of which stands the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer. From there, you ride a second cable car up to 1,295 feet (395 meters). From here, you’ll enjoy fantastic views of Copacabana beach, the Santa Cruz fortress and the entire city below you.

Take a fascinating journey to Petropolis, located 37 miles (60 km) away from Rio. Known as the Imperial City, Petropolis was founded by Germans and its rich history is still reflected today in its lovely architecture and charming streets. You tour will begin with a visit to the Imperial Museum, the former Palace of Emperor Dom Pedro II. The museum displays antique furniture, pearls, diamonds, and a crown of gold used by Pedro I and Pedro II. After this visit, you will continue to the Gothic Cathedral, also known as Sao Pedro de Alcantara, built in honor of the Emperor of Brazil. Here you will see the tombs of the Imperial family, where Princess Isabel was buried along with Pedro II and his wife. From here, you will tour the Crystal Palace, originally built in Saint-Saveur-les-Arras, France in 1879 and later re-constructed in Brazil.

Rio’s tropical islands are some of the most beautiful places to visit near the city. You’ll drive for approximately one hour and 30 minutes through numerous lush fields, banana plantations, and villages along the way to the small fishing village of Itacurussa. There, you will embark on a saveiro (typical schooner from the northeast of Brazil) for a leisure cruise in the calm waters of the Sepetiba Bay.

You can stop for swim on a deserted island, before continuing on to a private island where you’ll enjoy a tantalizing buffet luncheon served in a tranquil and rustic atmosphere. After the meal, you are free to explore the island's charms on your own by strolling along the beach, swimming, or just working on your tan. Special features can be arranged to enhance the day even more, including treasure hunts, snorkeling, water skiing, and more. In the afternoon, you’ll take the boat back to Itacurussa and be transferred to your Rio hotel.

This unique tour of one of the famed favelas in Rio de Janeiro offers travelers a glimpse into a side of Rio that visitors rarely get to experience. Santa Marta is one of the first communities in a program designed to welcome tourists to the favelas; poor but culturally vibrant neighborhoods where a strong sense of community has inspired a long tradition of music and art.

Santa Marta is located on Dona Marta Hill, officially part of Botafogo, in Rio de Janeiro. The residents refer to the district as Santa Marta because of the image of the saint which has adorned the inside of the chapel at the top of the hill since the beginning of the twentieth century.

Believe it or not, you may have already had a quick view of this neighborhood if you saw Michael Jackson’s music video for They Don’t Care About Us, meant to draw international attention to the residents of these communities. There are plans to build a statue of the famous pop star in one of the places he used for filming, Beco do Curió, beside the church of Assembly of God on the terrace of the district’s Culture House.

On this three hour tour, you will be picked up from your hotel by jeep, and driven to the neighborhood. From here you will stop at the elevator turret and see the place where Michael Jackson filmed, before walking through the streets to the residents’ association. On your way back to your hotel, the driver will take a picturesque route near the Lagoon.