RIO DE JANEIRO
The standout days in Rio de Janeiro.
The 15 most popular walking tours in Rio de Janeiro. The ones worth building a day around, with prices, run times and who runs each one.
Rocinha walking tour with a local guide from Copacabana/Ipanema. 2 hours inside, small group, community support, $36.
Most Popular
Walk Rocinha with local guides for a respectful, history-filled look at daily life in Rio, plus viewpoints and capoeira.
Sunrise hike from Vidigal to Morro Dois Irmãos with local guide, motor-taxi ride, lanterns, and sweeping Rio bay views.
“The guide never showed up and didn’t bother to call me until I reached out to her. Her excuse was that she couldn’t get an Uber on time, but that shouldn’t have stopped her from notifying me. Our meeting point was a favela at 3am. She knew this and still didn’t make an effort to…”
Walk Rio’s Little Africa for samba origins, Afro-dance heroes, and Valongo waterfront stops, with rooftop views. 150 minutes, $40.
A private 3-hour Centro walking tour through Rio’s key landmarks, from the Opera House to Paço Imperial, with flexible history stops.
“Although we saw some great sites, the guide made us feel like he needed to be somewhere else, and our 2 1/2-hour tour ended after 1 1/2 hours. It was not an inexpensive tour so we left feeling taken advantage of (and perhaps not seeing everything we were supposed to see?). Perhaps a price adjustment…”
A 4-hour Old Rio walking tour with hotel pickup: São Bento, Paço Imperial, Candelária, Mauá Square Olympic legacy, and the Metropolitan Cathedral.
“Highlights include Benedictine Chapel with amazing art work and the beautiful Portuguese Library both in down town.”
Ride the historic yellow tram and walk Santa Teresa to Lapa’s Arcos and Selarón steps on a small-group 3.5-hour tour.
“What a great way to visit a special area of Rio.”
Guided hike to Pedra do Telégrafo in Rio with bilingual guide, photo viewpoints, and photo-spot angles. Early start, pack water.
“We were told the night before that our pickup time would be 6:30am which we confirmed. However, we ended up being picked up after 8AM. I guess the original guide got 'sick' and nothing was communicated to us until after we reached out with a message around 7:30.”
A 3-hour Rio walk through Ipanema and Copacabana where live guitar and stories connect Bossa Nova to real landmarks.
“What an amazing journey we had! Guilhermo brought us through the history of Bossa Nova through music and participation. We brought us along with him in the journey instead of giving us a lecture about it. Excellent!”
3-hour guided Bossa Nova walk through Ipanema and Copacabana with a live musician, 10+ photo stops, and history.
A 7–8 hour walk through Rio’s Centro and bohemian Santa Teresa to Lapa, with a Santa Teresa tram ride and iconic viewpoints.
“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”
Historical downtown and Lapa walking tour in Rio. Admssion stops at Biblioteca Nacional and art museum, plus Selarón Steps and Praça XV.
“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…”
Rio Centro on foot in 4 hours. See monarchy-to-republic landmarks, major churches and squares, CCBB, Cinelândia, and a snack stop.
Walk Dona Marta in Rio with a local guide: arts centers, street art, sports projects, and the Michael Jackson viewpoint. 150 min.
Walk Rocinha with a local guide on a capped 10-person tour, adding craft stops, graffiti, viewpoints, and an included moto-taxi ride.
“My 73-year-old mother and I went on this tour today and was a day we will never forget!! Two women from the US completely out of our element, yet we were never concerned for our safety, The tour guide spoke very good English, and was extremely knowledgeable about the area because grew up there and…”
From Corcovado to Copacabana, and every way to see the city in between.
