Rio de Janeiro Trip Overview
Corcovado and Sugarloaf mountains, Santa Teresa District and Selaron Steps in one day. Take a 7-hour, private tour to the 4 most visited attractions in Rio with a private local guide. Ideal for those who have limited time in Rio, see Christ the Redeemer and the southern beaches of Rio; then take a Swiss-made cable car up to the impressive Sugarloaf. Visit Santa Teresa district. To wrap the day we’ll visit the colorful and famous Selaron’s Steps. Tour includes pickup and drop-off from the location of your choice in Rio. Tour can be conducted at your pace and adapted to your needs.
Additional Info
Duration: 7 hours
Starts: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Rio de Janeiro Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Corcovado and Sugarloaf mountains, Santa Teresa District and Selaron Steps in one day. Take a 7-hour, private tour to the 4 most visited attractions in Rio with a private local guide. Ideal for those who have limited time in Rio, see Christ the Redeemer and the southern beaches of Rio; then take a Swiss-made cable car up to the impressive Sugarloaf. Visit Santa Teresa district. To wrap the day we’ll visit the colorful and famous Selaron’s Steps. Tour includes pickup and drop-off from the location of your choice in Rio. Tour can be conducted at your pace and adapted to your needs.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Luis Darin Private Tour Guide In Rio, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22060-002 Brazil
After leaving your hotel we’ll drive towards Cosme Velho neighborhood. On the way we’ll pass Palacio Guanabara and start the day going all the way up to the summit of Corcovado Mountain at 2,100 feet to visit the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue.
Places we will drive by on the way to the first attraction depend on your hotel location.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Mirante Do Leblon, Av. Niemeyer, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro Brazil
Depending on your hotel location we’ll drive by or even stop for a picture at this vantage viewpoint at the end of Leblon Beach.
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: Leblon Beach, Avenida Ataulfo de Paiva, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro Brazil
Depending on your hotel location we’ll pass by this very nice beach in the most expensive neighborhood in South America.
Pass By: Ipanema Beach, Avenida Vieira Souto – Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22420-002 Brazil
Depending on your hotel location we’ll drive by this very iconic beach on the way to the main attractions of the tour.
Pass By: Arpoador beach, Avenida Francisco Bhering, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22080-050 Brazil
Depending on your hotel location we’ll drive by this rock at the end of Ipanema Beach considered one of the best spots in Rio to observe the sunset during the summer.
Pass By: Copacabana Beach, Av. Atlantica – Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22070-011 Brazil
This worldwide famous beach is also the area where most hotels are located in Rio.
Pass By: Avenida Atlantica, Avenida Atlantico, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22021-001 Brazil
The seaside avenue in Copacabana is the most famous beach area in Rio.
Pass By: Praia do Leme, Avenida Atlantica Leme, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22010-000 Brazil
At the very end of Copacabana Beach Leme Beach is the best place for a picture of Copacabana.
Pass By: Leme, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro Brazil
Depending on your hotel location we’ll drive by this less busy beach located at the very far end of Copacabana.
Pass By: Botafogo, Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro
On the way to the main attractions we’ll drive by this nice neighborhood that can easily be seen from the top of Corcovado Mountain.
Pass By: Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro Brazil
Guanabara Bay is 100 miles in diameter and has its 1 mile wide entrance at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain.
Pass By: Flamenco Beach, PR-251, 00775 Puerto Rico
Depending on your hotel location we’ll drive by this classical neighborhood that offers the best view of Sugarloaf Mountain.
Pass By: Guanabara Palace, Rua Pinheiro Machado s/n, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22231-901 Brazil
This was the home of Princess Isabel, the daughter of Brazil’s second emperor. Today the beautiful building houses the headquarter of Rio de Janeiro State government.
Pass By: Cosme Velho, Zona Sur, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22241-220 Brazil
On the way to Corcovado Mountain we’ll drive through this neighborhood that was once the home for most embassies in Brazil when Rio was the country capital.
Stop At: Trem do Corcovado, Rua Cosme Velho 513 Cosme Velho, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22241-125 Brazil
This is one of the ways to reach the Christ Monument on top of Corcovado Mountain.
The cogwheel train runs up and down the mountain every 20 minutes taking 120 passengers each time.
Duration: 20 minutes
Pass By: Parque Nacional da Tijuca, Estrada da Cascatinha 850 Alto da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 20531-590 Brazil
The area of Tijuca National Park represents 7% of the city. The park located inside Tijuca Forest houses several waterfalls and hiking trails. Tijuca National Park is also the home for the Christ Monument.
Pass By: Centro de Visitantes Paineiras, Estrada das Paineiras S/N Visitor and Boarding Center for Corcovado and Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22241-330 Brazil
The visitors center was created in 2013 and houses an environmental education center and can be visited when going to the Christ Monument by minibus.
Stop At: Corcovado – Christ the Redeemer, Estrada Redentor – Alto da Boa Vista Parque Nacional da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22241-330 Brazil
The monument is located inside the Tijuca National Park, is reachable by train or van, and the ride through Tijuca Forest is quite pleasant. Going by van we’ll make a quick stop at the Paineiras Visitors Center and take a shuttle van to reach the monument. The train does not stop at the visitors center. At the monument we’ll enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the city.
From there we’ll go to Sugarloaf Mountain, the second most visited attraction in Rio.
Duration: 1 hour
Pass By: Floresta da Tijuca, Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro Brazil
Tijuca Forest is the largest reforested urban forest in the world. The forest takes 10% of the city area and houses the Tijuca National Park.
Pass By: Vermelha Beach, Praca General Tiburcio, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22290-270 Brazil
At the foot of Urca Mountain lies a small and beautiful beach with red sand and surrounded by mountains in both sides.
Pass By: Claudio Coutinho Trail, Praia Vermelha Sugar Loaf, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22290-270 Brazil
This flat trail located at the base of Sugaloaf Moutain is a place for a short walk looking for marmoset monkeys with Sugarloaf and the Red Beach as background.
Pass By: Urca, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22290-240 Brazil
This small and picturesque neighborhood is located at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain.
Pass By: Morro da Babilonia, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro Brazil
This solid granite wall rises above the entrance of Sugarloaf cable car. Here we’re very likely to observe climbers trying to reach the mountain summit.
Pass By: Trilha do Pao de Acucar, Pista Claudio Coutinho, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22290-270 Brazil
This hiking trail staring at Claudio Coutinho Trail also grants access to Urca Mountain.
Stop At: Morro da Urca, Praia Vermelha, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22290-270 Brazil
The round shape of this mountain next to Sugarloaf reminded the Portuguese a ship used to carry sugar.
This is the first step to reach Sugarloaf Mountain by cable car.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Sugarloaf Mountain, Av. Pasteur, 520 – Urca, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22290-255 Brazil
The second most visited attraction in Rio, Sugarloaf is a monolithic solid granite block over 1,200 feet above sea level located at the very entrance of Guanabara Bay in Rio. The access to the monument is at Urca neighborhood. The monument can be reached by taking 2 cable cars to the summit of Sugarloaf.
The cable car station at Urca is at the foot of Morro da Babilonia, and the Swiss-made cable car will take us first to Morro da Urca, and then we’ll take another cable car to reach the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain.
The views are spectacular during the entire trip.
From there we’ll go to Santa Teresa, a bucolic district on a hillside and Rio’s bohemian neighborhood known for its steep cobblestone paved streets.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Santa Teresa, Rua Aurea, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 20240-210 Brazil
Our third stop is this picturesque and well preserved colonial style area born in the mid-1800s that turned into an artsy neighborhood full of bars, cafes and good restaurants that offer a myriad food options including the best Acai and cheese bread in Rio.
The place offers great photo opportunities with its painted murals, street art, cobblestone streets and a variety of souvenirs shops, including the only one in Rio listed on Lonely Planet for having only items made by local artists.
Upon leaving Santa Teresa we’ll visit Selaron Steps to see the beautiful work of Jorge Selaron.
Duration: 30 minutes
Pass By: Carioca Aqueduct, Rua Riachuelo 27, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 20230-010 Brazil
Also known as Arcos da Lapa the aqueduct used to supply the city with water from the rivers born at Tijuca Forest. Now it is used as a passageway for the tram that connects Downtown Rio and Santa Teresa neighborhoods.
Stop At: Escadaria Selaron, Rua Joaquim Silva S/N, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 20241-110 Brazil
Escadaria Selarón is our last stop.
A colorful tiled stairway, gracefully decorated by the Chilean artist Jorge Selarón who moved to Rio in 1983.
The steps connect the areas of Lapa and Santa Teresa.
The 215 steps that he entirely covered with tiles mostly donated by visitors from all around the world.
Since 1990 Selarón has laid over 2000 tiles to the stairs as a tribute to the Brazilian people.
Duration: 30 minutes
Pass By: Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, Avenida Epitacio Pessoa, Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro 22471-001 Brazil
One of the nicest areas in Rio this tidal lagoon connects with the sea and it is surrounded by a bike lane.
