Top 15 Full-Day Tours in Rio de Janeiro

1.Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,673 reviews · 14 hours · from $77Our pick

Travel from Rio to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande for a 14-hour day of swimming, snorkeling, island stops, and a sea-view buffet lunch. Pickup is offered in Leblon, Ipanema, and Copacabana. Multilingual guides such as Marcelo, Fabio, Thiago, and Nayt keep the group moving, while the boat adds music, shade, drinks for purchase, and even a slide.

“Fabio was an amazing guide, couldn’t of been more helpful. Tour was brilliant and all arranged very well. Can’t recommend enough if you have enough time in Rio it’s a great way to get out the city and see a beautiful part of Brazil.”

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2.Full Day Tour to Angra dos Reis and Grand Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 469 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $90

Spend about 14 hours traveling from Rio to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande by bus and schooner. Swim at Lagoa Azul, visit quiet beaches, enjoy a buffet lunch, and return late. Guides may include Felipe, Flavia, Ana, Elainne, or Nayt. Expect shared transport, changing pickup points, and possible boat crowds.

“I did during the peak season, in early January. Our guide, Felipe was nice and kind. The overall problem is there are too many people in a group as others pointed. This is not good for both tour participants and the guide. A daily group consisted of more than 40 people is packed in a tour bus; then, at Angra, 2 or 3 of different tour groups are packed in a boat (because a similar tour is organized by many different tour operators). Fortunately, my group’s departure was not too delayed in Rio and we did not wait that long on the port to take a boat. For me, snorkeling/swimming…”

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3.Pedra do Telégrafo Hike and Beach Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 417 reviews · 4 hours - 390 minutes · from $56

Ride from selected Rio neighborhoods to Guaratiba, walk through Pedra Branca State Park, and climb about an hour to Pedra do Telégrafo. Guides such as Dayvison, Erick, Felipe, and Nicolas help with the pace and photos. After the summit, cool off at Grumari or Prainha Beach. The early start helps avoid heat and long photo lines.

“Awesome trip to Pedra do Telégrafo with Miguel. Transportation/pick up from hotel on time, pretty good tips during the trip and in the end a wonderful view over the sea and a relaxing finishing at beach Grumari. Highly recommend this activity.”

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4.Tijuca Forest Challenge Hike Full-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 163 reviews · 9 hours · from $86

Spend about five hours hiking rough, steep trails in Tijuca National Park with a bilingual guide such as Gustavo, Ricardo, Pietro, or Tito. Reach Taquara Hill, explore coffee-farm ruins, grottos, Bat Cave, and waterfalls, then cool off under Cascata da Baronesa. Groups are limited to six, with pickup from selected South Zone hotels.

“The breathtaking views over the rainforest alone was worth it. But also the rest: I learned a lot and got to experience this incredible forest. Our guide was not only helpful but also passionate about what he was showing us. I loved it. One of my highlights of my trip to Rio.”

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5.Rio de Janeiro Full-Day Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 121 reviews · from $165

This 8.5-hour small-group tour pairs an early Christ the Redeemer visit with Sugarloaf Mountain, lunch in Ipanema, and a wide tour of central Rio. Guides such as Carmen, Vicente, Ana, Kikko, and Vincent lead in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Hotel pickup is available in selected Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon hotels.

“Our tour Guide Vicente was great, the tour was in Spanish and English, He knows everything about rio, the tour on time.”

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6.Full Day Tour to Angra dos Reis with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 118 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $40Best value

Set out from Rio at 7:00 am for a full day to Angra dos Reis. You’ll visit Lagoa Azul, Freguesia de Santana, Cataguás Island, and Praia de Japariz, with a boat ride and lunch included. Guide assignments vary, though Sandra has led some departures. Expect a small booking group, but a much larger shared boat may be used.

“This is a long day. I got picked up at 7:30am and didn’t arrive back to my hotel until 10pm. You spend about 5 hours round trip driving to the location. Then when you get on the boat you are on it for about 5 hours. While on the boat you are with 200 other people. They let you off the boat at 4 locations, but by the time you get off you might have 20 minutes in the water because you have to wait for everyone to get off and back on the boat (you have about 30 minutes-45 minutes at each location). Lunch isn’t until 5 and it’s…”

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7.City Tour Full Day in Rio: Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 81 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $126

Spend about nine hours seeing Rio’s major sights with an accredited guide and shared transport. Your day includes Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, lunch at a Brazilian buffet, Selarón Steps, the Metropolitan Cathedral, Sambadrome, and an outside view of Maracanã. Pickup runs from Rio’s South Zone to downtown, not Barra or Recreio.

“It is a shame that I have to give them one star at all. Be warned this is advertised as a city tour with several stops. Once in the bus you will notice 19 seats for customers. 7 of them you can’t see out the window. The last two rows are above the windows and the other seats. You have to try and bend over and really contort your body to see out of the bus. You have no control over what seats you pick because it is based on when they pick people up. If you are closer to the excursion, you will be picked up last and have…”

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8.Private Full-Day Highlights Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 70 reviews · 7 hours Top rated

Spend seven hours seeing Rio’s biggest sights with a private guide and driver. Ride the train to Christ the Redeemer, walk Santa Teresa and Selarón Steps, visit the Metropolitan Cathedral, and take the cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain. English, Spanish, and Portuguese guides are available, with pickup from key Rio neighborhoods.

“Amazing personalized private tour. Patty, our guide, pick us from the hotel with brand new car and personal driver. Tour started with Cristo Redentor and Patty showed us the perfect spot/angle to take pictures and even other tourists were following ours. Tour is completely private, driver waited at every exit point to pick us. We enjoy all the itinerary and most importantly Patty is extremely friendly. She helped us a lot in tips/info/ translation around Rio. We could not expect better service than this! Thanks Patty for the unforgettable trip! Hope to see you again during the carnival”

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9.Full Day Tour of Rio de Janeiro with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 56 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $186

Spend about eight hours seeing Rio’s essential sights by air-conditioned vehicle, with a bilingual guide, included access to Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain, and lunch. The route also covers Maracanã, the cathedral, Sambódromo, Selarón Steps, Lapa, and Tijuca Forest. Guides such as Roberto, Louis, and Carlos have earned praise for clear, engaging commentary.

“Excellent Tour guide, he was very profesional. Spent time to pick up and drop off, guests from different hotels took too much time, around one hour per trip. The restaurant choice for lunch, it was horrible, and cheap. Terrible service and very poor meal quality.”

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10.Búzios Full-Day Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.3 · 55 reviews · 13 hours · from $69

Travel from Rio to Búzios by air-conditioned bus or van, then board a large schooner for three swim stops, a buffet lunch, and loud music on deck. You also get free time on Rua das Pedras. Pickup covers central Rio, Lapa, Ipanema, Copacabana, Leme, Flamengo, and Catete.

“più messaggi in cui viene chiesta la puntualità del cliente (giustamente)e mi sono ritrovata ad aspettare 35 minuti nella hall dell'hotel e nessuno rispondeva ai miei messaggi in cui chiedevo informazioni sul ritardo. partenza ore 8.30 e arrivo a buzios ore 13 FOLLIA. Per la gita viene data l'opzione in lingua inglese ma in tutta la giornata nessuno e stato capace, mi sono dovuta accontentare di una traduzione (scarsa) dal telefono della guida . gita in barca mediocre, l'unica cosa che si salva è la bellezza di Buzios che merita il viaggio.”

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11.Full Day City Tour in Rio de Janeiro

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 53 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $165

Spend one packed day seeing Rio’s headline sights with an English, Spanish, and Portuguese-speaking guide. Hotel pickup, air-conditioned transport, Christ the Redeemer admission, Sugarloaf Cable Car tickets, and lunch are included. You’ll also stop at the cathedral, Maracanã, Sambadrome, Lapa Arches, and Selarón Steps.

“We have a fantastic time our tour guide was wonderful and we enjoyed learning about Rio De Janeiro :)”

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12.Full-Day Tour to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 50 reviews · 14 hours · from $77

Travel from Rio to Angra dos Reis for a full day by coach and boat. Swim at Blue Lagoon, visit Praia de Araça and Freguesia de Santana, and stop for a Brazilian buffet lunch. English, Spanish, and Portuguese guides accompany the trip. Expect a long day, an extra R$25 marina fee, and optional paid snorkeling equipment.

“Muy buena actividad. Tuvimos un muy buen guia. Estaba preocupado por nosotros todo el tiempo. En el bus que ibamos tuvo un problema pero rapidamente nuestro guia solucionó el problema y la actividad se hizo a tiempo.”

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13.Full Day in Búzios with Catamaran Tour and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 39 reviews · 14 hours · from $76

You’ll travel from Rio’s South Zone to Búzios, then spend three hours aboard a catamaran with a DJ, three swimming stops, and views of famous beaches and islands. A buffet lunch, Bardot Promenade, and free time on Rua das Pedras round out this long but varied day. Guides speak English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

“Estuvimos esperando dos horas y cancelaron de la nada”

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14.Rio de Janeiro private Full day Custom Tours

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 35 reviews · 8 hours (approx.)

Spend about eight hours with a private driver-guide in Rio de Janeiro, starting at Christ the Redeemer and continuing to Sugarloaf and Lapa. Your group of up to three has a flexible schedule, hotel pickup and drop-off, bottled water, and private transport. Ask about adding Santa Teresa, lunch, and advance attraction tickets.

“Her name is Aline Scot Plavnik. She was very well spoken and incredibly knowledgeable. It was a private tour for us and we had many highlights already booked. Aline adapted to our needs easily and quickly while telling about things to see that we didn't know we should see, like the stairs and Santa Theresa.”

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15.Corcovado and Sugarloaf Mountain Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 32 reviews · 10 hours · from $178

See Rio’s two great viewpoints in one long day. Ride Sugarloaf’s cable cars, visit Christ the Redeemer through Tijuca Forest, and enjoy a churrascaria lunch. Choose the van route with Selaron Steps or the train option with a lap around Maracanã Stadium. Hotel pickup covers much of Rio’s South Zone.

“Interesant tour. Vous allez par différents lieux impossible d'aller par vous même dans un seule journée. l'organisateur vous guide par tout comme si vous êtes son enfants. Toujours en train de voir que vous soyez à l'aise. Il parlait en 3 langues. Malgré que le transport est superbe, le son du système audio très mauvais. Beaucoup de difficulté a comprendre pour la qualité du son. Impartialité au momnet de venir vous chercher et ça cause une angoisse de savoir si l'excursion va avoir lieu ou si vous avez été oublié.”

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