Brazil · HISTORICAL TOURS IN RIO DE JANEIRO
Nobody travels with a spare day to burn. These 15 historical tours in Rio de Janeiro pay for themselves, each with its price, its traveller rating and the detail that decides it.
Explore Rio’s historic center, Lapa, and artistic Santa Teresa on a four-hour guided tour with hotel pickup and city views.
“Great tour with Romeu, a true guide telling us about the history of Brasil.”
Explore Rio’s Little Africa on a 150-minute walking tour covering samba, slavery, Afro-Brazilian culture, and the Valongo waterfront.
“We had a great time on this tour. Luana, our tour guide, was very informative and you could tell she was passionate about the information she was providing. It was very eye-opening and I would recommend this tour. It's a walking tour outside so be prepared to be out in the heat for 2.5 hours. But it was worth it.”
Explore Rio’s Little Africa through Afro-Brazilian history, museums, memorials, music landmarks, and a thoughtful three-and-a-half-hour walking tour.
“The subject matter of this tour can be polarizing for some but this tour was handled very professionally without compromising the truth or reality of the inhumanity of the slave times of the past past ch that still cast a shadow of institutional inequality in today's times.”
Explore Rio’s historic center on a private three-hour walking tour from Cinelândia to Paço Imperial, with flexible stops and expert local guidance.
“Amazing, friendly and very informative walk around the historical center of Rio! 5 / 5 stars! Thank you!”
Review of Rio’s 4-hour Old Rio walking tour, with churches, imperial landmarks, Olympic-era museums, hotel transfers, and practical tips.
“The tour was very worthwhile. tour guide well informed. Very patient. Was very passionate about Rio and the history of the city. Answered all questions and had time to answer individual questions.”
Review of Rio’s 4-hour Olympic Boulevard and historic center tour, with the Museum of Tomorrow, hotel pickup, walking tips, price, and practical advice.
“Cancelled late in the evening via WhatsApp due to not having enough people. Too late for me to rebook another experience with anyone else as I was leaving that night. They should have communicated this earlier. Had to get Viator involved to get a refund from them.”
Explore Rio’s Olympic Boulevard, Kobra mural, Museum of Tomorrow, Saint Benedict Monastery, and Confeitaria Colombo in four hours.
“Pedro was very much dedicated with the history of Brazil. I enjoyed the tour with him. He was very informative . We learned so much about the history of Brazil. Thank you Pedro for all that you taught us about the history of Brazil.”
Explore Petrópolis landmarks, the Imperial Museum, and Bohemia Brewery tastings on a full-day tour from Rio de Janeiro.
“Tanto a visita ao museu imperial, quanto a visita à Bohemia fazem deste passeio uma experiência incrível.”
Review of Rio’s Centro Histórico, Santa Teresa, and Lapa walking tour, with churches, street art, tram ride, views, pricing, and practical tips.
“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”
Explore Rio’s historic center and Lapa on a lively three-hour walking tour with expert commentary, photo stops, and practical local tips.
“Excellent! Rafael was an awesome and really sympa guide. It was my second time in Rio, but this time I was with my parents, and we had no much budget. This tour was ideal, economical, historical, perfect to take pics and pay attention to cultural places and also a way to reconnect with Brazil.”
Review of Petrópolis from Rio: Imperial Museum, cathedral, Santos Dumont House, Rua Teresa shopping, lunch, value, and practical tips.
“The friendly and knowledgeable guide (sorry I forget his name) took us from Copacabana to the Imperial Palace museum, the cathedral, the "crystal palace", the house of aviator Santos-Dumont and various places for refreshments. It was very interesting. It could be slightly improved by making it a shorter trip with fewer refreshments.”
Explore Rio’s African heritage through art, memory, Afro-Brazilian food, samba, and percussion on this thoughtful five-hour private tour.
“Isabella was a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the African culture of Brazil. I like that it ended up only being me during the tour. The museum was the highlight of the tour learning the history from Africa all the way to Brazil and how Brazil has change over time to current.”
Explore Rio’s Jewish heritage through synagogues, museums, memorials, and community sites on this informative half-day tour.
“Ephraim and Giselle were delightful hosts. They were knowledgable and eager to share their experience with me! They took me to out-of-the-way places and added to the history and culture of the tour's sights! I would book another tour with them in an instant!”
Explore Rio’s historic center and Lapa on a small-group walking tour with cathedral, palace, library visits, local tips, and expert guides.
“Interesting, great information, our guide was very knowledgeable. Took us to places we wouldn’t have found if we were walking around on her own!”
Explore downtown Rio by subway and on foot, from Cinelândia to Candelária, with historic churches, grand buildings, and a local guide.
“The tour was great! Our tour guide answered plenty of our questions, gave us a lot of information about history, politics, economy of the country. We fully enjoyed this tour!”
Pick a coastline, a forest or a Friday night.
