Rio de Janeiro · WALKING TOURS
17 reviewed
This is the shortlist we’d hand a friend: the 15 walking tours worth booking in Rio, each with its price, its traveller verdict, and the one thing to know before you commit.
Walk through Rocinha with a local guide for a respectful, educational look at everyday life in Rio, with hotel pickup and a small group.
“I want to thank our tour guide Ray She was really nice and very helpful Her English was great, all the information she gave us was really clear”
Walk Rocinha with local guides for a respectful look at daily life, history, city views, and capoeira in Rio.
“Amazing Tour! Wellington was a great Guide, perfect english and never made us feel unsave! 10/10 would recommend”
Sunrise hike from Vidigal to Morro Dois Irmãos with a local guide, lantern-lit trail, and big Rio views over Christ, Ipanema, and Lagoa.
“This was amazing! Although early, the view were impeccable! Our hike guide was knowledgeable and so helpful! Most definitely worth the money!!”
Rio’s Little Africa Heritage walking tour traces African roots through samba, rooftop views, and iconic landmarks over 2.5 hours.
“Ryane was very knowledgeable and kept a good pace. It was just the right amount of time to see Little Africa. Not huge in size (which was good because it’s a walking tour) but very rich in culture and history.”
Paraty Historic Centre walk with a guide plus free Cachaça Gabriela tasting. Learn Freemasonry and colonial-era stories in 90 minutes.
“chaqa was extremely knowledgeable and spent longer than he needed to on the tour with us and give us lots of great helpful suggestions for our stay in parity”
Private 3-hour Centro walking tour with a guide through Rio’s opera house, Cinelândia, Selarón steps, Lapa arches, cathedral, and historic squares.
“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 is in order.......”
Walk through Old Rio’s churches, imperial plazas, and Olympic-era Mauá Square, with hotel pickup and free-entry landmarks in about 4 hours.
“A little background about myself: this was my first trip to Rio, and before this tour, I had not spent any time in downtown Rio. I am generally interested in history, perhaps more than the average person. Our tour guide, JB, was fantastic. He was very energetic, and was very enthusiastic about the city. He was extremely knowledgeable about the stops on the tour (and a lot off the tour) and effectively communicated with all of us. He walks fast, he talks fast, which is great, because he was able to cover a lot of ground in the 4 hours we had. (Even during the ride to and from our…”
Santa Teresa to Lapa walk with a yellow Bonde tram ride, Selarón Steps, Arcos da Lapa aqueduct, and Cinelândia landmarks. Small group.
“What a great way to visit a special area of Rio. We were picked up at our hotel, took the Metro to the vintage tram upwards. The neighborhood is enchanting and having a personal guide, who seemed to know everyone, everywhere we went , helped me feel like I was welcome. Edmundo was our guide, being an artist himself, I felt my friend and I had a wonderfully personalized visit to a very special place”
Private walk in Búzios to natural pools, Pedra do Guardião and Praia dos Amores in Costa do Sol Park with a guide.
“Better than we expected our tour guide Nicole was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and very helpful. We visited some amazing rock formations and a Beach of Love (Praia d’ Amour) which was the perfect place to cool off with a swim. We seriously want to go back to Buzios!”
A private 2-hour walk through Paraty’s colonial center with an English-speaking guide, church stops, Freemasonry symbols, and a take-home map.
“My tour was excellent. I learned so much and really enjoyed understanding the history and present of Paraty. Highly recommend.”
Hike the Trilha Pedra do Telégrafo to the famous photo spot above an optical-illusion abyss, guided with early pickup and breathtaking viewpoints.
“This was an amazing experience. Our guide Fabianne was so sweet and took great care of us . Walking through the forest to get to the top was truly breathtaking, with amazing views, we saw so many animals along the way too. I would definitely recommend this place to visit if you are in Río de Janeiro.”
A 3-hour Ipanema walk where live guitar turns Bossa Nova stories into real Rio street scenes, with iconic stops.
“Our guide Gui was delightful. As he taught us the history of Bossa Nova, he accompanied his songs with his fabulous guitar made in Grenada, Spain.”
A 3-hour Bossa Nova walking tour through Ipanema and Copacabana with a live guide-musician and street stops tied to Rio classics.
“Learned more about the history of bossa nova from our knowledgeable guide Guilherme. Very personable guy to be with! Enjoyed it!”
A 7–8 hour walk from Centro icons to Santa Teresa: cathedral glass, Selarón steps, Lapa arches, and the yellow bonde tram ride.
“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”
Stroll through Rio’s Centro and Lapa with included museum stops and great photo moments like the Selarón Steps in about 3 hours.
“Really enjoyed the free walking tour in Rio. Our guide was really friendly and welcoming and very informative of the area. The tour took 3 hours but felt very quick in a good way as I really enjoyed it. There was time for a quick toilet break and drink refill which was good. The guide answered everyone's questions and gave good suggestions for what to do, eat, where to go in Rio. Really enjoyed it and would recommend as the tour is free and you can give tips at the end no minimum is required.”
