Brazil · HALF-DAY
Good half-day tours fill up weeks ahead; the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Walk through Rocinha with local guides, hear real stories, visit a capoeira school, and enjoy sweeping Rio views on this respectful 3-hour tour.
“Martin was a great guide! He explained us everything in details and very friendly!! I recommend to anyone going to Rio de Janeiro to visit a Favela!!”
Review of Rio’s half-day tour to Christ the Redeemer, Selarón Steps and Sugarloaf, with transport, guide advice and sunset tips.
“Tour van broke down and was stranded for hours, ruined the day sadly and made for a very long day. We technically saw everything we were promised eventually but had to run through the last two stops and it was not enjoyable at all. For the cost of the tour I felt like we should’ve been refunded for the experience.”
See São Paulo’s parks, markets, museums, churches, street art, and major neighborhoods on a flexible six-hour private tour.
“Nelio was a great guide; well informed and interesting to talk to. Besides that he is a nice and friendly guy.”
Explore Rio’s Tijuca Forest by open Jeep, with waterfalls, easy trails, wildlife, Vista Chinesa, and São Conrado views.
“Our tour guide was so lovely! Christy (I think was her name), she was so informative, easy and fun to chat to. She even gave us great recommendations. And the our driver was also really nice. The overall experience was perfect. The hike was so easy”
Review of Rio’s Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf half-day tour, with transport, tickets, timing, guides, weather, value, and booking advice.
“Fabulous a must do, you can’t visit Rio without taken this Adventure. Priced accordingly for transportation”
Review of Rio’s four-hour historic center and Santa Teresa tour, with Lapa, Parque das Ruínas, hotel pickup, guides, price, and practical tips.
“This was an excellent tour. Millene was a very helpful guide and went above and beyond to provide a great tour. She even brought me to a store close to seleron steps to buy some gifts. I highly recommend this tour. Santa Teresa is a must visit when in Rio. 10/10 tour for both the experience and the wonderful guide Millene!!!!!”
Review of Rio’s Sugar Loaf Mountain half-day tour, with cable cars, hotel transfers, city sights, guide tips, pricing, and practical advice.
“Tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable! George was friendly and funny. Highly recommend this tour !!”
Hike Tijuca Forest to Pedra Bonita for Rio views, wildlife, Christ the Redeemer, small groups, and convenient South Zone transport.
“It’s a relatively short walk. 2 miles , 1 mile up hill , 1 mile downhill. You can do it without a guide quite easily and get a taxi to the bottom . But what you get with a guide is the history and geography of Brazil which I wasn’t familiar with and he points out a lot of the fauna and wildlife . We would not have seen the sloth if it had not been for him. It was worth it for this alone.”
See São Paulo’s top sights in four to five hours, from Batman Alley to Sé Cathedral, with bilingual guiding and air-conditioned transport.
“we have a wonderful tour in Sao Paulo, the guild Juliana did the excellent job! we'll recommend to my family's and friends if they have a chance to go there. Thanks Viator provide us a great trip!”
See Christ the Redeemer, Selarón Steps, the Cathedral, Maracanã, and Sambadrome on Rio’s fast-paced half-day city tour.
“Lydia was an absolute joy to be around. She translated everything in two different languages so everyone understood. The tour one picked up was around 6 hours, but thorough. Would love to tour with her and the driver again.”
Review of Rio’s half-day tour to Christ the Redeemer and Selarón Steps, with practical advice on guides, transport, timing, value, and access.
“Really great staff - was super informative and patient with all customers. Would advise that you double check days before the pick up location as our time and pick up location changed a day before the excursion. They didn’t pick us up directly from our hotel so I would advise that you stay at a hotel on copocabana or Leblon because we had to get a cab to the nearest pick up which was a little inconvenient. Overall a good experience”
Explore Manaus by boat, see the Meeting of the Waters, pink dolphins, jungle lilies, lunch, and cultural stops for $55.
“We had an amazing time on this tour! It was my first time trying Viator but it worked well and the pick up and drop off at the hotel was very convenient. Swimming with the pink dolfins, seeing the incredible meeting of the rivers and walking in the jungle were some of the many highlights of the tour. Although the tour was advertized as English it was 95% in portuguese. And although it said half day we were only back at 3pm, but that was not a problem for us.”
See Christ the Redeemer, Selarón Steps, and optional Sugarloaf Mountain on a guided Rio tour with hotel pickup and panoramic views.
“Everything was perfecto. Our guide was knowledgable and kind. She Spice in 3 languages. She took great care of us! Beautiful scenery! I can't wait to comeback.”
See Christ the Redeemer, Tijuca Forest, Selarón Steps, Maracanã, Sambadrome, and Rio Cathedral on a practical five-hour city tour.
“Nice guide and driver, and the statue is cool, but some things could be better. The pickup was about 15 minutes late with no communication, even though my hotel was the first stop. and the city tour was kind of meh, with a lot of time allocated. Lots of waiting around. Also, at least my group consisted of both English and Portuguese speaking, so the guide would say everything twice, and often when he got to the English part, we were already past whatever he was talking about.”
Review of Rio’s private half-day tour, covering Christ the Redeemer, Selarón Steps, Tijuca Forest, gardens, costs, guides, and value.
“We prepaid several weeks before the scheduled tour and received a voucher the day prior. We were at the designated meeting point 10 min. early. When there was no communication and no tour guide after 20 min late we called and texted to find out what is the status. After several minutes of trying to communicate the tour company said they made an error and cancelled the tour. We lost 30 min of time and were left to try and figure out what tour companies near the Cruise Port are safe and can provide an English speaking guide. Total failure of both tour company and Viator”
Pick a coast, a city or a river, and see what is worth booking there.
