8 activitati in Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL

Experience the creation of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival from an insider’s perspective: visit the City of Samba, enter the Grande Rio’s Samba Factory, learn about the history of Samba and Carnival parades, understand the production of floats and costumes, and feel the samba fever with an authentic carnival costume, a samba class, and a Brazilian welcome drink! You will enter the City of Samba, a specially designed warehouse complex used by the most important samba schools in Rio de Janeiro to build and house the elaborate floats and costumes. Then go inside the Samba Factory of Grande Rio to see the secrets that are revealed only during the Carnival parade: the production of floats and costumes. You will understand the concepts and work involved during the creation process. Enter the colorful exhibition room and learn about the history of Samba and Carnival parades with images and videos. Get into the Carnival mood and choose one of the many authentic Carnival costumes available to dress and photograph. Learn the basic Samba steps with an expert and end your tour tasting the “Samba flavour” with the typical Brazilian cocktail, the caipirinha. Your samba fever will be complete! The Rio de Janeiro Carnival is one of the major events of the city, attracting people from all areas in Brazil and around the world to experience this passion. It involves the work of thousands of professionals year-round to sustain this party: musicians, choreographers, dancers, artisans, samba masters and producers. The Carnaval Experience is a socially-based tour program from Pimpolhos of Grande Rio, a youth samba school and an NGO dedicated to promote social interaction and educate through the culture of carnival. The Carnaval Experience is a social activity that contributes to the maintenance of future carnivals.

The Favela Tour is the perfect opportunity to live Rio de Janeiro from a different perspective. With almost 1,000 favelas that house about 20% of the population, Rio has a social reality that remains unknown for most people that do not live in the city. After being picked up at your hotel, listen to comments about the historical and social context of favelas in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. After arriving in Rocinha, the largest favela in Brazil, learn more about the creative architecture, public services, and the local culture. Feel welcomed by locals that support your visit, which changes the common perspective of favela being related to violence and poverty, as well as understand more about security and infrastructure policies in the favela’s everyday life. Inside the community, get off the van and walk through the alleys and narrow streets, stopping at a local art studio with its terrace and stunning views. Also stop at a bakery, thus contributing to the local economy. Descending from within the entire community, visit the daycare center União de Mulheres Pró-Melhoramentos da Roupa Suja, a local NGO that receives support from the tour through monthly donations of baby food and other recreation and culture services for children. In the lower part of the favela, finish the tour on the footbridge designed by Oscar Niemeyer, the most famous Brazilian architect in the world. Enjoy a stunning view of the entire community and observe all its magnitude and beauty. Languages English, Spanish and Portuguese

Get to know many of the most traditional places in Rio de Janeiro: begin with a tram ride from Downtown to Santa Teresa over the Lapa Aqueduct (“Arcos da Lapa”) and visit the Ruins Park, Selarón Steps, Passeio Público, Cinelândia, and Confeitaria Colombo. Begin your tour at Downtown (“Centro”), where you will get the tram (“bondinho”) to the bohemian neighborhood of Santa Teresa. You will drive over the Arcos da Lapa, the aqueduct used to connect water from Santa Teresa to Downtown and one of Rio’s most traditional postcards. At Santa Teresa, you will experience an interesting local atmosphere. Walk along the bohemian neighborhood of Santa Teresa, a bucolic area in Rio de Janeiro. Located on a hillside, Santa Teresa has become a district of cultural interest because of its architectural value and prime location, famous for its winding, narrow cobblestone streets and a favourite spot for artists and tourists. A flair similar to Montmartre, in Paris. You will visit the Ruins Park (closed on Mondays), a public park with an art gallery built around the ruins of a mansion. Take a minute to enjoy the city’s landscape, in particular the Downtown area and the Sugarloaf Mountain. Up next, you will walk down the colorful Selarón Steps, one of Rio’s landmarks, and arrive at the district of Lapa, the zone with most traditional nightlife. Take a stroll in the Passeio Público, the oldest public park in the South America, to reach Cinelândia, a lively spot in Rio thanks to its bars, restaurants and cultural attractions. Among many remarkable constructions in the area, you will notice the Theatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro’s most traditional theatre and opera house, as well as the Biblioteca Nacional, Brazil’s most important library. Your last stop will be at Confeitaria Colombo (closed on Sundays), a permanent member of all “must-see cafés” rankings around the world. Enjoy the opulent art nouveau decorated with huge stained glass, tiles, and mirrors imported from France, Portugal, and Belgium. You can finish your tour tasting one of the Brazilian traditional snacks – such as the coxinha de frango (‘little chicken thigh’) – or desserts – such as the brigadeiro (‘brigadier’) in one of Rio de Janeiro’s most prestigious places at the beginning of the 20th century.

This is a different and unique walking tour designed to give you a feel for the legends and stories woven through the narrow streets and old historical buildings of downtown Rio. The walk includes a visit to many interesting points, such as the São Bento Monastery, Candelaria (the candle-makers), Praça XV, the Travessa do Mercado"", Imperial Court, the cultural centre located in the beautifully-restored Banco do Brasil, the House France-Brazil, Ouvidor (the listeners) Street and Gonçalves Dias Street with the traditional Colombo Bakery. The walk continues on down Uruguaiana Street, Carioca Square up to the Metropolitan Cathedral where passengers will meet the transportation that will take them back to their hotels. Others This tour does not operate on Carnival.

Visit Corcovado with an optional trip to the Sugar Loaf, all in one day. This is an excellent option if you have a short amount of time but want to experience the best of Rio. With this tour you will visit the iconic places in the capital of Rio, as well as the famous neighborhood of Santa Teresa and the emblematic Selaron Steps. Highlights - Excellent panoramic views of the city of Rio - Visit the picturesque neighborhood of Santa Teresa and the Selaron steps - Enjoy a cable car ride to the Sugar Loaf (only if you book this option) After your hotel pick-up, a van will take you up the hill to Corcovado through the dense rainforest of Tijuca. At the summit of this well-known mountain, measuring 30 meters tall stands the marvelous Christ the Redeemer, a monumental sculpture that protects the city. Let your guide show you the highlights of Rio from the extraordinary heights and enjoy excellent panoramic views. Then we’ll head to the picturesque neighborhood of Santa Teresa, a place where you can get a taste for the unique bohemian atmosphere. Here you’ll find that the old Rio comes alive and street art has a very strong presence. Lose yourself in its streets and appreciate its vitality before reaching the incredible Selaron steps, the work of the Chilean artist Jorge Selarón. Admire the originality of its 215 steps, constructed from ceramic pieces of different colors, shapes and sizes. If you have selected the Sugar Loaf option, your tour will continue and travel to this famous hill by cable car. After a stop at a viewpoint of Urca hill that offers spectacular views of the Guanabara Bay and its islands, the Rio-Niterói and Corcovado Bridge, you will climb to the top of the Sugar Loaf. At 395 meters above sea level you can enjoy a magnificent landscape for about 45 minutes before embarking on the way back to the hotel. Languages English, Portuguese and Spanish.

Spend a morning visiting some of Rio de Janeiro’s best attractions. Begin with a train ride to see the Christ the Redeemer Statue atop Corcovado Mountain, followed by a panoramic (external) visit to the Maracanã stadium and additional stops at the Sambódromo (Sambadrome), the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Selarón Steps. Get picked up from one of the hotels in the South Zone of Rio and drive up to the Cosme Velho station in order to catch the Corcovado Train. The train ride through tropical forest takes about 20 minutes from ground level the top of Corcovado Mountain, where you will reach the Christ the Redeemer Statue - one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Once you're back at sea level, drive past the legendary Maracanã soccer stadium (external visit) and head to Sambódromo, the location of Rio's exciting Carnaval. Pay a visit to the distinctive Metropolitan Cathedral, a modern structure that takes influence from Mayan pyramids. Check out the brightly colored tiles of the world-famous Selarón Steps, one of Rio's most distinctive landmarks. Conclude the tour with an exquisitely beautiful panorama of Rio de Janeiro. Languages English, Spanish and Portuguese

The city of Petropolis is located 60 km away from Rio and has been called the Imperial City since the times of the Emperor Pedro II. Settled by the Germans, Petropolis keeps the memory of Brazilian history alive with its buildings and charming streets. This tour starts with the visit to the Imperial Museum, which has been the summer residence of the Emperor D. Pedro II, and keeps furniture and objects such as the crown of gold, pearls and diamonds used by D. Pedro I and D. Pedro II. The tour will continue on to the Gothic Cathedral where Princess Isabel was buried along with the tombstones of D. Pedro II and his wife. From there you will see the Crystal Palace, built in France and mounted in Brazil, destined to shelter exhibitions and great parties promoted by Princess Isabel.

How about feeling like a soccer star entering the field? Discover the legendary Maracana and get behind the scenes of the most important stadium in Brazil. From the Press Tribune to the Locker rooms zone, through the Honor Grandstand, Booths and a collection of relics of the stars who made the history of the temple of world football. Get ready for an exciting journey, exploring its history with videos, sounds and different experiences that will last forever in your memory. Not every Stadium that has seen two World Cup Finals! There is a lot of history and excitement in the air. You don't have to Imagine how the World's biggest stars such as Zico, Pelé and Garrincha here, you can feel it too!