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Rio de Janeiro tours and excursions

Rio de Janeiro tours

Boat tours

Saveiros Tour operates a cultural boat tour around Guanabara Bay, taking in major sights including Sugar Loaf Mountain, Niterói’s Contemporary Art Museum, the Rio-Niteroi bridge and Ilha Fiscal. The two-hour trip in a traditional schooner departs from the Gloria Marina daily at 0930. Tickets can be bought at the marina.

Other boat companies and ferries operate from the docks by Praca XV, offering daily trips to Niterói, Ilha Paquetá and other islands in the bay; or day cruises further afield, along the Costa Verde to Angra dos Reis, Ilha Grande and Paraty. Contact the Espaço Cultural da Marinha for details.

Telephone: (21) 2225 6064; (21) 2104 6992.
Website: http://www.saveiros.com.br
Helicopter tours

For a bird's eye view of Rio, Helisight operates sightseeing flights of various lengths and routes. A 15-minute flight covers the city centre, Sambódromo, Maracanã stadium, Corcovado and the statue of Christ, Pão de Açúcar and Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. Departures are from one of three helipads, located at Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, Dona Marta Belvedere (access route to Corcovado) and Sugar Loaf, open daily from 0900 to 1800.

Even the shortest, seven minutes long helicopter rides do not come cheap but those wanting the ultimate whistle-stop tour may feel they’re worth a special splurge.

Telephone: (21) 2511 2141 (weekdays) or 2542 7935 (weekends and holidays).
Website: http://www.helisight.com.br
Jeep tours

Several companies offer jeep tours of Rio's natural wonders. Rio by Jeep offers hiking tours of Tijuca National Park as well as adventure sports, including whitewater rafting, scuba diving, horseback riding and mountain rappeling. Jeep Tour offers tours  to and around Búzios, the sunsoaked beach resort east of Rio, with stops at various sites en route. Both companies can arrange hotel pick-ups.

Telephone: (21) 3322 5750 ; (21) 2108 5800.
Website: http://www.riobyjeep.com; http://www.jeeptour.com.br.
Walking tours

Several specialist operators offer tailored guided city walks, usually charged by the hour. Cultural Rio runs cultural sightseeing tours of Rio's historic landmarks, led by a multilingual history of art professor. The 'Downtown Rio Tour' crosses the historic centre, from Cinelândia, the arts district, to São Bento, the richest baroque church in Rio.

Rio Hiking provides English-language guided walks in Tijuca forest and up Rio's mountains. The price includes an ascent of Tijuca, Rio’s highest peak, pick-up and lunch; trips are either five or eight hours, a challenging but hugely rewarding experience, providing the best views over the whole city and beyond.

Telephone: (21) 9911 3829; (21) 2552 9204.
Website: http://www.culturalrio.com.br; http://www.riohiking.com.br.

Excursions from Rio de Janeiro

Buzios

Only a couple of hours drive from Rio, eastwards along the Costa do Sol, Búzios is the ideal destination for a weekend of sun, sea and shopping. Búzios sits on a rocky peninsula and offers over 17 beaches, from hidden coves to wide oceanic expanses of white sand.Once a simple fishing village, a brief visit by Brigitte Bardot in the early 1960s transformed Búzios into one of Brazil’s most fashionable beach resorts. Today its pristine bays are sprinkled with boutiques, fine restaurants, trendy nightclubs and chic designer hotels; a virtual Saint Tropez of the tropics.

Telephone: (22) 2623 6200.
Website: http://www.buziosturismo.com
Niterói

This medium-sized city across the bay from Rio has two major attractions: firstly, the awesome and less commonly seen views it offers of Rio. Niterói’s second most famous draw is MAC, the Museu de Arte Contemporãnea (Museum of Contemporary Art), a stunning modern building, designed by leading Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer.

The museum houses artworks by leading artists from the mid-20th century, but to many visitors the most impressive sight is the curvaceous white building itself. Suspended on a narrow column over a pond, overlooking the bay, it seems to defy gravity and conveys an uplifting sense of grace. In addition,

Niterói has a hilltop park, Parque da Cidade, which offers yet more stunning views; as well as several historic forts, and some excellent-value restaurants.

Most visitors reach Niterói by road, across the huge 13km-long (8 miles) Rio-Niterói bridge; alternatively there are ferries from Rio’s quays near Praça XV de Novembro, with many daily departures.

Telephone: (24) 3371 1897.
Website: http://www.paraty.com.br
Paraty

This enchanting old harbour town is situated some 258km (160 miles) south of Rio, with a backdrop of lush Atlantic Rainforest. Paraty is a UNESCO World Heritage site, in recognition of its immaculately preserved architecture. Its many colonial churches, squares and terracotta-roofed houses are still much as they were when Paraty was a chief port for the export of gold and coffee in the 17th and 19th centuries.

Cars are banned from the Old Quarter, a grid of narrow cobbled streets, which are lined with beautifully preserved buildings, many now housing art galleries, pousadas (colonial lodge hotels), restaurants and handicraft shops.

Paraty is about a three-hour drive from Rio; along the gorgeous Costa Verde coastal highway, which winds around lovely bays dotted with offshore tropical islands.

Telephone: (24) 3371 1897.
Website: http://www.paraty.com.br
Petrópolis

The high-altitude former summer home of the Brazilian royal family, Petrópolis is still a popular destination for escaping Rio’s high-season cauldron, and enjoying its cooler mountain air. About an hour from Rio by road, Petrópolis has preserved its original landscaped layout, with many historic mansions lining its shady boulevards. Visitors come to relax in its parks and gardens, explore the Imperial Palace Museum and sample the local produce of the Vale des Gourmets in the city’s fine restaurants. More active adventurers come to hike and climb in the nearby Serra dos Orgãos national park, with its distinctive peaks reminiscent of organ pipes.

Telephone: (24) 2246 9377.
Website: http://fctpi.petropolis.rj.gov.br/fctpi

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