Ancient Rio And Santa Teresa Tour With Hotel Pick-up And Drop-off

Extremely knowledgeable guide, She really went in depth with the explanations and history behind the sites. Would recommend to others, 10/10.

Guide was very polite but I don’t think he was familiar with the tour we booked. He didn’t take us to some of the places we expected. Also, he was not very good speaking or understanding English.

That you are picked up by taxi and not a bus or coach like we expected which was very surprising but also a personal touch. G was amazing and very knowledgeable and made our afternoon very enjoyable.

Good trip went to the real Rio , guide was very knowledgeable

This your was very informative and just a good way to learn about Rio. A must do tour. I have been to Rio many times and had never seen some of the places on this tour. Monica really knows her history.

An outstanding introduction to Rio’s history and character I would highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a deeper understanding of Rio and its most historically significant neighbourhoods. Monica is an exceptional guide: in many years of travelling, I have rarely encountered someone so knowledgeable, articulate and genuinely pleasant to spend time with. Her understanding of Rio’s history, architecture and culture brought the city to life, while her relaxed and engaging manner made the experience particularly enjoyable. A truly insightful and memorable way to discover Rio beyond its most obvious landmarks.

Marcela was an amazing guide! She is charming, incredibly knowledgeable, and made the tour enjoyable from start to finish. She guided the group seamlessly in both English and Portuguese and handled Rio’s traffic like a true professional. Thanks to her, we learned so much about the city’s history and culture. Highly recommended!

While the transport and the guide were both marvellous, I don't feel this tour offered particularly good value for money. If you're spending a few days in Rio and have already taken organised tours to Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain, there's a good chance you've also visited places such as the Cathedral and Selarón Steps, as these are often included in those excursions. As a result, there wasn't a great deal of new content for me on this tour. I had hoped we would spend more time exploring the streets of Santa Teresa on foot, taking in its colourful buildings, charming atmosphere, and local character. Instead, a significant portion of the tour was spent travelling in the vehicle. We also didn't visit some of the places I had expected to see, such as Confeitaria Colombo or Parque das Ruínas (although I understand the latter is closed on Tuesdays). While I did enjoy visiting some beautiful churches and the stunning Royal Portuguese Reading Room, I ultimately felt that the overall experience didn't quite justify the price. The guide was excellent and the organisation was smooth throughout, but I was left wishing for a more immersive exploration of Santa Teresa and Rio's historic centre.

Fantastic walk around Santa Teresa - wonderful murals and artisan shops. Fascinating walking around old Rio (visiting the Royal Portuguese Reading Room and Mosteiro de São Bento with views of the Museum of Tomorrow). Monica was so knowledgeable and accommodating. A wonderful half day excursion.

I had an amazing time during my tour. My guide Meilin Mares was excellent and very knowledgeable. She spoke English, Spanish and Portuguese perfectly so she was able to communicate with everyone in the tour effectively. I thought I lost my AirPods but Meilin found them in her car and contacted to verify. She then brought them back to my hotel and left them for me at the front desk. That really meant a lot to me because she went out of her way so I could have my property back. I will recommend this tour to all my friends.

It was amazing tour. Perfect location

It was a good trip but I couldn’t h deter and our guide a lot of the time and when I asked a question it wasn’t always answered. I’d improve the trip by adding a one way (from Santa Teresa) trip ticket on the tram with pick up at the end after the aqueduct. Also sons of the attendees were 30 minutes late rejoining the group in Santa Teresa which was frustrating

Had a great tour with guide Monica, saw some of Rio’s artistic and historical sights. Was interesting, amazing, and beautiful!

The trip was not as explained to us and we did not see Santa Teresa as expected. We were disappointed. The guide was excellent and we don’t feel this was his fault but do feel the trip was falsely sold to us .

This was a good introduction to Rio de Janeiro. Our guide/driver Benny drove us to all the main sights in the old city. Despite the heavy traffic we were able to visit and experience many different sights, the colourful Selaron steps, Santa Teresa district, Metropolitan Cathedral and the beautiful Moasterio Sao Benito.

Carlos took us to places that were off the beaten path. He was very considerate and offered great insights into colonial Rio. The tour kept getting better and better as we proceeded.

Our guide was super. He adapted our tour to suit our needs. Very interesting places to see. We would never have found any of this on our own.

Our guide Luis was very informative. We particularly liked the Santa Teresa area -the eclectic houses and the general atmosphere. Would recommend but be aware there is a lot of walking involved .

The minibus in which we travelled was very old and tatty. The seatbelts didn’t work, it was quite difficult to get into and out of and it was a very bumpy and uncomfortable ride. This was in part due to the road surfaces.. The guide was knowledgeable but not always easy to hear. She had to speak in three different languages for the 8 people on the tour which was a little irritating. However we did visit parts of Rio which we would not otherwise have seen. We were rushed around the old theatre which was interesting and we would have liked to stay longer to explore all of it.

A really great way to see the old parts of Rio. A great guide who kept us wel informed with small bites of info throughout the tour

The half day tour was chosen for the pm to see the highlights of old Rio, down town area and Santa Teresa after many hours of traveling arriving in Rio at 6.30am . This was a great choice and trip. Many thanks Alex

Monica arrived to pick us up on time so no hanging about. A quick introduction before setting off to Santa Teresa. Wow! What an area. Monica was brilliant - loads of info but not overkill. Then, down to old Rio. Again, Monica gave us plenty of info but in short bursts so easy to take in. We were based in Copacabana as part of a tour group so seeing the 'old' Rio was almost a revelation! Our minibus driver was excellent as well. I cannot recommend this tour highly enough. It more than realised our expectations.

This is the perfect half day tour if you’ve already done Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain. We had a wonderful morning with Monica, who is a very experienced and knowledgeable guide. She also took photos for us on her phone and sent them to us afterwards. We saw many major landmarks, including the Selarón steps. Santa Teresa is so charming, and definitely worth visiting. I’m very glad I took this tour with Monica.

Ricardo was brilliant very knowledgeable and great driving. Highly recommend him. He took us everywhere and was extremely accomodating.

Horrible It s not the description We don t take the old yellow train It s not normal I paid for nothing

It was very professional. The guide was very friendly and funny. we had blessing and we have a lot of fun. I wish so everything we need to see. we have full idea about Rio de Janeiro it’s definitely positive

Our guide (and I lost her name) picked us up from the hotel in her own car on time. There were 2 of us and 2 others only. We first went to Santa Theresa - a very nice neighbourhood, but most things closed on a Monday - pity. I was at first disappointed when we were told we were now heading downtown, expecting to see more of what we had already seen, but I was pleasantly surprised. Our guide went out of her way to make it worthwhile and pleasant. If you want to see more of Santa Theresa, I suggest going on a Sunday and maybe not on a tour.

We did the tour of Rio’s historic center and Santa Teresa with guide Renato and enjoyed it overall. The small group made the experience more personal, and Renato was agreeable, knowledgeable, and gave clear, interesting explanations. The only downside was that it took place on New Year’s Day, so the shops in the city center and the handicraft stores in Santa Teresa were closed. Otherwise, it was a pleasant and informative tour.

It was very nice tour. We recommend it to all who will stay in Rio for a short time. The guide Wagner was very good

Interesting to see the other aspects of Rio de Janeiro away from tourist hot-spots of Corcovado and Sugarloaf.

Guide was so passionate and energetic, you could almost see the first settlers arriving st the port. The churches were lovely and moving. I only wished I booked on a different day, as thr library and opera house were not opened to the public.

My guide Millene was simply amazing. She went out of her way to show me all the historical sites, she was really good. She was really informative. I learned so much history in 4 hrs. I recommend this tour with Millene as your guide. She’s amazing.

The experience was amazing! Monica was our guide, and she is a truly pleasant person with excellent knowledge of the city. She was enthusiastic and eager to guide us throughout the entire trip. Highly recommended!

We saw things we would not normally see in Rio and we went places where we would not normally go. Our guide was very informative and answered all of our questions with sincere interest.

I thought this tour was just okay. It could be a lot better if they would cover some more historical sites and spend less time walking along the bay … the guide was nice and spoke good English and gave good history on what we saw. However, I ended up booking another tour of the same area that was much cheaper covered all the sites we saw on this tour PLUS more well known sites most tourists want to see like the Cathedral, municipal theater, Escalon steps, etc. this tour has a lot of potential but could use some work

Our tour guide was knowledgable, but overall this tour just felt so rushed. The guide repeatedly said we had time to take photos etc but there was never an opportunity as he rushed us through every location. We saw some good spots, but from previous reviews and traveller photos I really expected the opportunity to soak up the atmosphere a little. Other reviews mentioned going into the famous coffee shop and having coffee and cakes, we literally had 10 seconds to take photos and were told to move on. I asked to go to into another coffee shop to go to the toilet and grab a drink (it was hot) to be told no as there was too much to see and do.

Interesting tour to one of the more interesting areas of Rio that people may not visit. Our guide, Jaqueline, was excellent, and we ended up having a private tour. She gave us a lot of great information about both Santa Teresa and the Central area, and she cared a lot about our safety, especially in the Centro area, where we were visiting at a weekend when there are very few people around, and so it's not so safe for walking Would recommend to anyone wanting a different experience in Rio to the standard tours

Fernando was an outstanding guide for our Ancient Rio and Santa Teresa Tour - knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about the city’s history. He brought each stop to life with fascinating stories and made the experience both informative and fun. Highly recommended!

Our tour guide Marcos seemed disengaged and acted as if his only job was to drive us from one place to another. We were hoping for more insight and enthusiasm, but he did not really engage with the group. On top of that, he gave us some incorrect information during the tour, which was frustrating. Overall, it felt like the experience lacked the personal touch and knowledge we expected. Definitely not what we had hoped for.

Our private tour with Roger was a great experience: we saw key sights and learned the history of Rio. Roger’s is well traveled, very knowledgeable and speaks fluent english. His love for Rio comes through with honesty for the complicated colonial history through today.

Ut us Very useful to be drop off at thé hôtel Thé guide was sympathic and thé trip was cool and interesting

Fabulous tour of the ancient city 0ur tour guide Meilin, was very knowledgeable and easy going. Definitely recommended

Monica was great. Good English, we were impressed with her knowledge and engaging personality. Really made the day enjoyable

We had a wonderful experience in Rio. Monica, our tour guide, was amazing, the BEST! The tour itself is at a leisurely pace, with good time to enjoy all the sites, take in the local life and with the added convenience of a driver dropping you off and picking you up at the various sites. Monica is a truly passionate tour guide, extremely knowledgable about everything and very flexible and patient depending on what her clients' preferences are. We went during Carnival and she even brought wigs for us to join in. We had a great and unique time! Can highly recommend her.

It's a good tour if it happens as planned. Our tour started more than an hour late due to issues around transport and Carnival caused delays. The tour guide did what she could given the circumstances. The driver had a real short fuse. It was not a pleasant ride back to the hotel. Others on the tour seemed to wonder away as they saw fit, the guide could have been a bit more attentive to who is where at all times.

Very plesent. We menaged to see places in Rio where we wouldnt necesary plan to go otherwise. The trip was well organised. The group was small (8). Van dropped us in/out in interesting places. Thank you Monika!

Great private tour. Very passionate and spoke English very well. We learned a lot and had lots of fun in the process

This was a great to tour. We took the tour guides car. This was, a great way to see Rio for the first time in the Santa Teresa and old town Rio area . Our tour guide was great and local had lots of information. Very satisfied.

This tour was a little frustrating for us. There was no communication from the tour operator about the pick up time. We waited in 90 degree heat for over an hour for our pick up. The tour was a full van and ant the end of the tour we spent 1.5 hours dropping off other tourists before we were dropped off. The actual tour seemed disjointed. Our tour guide was knowledgeable but often hard to understand. She also didn’t provide the right amount of time at different areas. It seemed we were always waiting. The tour guide had a few planned stops and then left it to individual guests to suggest what they wanted to see.