Private Custom Full-day Highlights In Rio: Only The Best Sights!

Having a knowledgeable tour guide is a must in Rio and I highly recommend Way To Know Rio! This company is very responsive and answered all of my questions. I appreciate them recommending which tickets to purchase for the attractions. Their recommendations saved us so much time. Our tour guide Beth, was born and raised in Rio so she was able to give us more in depth history and she knew where to take us for the best pictures. She was one of the best tour guides we’ve experienced!

Everything about Way To Know Rio was five-star from beginning to end. I have absolutely nothing negative to say and cannot recommend them highly enough! First, the communication with Patricia was absolutely top-notch, both before and after booking. I tend to ask a lot of questions when planning a trip, and Patricia answered every single one thoroughly, thoughtfully, and in a timely manner. She was incredibly helpful, patient, and attentive throughout the entire process. Our driver, Romullo, deserves special recognition. We have booked countless airport transfers in cities all over the world, and I can honestly say he was simply the best. He was early every single time, was waiting for us after customs and immigration, and went above and beyond to make everything seamless. When our flight was delayed, he reassured me multiple times not to worry because he was monitoring our arrival and would be there whenever we landed. He also graciously accommodated a change to our departure time to better suit our needs. I really cannot say enough good things about Romullo. His professionalism, reliability, and kindness were exceptional. Our private tour with Tatiana was equally wonderful. Despite relatively poor weather conditions, she made sure we experienced the very best Rio had to offer. She was genuinely passionate about her job, incredibly knowledgeable, and went out of her way to make the experience special, even surprising us with various treats along the way. I have never had a tour guide who was kinder or more thoughtful. From the initial communication to the airport transfers and private tour, every detail was handled exceptionally well. Patricia, Romullo, and Tatiana are a tremendous reflection of this company. If you are visiting Rio, do yourself a favor and book with Way To Know Rio. You will not be disappointed!

Giogo was excellent. Cannot do better

Barbara made the difference!!! The sites were great. Having someone to keep us in track and know where to go? Priceless!!! Barbara’s insights made the world of difference!!!

I had a fantastic day exploring Rio with Daniel. He is very knowledgeable about the city’s history and culture, and his engaging style made the experience both informative and enjoyable. Despite my last-minute booking and request to skip one of the more time-consuming tourist attractions, he put together a thoughtful, well-paced itinerary that included both iconic sights and lesser-known places. We visited Sugarloaf Mountain, the beautiful São Bento Monastery, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the colorful Selarón Steps. We also explored important historical sites, including Valongo Wharf, a former landing place for enslaved Africans, and Pedra do Sal, known as the birthplace of samba. Daniel even knew where to spot sea turtles swimming in the bay, an unexpected treat! Early in the tour, I mentioned that I enjoy painting and drawing, and Daniel made a point of showing me interesting street art and murals throughout the day. He also adjusted our itinerary to allow more time in the bohemian Santa Teresa neighborhood, where we wandered through charming streets and explored local artists’ studios and galleries. I loved discovering this creative side of Rio, and it was one of the highlights of my day. Daniel is personable, enthusiastic, and clearly passionate about Rio. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a private, customized tour that goes beyond the usual tourist stops.

Vivi our guide was amazing. Thoughtful, caring and informative. Nothing was too much trouble. Same for our delightful driver , Romulo . Both were simply wonderful.

The guide talked to us in English, as requested. Translated stories about art at the museum. Added details from his experiences & knowledge. Took us where we asked. We had a full 8 hours with him.

Our trip to Rio de Janeiro was awesome, but the highlight of it was touring with Raquel. I am an avid traveler and have been on many tours, but the special touch and the attention and detail Raquel did for our trip. Made itextra special.. her knowledge of not just a history, but the present events made it more enjoyable for us. We not only learned about the history, but was immersed in the current culture. Mama Raquel took care of us. I would highly recommend her for all your tours.

Great experience with Flavia! She was right on time, arriving at our hotel lobby before us. Driver collected us and we were off to Christ the Redeemer. Flavia navigated us quickly through the masses and got us to the front for a quick trip up. She knew all the tricks to get us through everything quickly and avoid lines. Dropped us off for a great BBQ lunch and finished with Sugar Loaf and amazing views of Rio. Flavia and our driver were the best! Highly recommend!!

Isaac and Carlos were the best. Isaac was very knowledgeable and accommodating , and they both took us to the best sites. Not only were they great guides, they were on time, and very helpful. 10/10 recommend to anyone visiting Rio!

A wonderful way to see Rio for the first time! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We had a really great experience with Way to Know Rio during our first visit to Rio de Janeiro. We were a group of four and did an 8-hour tour covering Sugarloaf, Copacabana, and Ipanema. The whole day was very well organized, from hotel pick-up to drop-off, and we finished right on schedule. Our guide, Daniel, was definitely the highlight of the experience. He was friendly, knowledgeable, patient, professional, and funny, and his English was excellent. More than that, he was genuinely caring and attentive to our needs. He somehow had everything we might need in his bag! One of my friends got cold during the afternoon, and Daniel even had a small cover ready to keep her warm. These little gestures really made us feel looked after. We also loved that Daniel didn’t just take us to the usual tourist spots. He showed us some hidden spots and little details that we probably wouldn’t have discovered on our own. He was also very helpful with taking photos and was happy to adjust the itinerary according to our energy and requests. The driver was incredibly efficient. Every time we finished at a location, it felt like our car was already there waiting for us. It honestly felt like having a bodyguard on standby, ready to pick us up wherever we were! 😄 This made the entire day feel much more comfortable and stress-free. Another memorable part was lunch at Churrascaria Palace. Daniel made the Brazilian lunch experience even more enjoyable and memorable, and it was a lovely way to experience Rio beyond just sightseeing. Communication through WhatsApp before the tour was generally good, and the team was very accommodating, even with some last-minute requests. Everything we had agreed on in the proposal was delivered, and we felt safe and well taken care of throughout the day. The only area I think they could improve is making the communication a little more efficient and organized, especially before the tour. Overall, we had a wonderful experience and would definitely recommend Way to Know Rio, especially for first-time visitors. Having a professional guide who is knowledgeable, flexible, caring, and able to accommodate last-minute requests made a big difference to our trip. I would happily book with them again on our next visit to Rio. 🇧🇷❤️

Having a good guide can make or break your trip - thankfully our guide Issac was great. Friendly, funny, knowledgable, patient and spoke great English - he didn’t bombard you with too much information which for me personally I prefer. Definitely consider Issac if you are visiting Rio de Janeiro ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Excellent tour, we really enjoyed the experience and the places we saw. Daniel, our guide, took really good care of us, ensuring that everything went smoothly and he was always available to explained about the city and the places we were seeing. We also finished our planned itinerary a bit earlier, so he brought us to different beautiful viewpoints. We also had a very positive experience with our driver, who was driving safely in all the steep roads. Totally recommended.

We had a fantastic day and Issac provided great information and recommendations. We could not have asked for better. I would recommend this experience to anyone.

Tatiana was our guide. And she was one of best guides, she is very dedicated Rio local guide and always helping in all ways. She appreciates you as visitor and the driver with us all day and flexible.

Wonderful day with Isaac our guide who was very knowledgeable and showed us the city with Arthur the driver who was very patient.

The day was wonderful with all the different stops to see the city and our guide Isaac had so much fun knowledge to share. The driver Arthur was patient and very good. It sure was a special day to visit Rio de Janeiro. Thank you

Carlos was great! He was on time and took us to the sights that we had talked about. He did a great job navigating the city and we enjoyed having lunch with him after.

Tatiana is an amazing guide and Way2KnowRio is a very easy company to work with. Everything was professional, the pick up was on time, everything was well communicated. Tatiana went above and beyond to make sure everyone was having fun and my kids were engaged in the tour. She was also extremely knowledgeable and she took so many great photos of us. Highly recommend!

Isaac was a tremendous tour guide! The entire day spent exploring Rio from Jesus the Redeemer to Sugar Loaf Mountain was excellent! The driver was on point and the tour was 10/10 from start to finish! Booking a private tour vs a group is so worth the money!

Flavia was a great tour guide! She took the best photos and showed us all the best spots of Rio. I asked to see the cathedral and she added it on, no problem! She told us to go to the Gloria market on Sunday, and that was one of the highlights of our trip. She made our vacation in Rio really special.

Beth was absolutely incredible! So knowledgeable and very flexible to build the day with! We definitely felt safe have her with us! We were able to see everything we wanted and more! We were able to start the day off at the Selarón steps and walk around Santa Teresa definitely worth going early for before it gets too crowded, then we went to the cathedral and Lage Park, even though the inside was closed for remodeling the outside is well worth seeing ano walking around, we then got a little sweet treat at Rio cafe and headed up to Christ the redeemer. After that we finished off at sugar loaf mountain and ate at a Brazilian Steakhouse. Absolutely worth getting a private tour! Money well spent! Carlos was also an amazing driver! I loved Beth's personality we meshed very well and like I said earlier the flexibility she had with little changes to what we initially had planned made it all the better! She definitely suggested how to plan to get the most of the day and our money!

Beth was absolutely incredible! So knowledgeable and very flexible to build the day with! We definitely felt safe have her with us! We were able to see everything we wanted and more! We were able to start the day off at the Selarón steps and walk around Santa Teresa definitely worth going early for before it gets too crowded, then we went to the cathedral and Lage Park, even though the inside was closed for remodeling the outside is well worth seeing and walking around, we then got a little sweet treat at Rio cafe and headed up to Christ the redeemer. After that we finished off at sugar loaf mountain and ate at a Brazilian Steakhouse. Absolutely worth getting a private tour! Money well spent! Carlos was also an amazing driver! I loved Beth’s personality we meshed very well and like I said earlier the flexibility she had with little changes to what we initially had planned made it all the better! She definitely suggested how to plan to get the most of the day and our money!

We had a wonderful experience touring Rio with Isaac! He customized the day around exactly what we wanted, including Christ the Redeemer, lunch by the bay, and beautiful stops throughout the city. When my husband wasn’t feeling well, Isaac was incredibly flexible and even helped us make an impromptu pharmacy stop, translating for us and adjusting the itinerary with ease. We felt safe, cared for, and never rushed. We enjoyed the tour so much that we would absolutely book with Isaac again when we return to Rio. Highly recommend!

Since Christ the Redeemer was part of our package tour, it was good that we were able to customize our trip to see the other attractions of Rio. Like the Maze at the Favela, the Cathedral, the Portugese library, the Selaron steps and the Sugar Loaf mountain for sunset.

Excellent your in Rio. We loved it! Very friendly and knowledgeable guide. We visited all of the sites and had a nice lunch

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazing Private Tour of Rio with Isaac & Carlos! We had an incredible 8-hour private tour of Rio de Janeiro with Isaac and our driver, Carlos. From start to finish, the experience was exceptional! Isaac was phenomenal—extremely knowledgeable about Rio’s history, culture, and landmarks. He shared fascinating information throughout the day and made every stop meaningful. He also has a fantastic sense of humor and kept us entertained the entire time. As a bonus, he became our personal photographer and captured some amazing photos that we’ll treasure forever! Carlos was an excellent driver—professional, friendly, and made getting around Rio comfortable and stress-free. Our tour included Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, the stunning Metropolitan Cathedral, Santa Teresa, and lunch at the amazing Casanossa restaurant. Every stop was perfectly planned, and we never felt rushed. If you’re visiting Rio and want a personalized, informative, and fun experience, I highly recommend booking a private tour with Isaac and Carlos. Their passion for Rio truly shines through, and they made our visit unforgettable. One of the highlights of our entire trip to Brazil. 100% recommended!

Our group of 7 truly enjoyed the whole day private, customized tour with Isaac. It was more economical to do this private tour than booking 2 half day tours. Also convenient since we had pick up and drop off. Since we already did Christ the Redeemer and the beaches, we customized our tour to do the other places. We understood Isaac's explanations. The first place we went to was The Maze at the favela. It was closed when we went at 9:30am, but Isaac called the owner and we were able to do a private tour of The Maze with Malou. The favela had amazing mosaic art and great views of Sugar Loaf and the bay. It's difficult to go to The Maze on your own, so best to go with a guide. The rest of the tour went smoothly - Metropolitan Cathedral, Teresa neighborhood, Portugese library, Selaron steps and Sugar Loaf with Isaac giving us info on each place. Since we were all seniors, we had priority access in the lines and a discount on the tickets at Sugar Loaf. Isaac also included the stop at the Cathedral and Theresa neighborhood, which I didn't ask for, but am glad he included it. He also gamely took pictures of our group in all the sights. I would highly recommend this tour and Isaac.

Jessica our guide was too good & well experienced. She made our tour so comfortable and made us know all the history in Rio. It was a fulfilled tour. Really enjoyed. She even took us to Ibdian restaurant where food was too yummy & we enjoyed every bit of it. She was very patient with us . The driver Rodrigo was also very nice & took all the places very safely.

Igor was an excellent guide. We were able to customize our tour to our liking. His English was superb and he has such love and knowledge of the city. Thanks!

We had an incredible experience touring Rio with Gustavo! He is such a friendly and accommodating guide, and he went out of his way to make sure my husband and I had the absolute best time. We learned a lot about the city's history and culture while visiting major landmarks like Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain (get the Fast pass option, you won't regret it), and the beautiful Selarón steps. Highly recommended!

This is a truly wonderful private tour of Rio de Janeiro with driver for our group of four people. Our expert professional and exceptional tour guide, Isaac, has deep knowledge of the history of Brazil across geography, culture, politics so we asked lots of questions! On our breezy, no wait visits to Christ Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain and the Selaron Steps, we learned so much more than if we had visited these sites on our own. Isaac offered perspective that allowed us as visitors to really appreciate the history and culture of Brazil. The farm fresh restaurant that Isaac suggested for lunch was surely one of the most beautiful in Rio! Carlos was an expert driver and made us feel safe navigating through the hectic traffic in Rio! The tour company, Way to Know Rio, was easy to reach via WhatsApp, responded quickly and provided us with timely information regarding how to meet our guide. HINT: Be sure to coordinate with the company about timing and buy tickets for Christ, Redeemer and Sugarloaf in advance if recommended.

We used WTKR for our trip to Rio and we loved it. Patricia is very responsive and efficient. She assigned us Romullo, our fantastic driver, thanks to whom we had an unforgettable day. He was able to adapt to our needs and desires while also offering suggestions. We highly recommend WTKR and wouldn't hesitate to use them again for our next trip to Brazil.

We spent a fabulous day with Flavia exploring the city. We started at Christ the redeemer, followed by the samba school experience, we wouldn’t have gone to the samba schools if Flavia hadn’t suggested it, we really enjoyed it. Next stop was the tujica forest, it was peaceful and still, a great contrast to the noisy city, the views of the city were great as well. Flavia suggested a steak house for lunch which was a greatt choice. After lunch we headed to the cathedral, suggested by Flavia, followed by the steps, and sugarloaf for sunset. A big day but felt like we had time at each stop. Flavia had plenty of information and stories at all the sights and worked with us to create a very personalised service. Thank you Flavia.

We traveled with our five children, ages 12-23. Flavia was our guide and she was wonderful! We had pre-purchased early am tickets to Christ the Redeemer so we skipped a huge line and she had tips for other sites as well to avoid lines and see things we didn't know about but loved. Flavia had a lot of creative tips for taking amazing photos of us all with the sites and also took a lot of photos with her camera that she sent me after the tour. She recommended the Carnaval experience which was definitely worth seeing but we waited there awhile which unfortunately cut into our over all tour time. It takes awhile to board trams, drive to the various sites, etc. so even with opting to skip lunch, we ended up paying for an extra hour but it was all worth it! We only had a few days in Rio and this was the perfect way to spend one and ensure we saw all the highlights!

We booked a full-day private tour with Isaac and could not have been happier with the experience. We visited Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Selarón Steps, and enjoyed shopping in Santa Teresa. Isaac was an excellent tour guide—kind, attentive, informative, and genuinely friendly. He allowed us to set our own pace throughout the day and made sure we were comfortable and enjoying every stop, which made the experience feel truly personal rather than rushed or scripted. One of the biggest and most memorable surprises was lunch. Isaac took us to Território Aprazível, and the food and cocktails were absolutely outstanding. As we were leaving, we learned it is a Michelin-recognized restaurant—which made perfect sense given how spectacular the food and service were. To top it all off, Isaac also secured dinner reservations for us and arranged our airport transfer, truly going above and beyond what we expected from a tour guide. His attention to detail and willingness to help made our time in Rio effortless and unforgettable. I highly recommend Isaac and will absolutely book another tour with him in the future.

We had a wonderful experience on our recent tour, and a big part of that was thanks to Isaac, our guide. He reached out to us a day in advance to help coordinate the purchase of tickets that were not included, and gave very clear guidance on the best timing to buy them, which made everything smooth and stress-free. We opted for a private tour, and Isaac truly made it worthwhile. His English is excellent, and he shared the history and culture of Rio de Janeiro in a way that was both engaging and easy to understand. Throughout the day, he stayed with us at every stop, offering insightful explanations and ensuring we didn’t miss any details. He also assisted us with queues and waiting times, which made the whole experience much more efficient and enjoyable. Overall, it was a very well-organized and enriching tour, and we highly recommend Isaac to anyone visiting Rio.

We had an incredible day with Beth, our guide. Today was our first day in Rio, and she took care of us like we were her own daughters. She was attentive to all of our needs and constantly recommended things we could do over the next few days. She made sure we saw all of the major sites, and she was very knowledgeable about the entire city. I wish she could have been our guide for our entire visit. Thank you very much, Beth 😊

Bela was an absolute pleasure and wonderful tour guide. Bela had great knowledge of all the sites and many contacts with the locals that made the day seamless, and very memorable. We hit all the great spots with minimal wait. Driver was always ready and waiting. Thank you Bela… and she knew where to find the sloth!

Bela, our tour guide was amazing. We got to see all the key spots in Rio. Without her, navigating would have been a nightmare…. Instead we simply enjoyed the experience under her guidance.

The guide, Fred, was amazing. He knew the sights well and how to fast track us through lines. Felt very safe during the entire tour. Highly recommended.

Daniel was a great tour guide! He and his driver make a great team. They verified my pickup location the night prior and were early. They are very knowledgeable and passionate about Rio. Daniel speaks fluent English and had amazing recommendations for photos and food. We will always be grateful for our experience at Christ the Redeemer!

I had 4 amazing days in Rio thanks to the tireless support of Bela. Bela is a young, dynamic, fun guide, she knows Rio inside out and she makes the impossible possible in order to ensure that you have a VIP treatment. She is very knowledgable, energetic and flexible to adapt your tour to your interest. Even as a solo traveler I felt 100% safe thanks to her. I saw and experienced so many things in such a short time, which I never thought would be possible. I can fully recommend her and cant wait to have more adventures together.

Wonderful day tour! Our guide Tatiana and driver were outstanding and took us to the key sights as well as finding time to see a few other places at our request. Tatiana was knowledgeable and interesting and went out of her way to make our day special.

Our guide was excellent. He was knowledgeable on the history, and had experience working at the different tourist sites, therefore, he knew the ins and outs of getting to see them efficiently with fewer lines and waiting.

Our Driver Fernando was fantastic! The company had told us to get Skip the line tickets for Christ the Redeemer and the Sugarloaf Mountain tour and boy was that worth it! He stayed with us through all of our tours of both locations, and brought us to a wonderful restaurant in Rio, and then took us to the Steps and some other fantastic neighborhoods. He was courteous, interesting, passionate about the city, and fun! A wonderful day in Rio thanks to Fernando!

We spent the day with Gustavo from Viator, who “hosted” our entire first day in Rio very well. It took a long time to get through the lines on the way to Christ the Redeemer but Gustavo shaved at least an hour from the wait time by negotiating “standing room” seats on the train to the top, which was pretty brilliant. We then drove to Copacabana beach which was gorgeous and to a very local vendor to buy tee shirts for the grandkids (great deal!). Gustavo took us to lunch at a local restaurant in Santa Theresa (Armazem San Joaquim) with a marvelous Samba musician. We wrapped up the day with a tour of the Metropolitan Cathedral. It was a wonderful start to our Rio experience!

This trip was made just perfect for seeing the best sites of Rio by our guide Tatiana and driver, Daniel. Tatiana was remarkably knowledgeable and her personality made our tour a memorable vacation day.

Very nice whole day tour with the guide - Bianca. Very kind and easy going guide. The tour takes you to the most important highlights of Rio and I would recommend it if you have little time and want to make the most out of it. I recommend to book a tour with separate guide and driver since parking might be a problem and you don’t wanna waste time looking for parking. Very enjoyable tour. Thank you, Bianca!