Full Day Excursion to Petrópolis from Rio de Janeiro
Recommended by 92% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 8 to 10 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- LunchFree Buffet - Drinks and desserts not included
- Accredited Tour Guide
- Imperial Museum Ticket
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Entrance fee - Museum Casa de Santos DumontR$8.00 per person
- Entrance fee - Hotels in Quitandinha Palace Congress and Convention CenterR$20.00 per person
- Entrance fee - Brewery BohemiaR$39.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.
Operating hours.8:00 am
Itinerary
1
Imperial Museum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
2
Quitandinha Palace Congress and Convention Center
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Catedral de Sao Pedro de Alcantara
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Crystal Palace
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Fabrica de Chocolates Patrone
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Museu Casa de Santos Dumont
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
7
Rua Teresa
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
8
Cervejaria Bohemia
1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 924 reviews
Arif_K, Jan 2026
Tour did not meet my expectations, when I booked the tour pickup time was 8:00 am, we were picked up 9:47 am, we left Rio after 10:30 am. There were 29 people in the group which was too large. The Guide spent more time speaking in Portuguese and in Spanish by the time she spoke English we missed most of the information. I would not recommend to English Speaking tourists. We had to cut the trip short due to rain. For the price we paid it was ok. I really wanted to see Petropolis but missed out on this opportunity. I felt guide was not properly organised and company should have kept the group size smaller. As a tourist our time is precious that is way we book tours to see more place in organised manner. But when tour operator is picking you up late, cutting the tour short due to rain and safety reasons, as tourists my day got wasted.
Charles_H, Oct 2025
A really great experience and a really great value. Extremely well organized and informative. Tour guide was professional and friendly. She spoke English Spanish and Portuguese. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to visit Petropolis
Michele_W, Jun 2025
Be prepared for a long pickup process...not a complaint, just a fact to accommodate everyone's hotel pickup. The ride is then 1 1/2 hours. There is a break on the highway. When you get to Petropolis, there is a quick stop for photos at Quitandina Palace, so no entry fee, next we went to the Santos Dumas Museum, which is worth the very small entry fee. And then cross the street for a quick break at Katz's Chocolate store. Next was a visit inside the cathedral, and free buffet lunch nearby. The highlight of the day was the Imperial Palace, where we spent an hour. The visit to Crystal Palace was for a quick photo as it has nothing inside. Finally, the group either went to the brewery or to shop on Rue Teresa. Too tired to shop, we had coffee and strudel across the street from the meeting point at a Hungarian café. Only a few went to the brewery. We left Petrpolis at 6:30 and arrived back at our hotel at 8pm. The guide amazingly switched between English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and was very humorous and animated. She kept us on time and watched over us as our "Brazilian Mother" for the day.
Emma_T, Jun 2025
Great experience. Had a lot of fun exploring Petrópolis. Would recommend. Visited museums, explored the shops and went to a chocolate cafe.
Vanessa_C, Apr 2025
Wonderful tour. Our tour guide was friendly and extremely knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone traveling to Rio.
Diana_A, Apr 2025
Interesting to hear the imperial history. The bus looked new, but literally had no shocks. Very rough ride. Tiese was our guide and did a good job of sharing all information in three languages and keeping track of all of us. For us we had just been on a tour of Chile, Argentina and Brazil so this was a bit of a leapt down after all the magnificent things we had already seen. We were also at the end of a three week trip so we’re out of gas.😊
Martha_N, Mar 2025
This was a nice, complete tour of Petropolis. Very enjoyable day with Chris. Saw everything that was listed on the itinerary and had enough time to explore a bit on our own. Lunch was a buffet with good selections. The only downside was that we were the first pickup, so it was almost 2 hours by the time we got everyone on board and departed Rio. Long day (12 hours) for the driver, guide and us, but a good experience.
Artem_A, Mar 2025
Noone picked me up at the hotel. Waited for 2+ hours, contacted tour operator via chat in viator.com ... no response, called their phone ... no one answered. Was too late to re-book ... wasted a whole day.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Hi, we dont have any book with your name! Please check you reservation because it is not with us
Our telephone (whatsapp) +5521966753066
AnaS_O, Jan 2025
Approximately 30 mins from our departure from pick up location bus had a “low tire” so we stopped for 40 mins on the side of the road to fix the problem… which it seemed to be more than a low tire. Maintenance should be checked prior to departure. On the way to Petrópolis there was an accident so we were on a steep hill for another 40 mins or so (obviously out of their control but it did not help the situation as we were already behind schedule). During our trip we got heavy rain and the bus was leaking from the ceiling and windows. At the end of the tour while dropping passengers off at different locations, the bus driver hit a car parked on the side of the road. We proceeded to wait again to resolve the issue. The tour guide was nice and although some things were out of her control, things kept piling up. The tour was advertised as a group of 30, there were 45 passengers on the bus. Our pick up location at time of reservation was not an issue until later that day (after reservation had been confirmed for hours) and we had to Uber to another location…which they were late 25 mins. I have used Viator on several occasions and never had a problem. This tour did not meet their standard and a full refund should be offered.
TarikNedher_G, Jan 2025
SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM!
Never contacted us. Never answered us. We had to contact Viator Support team to try to reach them and even then they didn't contact us. So irresponsible, we left Rio without going to Petrópolis because of them. I had to contact Viator Support to request for refund.
Dale_B, Dec 2024
No-one came to pick us up. Rang operator Pepe Rio Tours. He said he had not been contacted by Viator to book trip!
Donald_T, Dec 2024
We received confirmation re the tour the day before. In the morning no one came to pick us up. We called multiple times and only on the third call were we told that the tour was cancelled because of traffic during this time of year. Seems like that is something that should have been known ahead of time since the time of year was not variable. We had our trip planned around this tour and this was a big disappointment and inconvenience. We still have not received our refund.
Allison_S, Nov 2024
Our guide Mom Chris was warm and welcoming, an expert linguist who knew multiple languages. Her English was very clear. Our visit to Petrópolis was interesting and fast paced, which we had done the brewery tour instead of the shopping. Get the sweets at the chocolate shop recommended.
The pick ups and drop off took a long while, so I wouldn’t book with a tight schedule in the evening. Perfect for us with a flight at midnight, we returned to our hotel and caught our ride to the international airport.
Shyam_R, Nov 2024
Memorable as the worst Viator experience so far. Viator ticket showed the time for pick up at the hotel at 08:00AM and advised to be at the lobby 15-20 minutes earlier but the local tour guide showed up 09:10AM. My experience so far has been that the local guide confirmed the pick up time and when to wait at the hotel lobby at least the previous day/night but not in this instance. Even with multiple messages to the local guide they never responded with any type of pickup time or delay up until 08:30am of the day of the tour while waiting at the hotel lobby for the pickup at 08:00am as per the Viator ticket.
The guide spoke very little English and struggled to explain about the tour, the schedule of the tour and what to expect during the tour. On top of his lack of ability to explain what we are seeing he was very disorganized at every stop of the way to different destinations. When asked for details he simply and rudely replied “ everyone understands what I explain but you”! I was amazed with that response from the guide. Since he loss time by being disorganized he tried to catch time by the driver driving like a mad man speeding beyond the speed the bus was able to handle with its very noisy suspensions. The drive was very uncomfortable all through out with low grade seats and quality of the bus. What a bumpy ride not only by the bus but with the guide!
Gilberto_M, Nov 2024
Tour group never showed up. I contacted the tour operator via the Viator Support. twice with no response. I did contact well in advance (day before) asking what time I should be ready for pickup. No response from operator. I decided I would wait 1 1/2 hrs before the posted start time of tour. I also waited 30 minutes after start time. I asked the hotel staff if any tour group had arrived asking for me and they said no one had even showed up. I requested a refund but my guess the tour operator won’t honor the refund.
Daniel_B, Sep 2024
We spent over 2 hours picking up people from all over Rio, and it completely ruined the schedule.
I am writing this review at 6:15 and we still haven't left Petropolis. Despite it being on the itinerary we didn't stop at
or even see either the Santos Dumont house or Palácio Quitandinha. We circled the cathedral while being told there wasn't time for it and then dropped on a street for an hour of shopping.
The only positives were the bus was relatively nice as was the driver.
I would not recommend this trip at all.
Daniel_H, Aug 2024
The tour is ok. A lot of driving but not a lot of activity.our guide had a great attitude but barely spoke English. Considering they dobthese tours every day they can have either pre-recorded or written scripts for their guides. Co sideline the cost we were satisfied but I'd it was more expensive it would not be worth it.
margaret_f, Aug 2024
the tour was too long. no need to stop at places for an hour.
we were waited for hotel pick up at 8am and didn't come back until 7:30pm.
I think the tour would if it could be shortened timewise.
Mathias_T, Aug 2024
Nice to see the historic town, palace, etc. However, the trip was supposed to be from 8am to 6pm, but then were picked up at 7am and spent the next 2 hours driving around Rio picking up other passengers. Also got back around 8pm, even though we had booked an evening event that we nearly missed.
David_B, Aug 2024
Trip cancelled at last minute due to weather....but the weather forecast was nice and sunny! Not even sure I will get a refund!
Vineeta_B, Aug 2024
The day was not organised well. Visits to chocolate factory and brewery were cancelled.
The guide Kao had no English vocabulary. She was apparently fluent in Spanish and Portuguese but her English was very poor. I was the only participant who needed explanations in English. I got hardly any. The trip was a washout, in a sense waste of money and time.
Since I had paid you it was your responsibility to ensure proper guide. You failed in doing that.
Fabian_L, Jul 2024
The tour did not come and did not reply to messages and did not offer any solution.
Change vendor and find another one
EVANGELIA_C, Jul 2024
I would like to thank our guide Alex for trying to explain everything in English for the few people like me who did not speak Portuguese. It is not easy ! I would also like to thank our driver for taking us all to Petropolis and back to Rio safely. The tour went as scheduled, which I appreciate. Petropolis is definitely worth a visit!
Laurent_M, Jun 2024
I had an amazing time! Mamie Chris is the best! Everything was well organized and well planed, we were well taken care of, we were really able to do the best out of our day. Amazing value! I highly recommend.
Petros_S, Jun 2024
The guide was perfect, she was so fun ! We had a great time and she accommodated for our special needs !
Anna_G, Jun 2024
Petropolis is a beautiful city with many sights to visit. Our tour guide Christine was the best.
She is very professional, very knowledgeable, cares about the group and made this trip unforgettable. My husband and I had a great time and would recommend this tour to our friends and the excellent tour guide Christine
Denise_T, Apr 2024
Well, first I must say. I missed a trip on the 11th because of location issues issues however, they're rebooting for the next day. And the Clients that was on this trip was fantasbixby staff was very knowledgeable of the history and over tour guide. She was fantastic, wonderful. Terrific and buffet lunch was delacious, so so whenever time you're in Brazil. Take the Tour You won't regret it., One of the main highlights of this trip was, I was able to meet 3 schoolers which was very much Interested with. Me Speaking
english and I remember one kid was so Delightful He was communicating with me in english and interpret it to the other kids. That made my day.,😘
Alexander_G, Mar 2024
Tour operator never came to meeting point. Waited for more than an hour. No notification, email or call.
Howard_P, Feb 2024
Our guide, Chris, was the salvation of this excursion. She was entertaining and full of information, however, Petropolis is a place that should be on no one's bucket list! No real chocolate factory...just a small shop, the cathedral was nothing special and the palace unimpressive.
The buffet lunch was dreadful and rushed. Take an in depth tour if Rio instead.
We've been on several tours with Viator but this was the first one where we spent TWO hours on the bus picking up 27 other people before getting on the highway to Petropolis.
Thank you Chris for sparing us the same on the return by getting us an Uber. Chris is the best thing about this tour!
Rosa_K, Jan 2024
Tour Guides were very good, knowledgable and caring. The pick-up time always on-time. If lunch provided, the lunch or snacks were good. Transportation was comfortable.
From $42.01
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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