Rio From the Sea: Guanabara Bay Cruise with Optional Barbecue Lunch
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 4 to 6 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Sail on Guanabara Bay for half a day, viewing the Rio's picturesque city skyline and Sugarloaf Mountain from the water. On this cruise from Rio, glide through the bay's tranquil waters, passing islands and historic forts. Upgrade your experience to enjoy a local all-you-can-eat barbecue lunch at a restaurant in Rio. Round-trip transportation from most Rio hotels is included.
- Embark on a leisurely half day cruise on Guanabara Bay
- See the major sites from the tranquil waters, including Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer
- Upgrade to include a delicious barbecue lunch
- Pickup and drop-off from most Rio hotels included
What's Included
- 2-hour Guanabara Bay cruise
- Lunch at Barbecue House - all you can eat style (if option selected)
- Hotel pickup and drop off to Most Hotels in São Conrado, Leblon, Ipanema and Copacabana (South Zone)
- Professional Tour Guide
- Gratuities
- Beverages
- Food (if option selected)
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
* Roundtrip transfer to/from most hotels located in Sao Conrado, Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon (South Zone) * Please wait for your guide in the hotel lobby of your selected hotel. if your hotel is not listed, contact us so we can inform you the closest pick up location and time
Itinerary
After pickup from your Rio hotel, travel to the launch point to board your boat. Set sail from Rio's urban shores to explore the vistas from the water, including different views of the Christ the Redeemer statue, Copacabana Beach, and Sugarloaf Mountain.
View the historic neighborhoods of Botafogo, Urca, and Flamengo as you sail by Flagstone Island. Cruise under the Rio-Niteroi Bridge and see the beaches of Niteroi, as well as Fortaleza São João and Fortaleza Santa Cruz.
End your half-day cruise here or upgrade to include an authentic Brazilian barbecue lunch at a local Rio restaurant including multiple options of sides and different cuts of meat as well as vegetarian options.
View the historic neighborhoods of Botafogo, Urca, and Flamengo as you sail by Flagstone Island. Cruise under the Rio-Niteroi Bridge and see the beaches of Niteroi, as well as Fortaleza São João and Fortaleza Santa Cruz.
End your half-day cruise here or upgrade to include an authentic Brazilian barbecue lunch at a local Rio restaurant including multiple options of sides and different cuts of meat as well as vegetarian options.
1
Marina da Gloria
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Guanabara Bay (Pass By)
Santos Dumont Airport (Pass By)
Ilha Fiscal (Pass By)
Downtown RJ (Pass By)
Church of Our Lady of the Candelaria (Pass By)
Museu do Amanha (Pass By)
Ponte Rio–Niteroi (Pass By)
Museu de Arte Contemporanea de Niteroi (Pass By)
Fortaleza de Santa Cruz da Barra (Pass By)
Urca (Pass By)
Sugarloaf Mountain (Pass By)
Botafogo Bay (Pass By)
Flamengo district (Pass By)
Copacabana Beach (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- Pick-up at selected hotels in Barra da Tijuca available on request ($10.00 per person). Please contact the local provider to arrange this service
- Most travelers can participate
- The bay ride is made by Schooner and takes around 2 hours.
- In private options, only guide and hotel transfer are private. Schooner Cruise is still shared
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Andrew_H
Louis was a great guide. He turned up at the hotel exactly on time to accompany us on the boat trip which is highly recommended. Angela was the boat guide and spoke English very well.
Reviews
3.9
based on 88 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Joseph_C, Apr 2025
No one showed up. When I called, no one cared. I was stranded at the dock and had to find my own way back. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!
BRIAN_R, Mar 2023
Very nice tour friendly host really looked after us and very good English speaker. Boat trip very enjoyable and finished with a lovely meal . Would recommend
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Dear Customer.
Thanks a lot for the review.
We are glad that you liked the tour.
Please count on us on future trips.
Thanks.
Andrew_H, Mar 2023
Louis was a great guide. He turned up at the hotel exactly on time to accompany us on the boat trip which is highly recommended. Angela was the boat guide and spoke English very well.
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Dear Customer.
Thanks a lot for the review.
We are glad that you liked the tour.
Please count on us on future trips.
Thanks
tracy_d, Sep 2022
Tour guide too touchy and meal at lunch had two hairs in my food. Would not recommend. Cruise was very slow with basically no explaination.
Response from Host, Sep 2022
Dear Tracy.
Good morning.
Cruise must always respect sea conditions.
Sorry about the guide. We will resolve this internally so it doesn happen anyore as this tour has a lot of historical informations to share, besides the views and all the attractions.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
If you need anything, please contact us at reservations@grayline.com.br
We will do our possible to help.
KInd regards.
Michael H, Aug 2018
The Tour Guide was not really needed as their was one on boat.
Katrina_R, Apr 2018
A lovely afternoon in the harbour - great to do if you have a couple of hours to spare, but not mind blowing. Scenery was good and luckily the weather was amazing!
meytaindri, Dec 2017
It’s amazing tour! Our tour guide, ian did a great job!
He very kind and helpful. definitely recommend!
Zwingman, Nov 2017
The guide was informative and was clear in the explanations. It was unique to see some of the sights of Rio that you wouldn't normally see. Overall the boat ride was relaxing, although a bit boring. Most everyone on board didn't say anything and really wasn't all that excited. I would recommend that is needs more energy from the guide on board and crew. I'm not talking about a party boat but just to give it some excitement. Also, instead of serving cut fruit, serve other items as many people were hesitant to try open fruit watermelon and pineapple.
David L, Oct 2017
What a lovely day we had, the water was fantastic and the views of the city and surrounding landscape from the water is breathtaking. The history and landmarks were described in detail and the lunch provided afterwards was delicious. Highly recommended.
Lawrence W, Jan 2017
Whilst this beautiful Guanabara Bay is still appealing, the noticeably polluted water is a put off! Fantastic views of the Rio coastline though makes up for it. Only major downer was our multi-stop pick ups from other hotels en route to the Marina
Jonathan_D, Jul 2016
We chose to not get the seafood lunch and since our flight out of Rio was scheduled for later in the day, we were anxious when the boat was late and then they sent the wrong boat to the dock. The delays surpassed 30 minutes, but thankfully our guide he told us to call him John the Baptist yelled at the boat operators and got them to shave off 15 minutes of the boat ride without us missing any of it. We got back to our hotel by 12pm as was promised. Thanks John! As for actual sightseeing, it's a nice way to either start or finish your time in Rio as you'll get a different perspective of all the landmarks and see areas you wouldn't get to otherwise. The live English commentary on the boat was also very helpful along with the fun Bossa Nova music in the background.
Gregory O, Jun 2016
The tour was amazing however there was no seafood buffet that followed. I would recommend just doing the tour and have lunch where you want.
Taylor R, Jun 2016
This tour was great! It was a great way to see the city and learn some history about it along the way. Our guide JB was fantastic! He was very fun and informative thought the trip. Would highly recommend this cruise to anyone visiting Rio.
Jabari W, Jun 2016
Luis our guide was very friendly, knowledgeable and offered to take pictures of notable sites during the boat cruise. The seafood lunch is misleading as we had Brazilian BBQ after the boat ride. Overall, a great experience and highly recommend it.
George P, Mar 2016
This was a good tour and we saw quite a bit of the overall area from a different perspective. It lasted around 3 hours from hotel pick up to drop off, with about 2 hours in the boat. Tour guide was not too helpful as we were sitting in various places on the boat and he couldn't speak to everyone at once. However, he made a point of talking to each of us individually and giving some information on the adjacent views. I'd recommend this tour.
Nicola G, Jan 2016
The cruise was done well, however the 'Seafood Lunch' is not this at all. It actually is at a BBQ restaurant, which is the location of all meals with the company. I did multiple tours on different days and was sent here for every meal, which wasn't even a great meal to start with. Also was told that if you have more than one meal on a day with tours, you still only go to this place. Was unfortunate to end the lunch that way as the boat ride was fun. I would just opt out of the lunch.
Kris K, Jul 2015
Really nice tour, overall. The 2 hour cruise was the perfect amount of time to be out on the bay. We saw all of the 'must see' locations and the ride was very comfortable. Our guide gave us valuable tips for staying in Rio during our transport to and from the hotel. Totally worth the price of admission.
Ian F, Jun 2015
Not great by any means. You motor out of the bay alongside sugar loaf mountain, but after that it's all very industrial - if you want to see oil rigs, an unattractive
(But very long) bridge, planes landing and taking off in close proximity, then you'll like this tour. I didn't.
Latasha S, Jun 2015
Very nice boat cruise... Not crowded at all! Everyone was very friendly! The Place I went to for lunch was the same place that I went to before the samba show. Nice place, lots of food! I don't eat meat so there were plenty of options on the buffet.
Krzysztof S, May 2015
Excellent tour, beautiful weather, tour leader DJ was excellent with humor and knowledge.
Patricia B, Apr 2015
Great weather, great tour guide, couldn't ask for a better day. Except the annoying tourists (even though I am one too) with their stupid selfie sticks. Sit down, enjoy the view! Overall, highly recommended! Cheers!
helen.markham, Feb 2015
The hotel pick up was on time and the tour guide was very nice. The cruise itself was fantastic and it was lovely to see Rio from the water. Afterwards we had opted for the seafood lunch however this was more Rodizzio than seafood but altogether very good. Definately worth doing whilst visiting Rio.
Jamescuz20, Jan 2015
Satisfactory, the seafood had been removed from the booking so the Guide had to find a restaurant in Ipanema at the last minute and it wasnt great.
Teddy, Jan 2015
It was an almost 2hrs. Trip, the views and sits you see during the trips are beautiful, relaxing and enjoyable trip
Amy V, Jan 2015
First let me say that the advertising I read for the tour said optional swimming which in my mind is you can either swim or just relax on the beach. This was neither it was a boat ride. Which covered most of what I saw the day prior but on a boat. Save your money and skip this!!
Maureen Marvis L, Dec 2014
Trip was amazing and totally worth it. To avoid disappointment I suggest that you confirm with the weather forecast the likelihood of rain as it almost rained during our trip (a refund was the next best option but as you can imagine when you have a limited time to see a place the refund becomes the least exciting option). Fortunately the day cleared and the trip was amazing.
Ronald M, Dec 2014
It was a good tour, the only drawback was that the scheduled lunch was in the same restaurant with the same limited menu as the the tour the day earlier. If we had known that we would not have taken the optional lunch. It was not a seafood restaurant, it was an adequate general menu restaurant except that our menu was limited to two or three choices. Not good two days in a row.
Pauline P, Sep 2014
Although, I found this tour quite boring, it was nice to see the harbor and get a grasp on how the city was laid out. I was under the impression that we would have a chance to explore some beaches and get off the boat and go swimming, which was not the case. I was quite disappointed. In addition, another passenger stated she had purchased the optional lunch but that was canceled at the last minute.
Margaret B, Aug 2014
Our overall experience was disappointing and did not meet our expectations. The scenery from the bay cruise was worth the experience with great views of Sugar loaf, forts, bay and Navel Museum and buildings, with Christ the Redeemer Statue in the background.
However the boat was somewhat crowded and noisy. Our guide who was not always present, but did interpret the difficult to hear boat commentary.
The day was spoilt by the very poor optional seafood lunch. From previous reviews on this site, we had expected a high standard of a seafood lunch. We were taken to "Bar do Beto" in Ipanema. Having chosen the fish from the options ( fish, steak, or pasta), what was served was bread, rice, potato and more batter than fish, and that was it! We also felt slightly rushed as our guide was managing a separate larger group.
Overall, the package was not value for money.
Taryn B, Aug 2014
So relaxing... and really gives you a unique view of the city that you can't get from Corcovado or Sugar Loaf. The pontoon is big and we had about 50 other guests with us on the boat. It was a really nice cruise!
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