Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf private tour in Rio

At a glance

How the day runs

Most days start at Corcovado. The platform at the statue opens after a short morning blessing, held daily between 7:30 and 8:00, and the Corcovado train runs from 8:00 to 18:00, every 20 minutes. Until about late May 2027 the escalators at the top are being replaced and only half the usual number of visitors can be up there at once, so an early slot keeps the day calm.

Your driver takes you to the train station on Rua Cosme Velho or to one of the official van boarding points. Private cars can’t go past Paineiras, and there is no parking at Paineiras or at the statue, so the guide goes up with you and the driver waits below.

Then you cross town to Praia Vermelha in Urca for the Sugarloaf cable car. It runs in two stages: first to Morro da Urca, then on to the summit. The park suggests at least two to three hours for both hills. It also says mornings are quieter, while demand peaks from 3 pm to 6 pm, when many people come for the sunset and lines can form. On a half day we go straight from Corcovado to the cable car. On a full day you can have lunch in between and reach Sugarloaf later, for the late light.

Clouds can hide the statue and the view from either peak, and the weather on Corcovado can change during the day. We look at the forecast with you the evening before. If one peak looks better later, we swap the order or move the day, as far as the time slots allow.

Tickets and time slots

Each ride has its own official seller, and each sells tickets for a set time:

• Trem do Corcovado (tremdocorcovado.rio). Check in at the station ticket office at least 40 minutes before your slot. An online voucher is exchanged there for tickets: bring photo ID, and the card if you paid by card.
• Paineiras Corcovado vans (paineirascorcovado.com.br). You board only at the time on your ticket and return from the same point. Tickets are in the buyer’s name and documents can be checked at boarding. The operator does not refund tickets because of rain or poor visibility, though you can move the date once if there is space.
• Parque Bondinho (bondinho.com.br) for the Sugarloaf cable car. You enter within the slot you chose, and if a slot is sold out online, the ticket office has none left either. Check the hours for your date on the park’s site.

We can book the slots for your date as part of the proposal, or you buy them yourself on those sites and send us the times, and we plan pickup and the drive around them. Either way, each operator’s own change and refund rules apply to its tickets.

Car, driver and guide

The car is chosen for your group and luggage: a sedan for two or three, an SUV for more room, a van for a family or friends. The proposal names the car category, not a model. Our team answers in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German and Italian. We find a guide who speaks your language, and the proposal confirms that language; guides in other languages are available on request.

Options

• Half day: Both landmarks at a quicker pace, which suits an arrival day or a short stay.
• Full day: Corcovado, lunch, one or two stops, then Sugarloaf.
• Selarón Steps: The tiled staircase between Lapa and Santa Teresa fits on the drive between the two peaks. See Selarón Steps.
• Museum of Tomorrow: Open Thursday to Tuesday, 10:00 to 18:00, closed on Wednesdays, with tickets for a set hour. See Museum of Tomorrow.
• Copacabana: A stop on the beachfront; one of the official van points is at Praça do Lido. See Copacabana Beach.

For cruise passengers

Ships dock at Píer Mauá, the Rio de Janeiro International Cruise Terminal on Avenida Rodrigues Alves, 10, next to the Museum of Tomorrow. We meet you outside the terminal and plan the day backwards from your all-aboard time. The Corcovado train has no luggage storage, so bags stay in the car. Send us the ship’s name and its arrival and departure times, since the port schedule lists dates only. More on the terminal is in our Rio cruise port guide, and day formats for ship calls are on Rio shore excursions.

Families, seniors and limited mobility

• Children: Tell us each child’s age, height and weight for car seats. Brazilian rules (CONTRAN Resolution 819/2021) put children under 10 who are shorter than 1.45 m in the back with a suitable seat. Bring each child’s passport or birth certificate, because staff may check it at both sites. Strollers ride folded on the train. Sugarloaf allows them, and its stations have lifts and lifting platforms.
• Stairs at the statue: From the drop-off there are 220 steps. Lifts cover part of the way, and during the works everyone climbs the last 80 on foot. Stair-climbing carriers for standard wheelchairs are available, but not in rain or on wet floors.
• At Sugarloaf: The priority line is for visitors aged 60 and over and children under 3, each with one companion. Each station lends one wheelchair, subject to availability.

Let us know about mobility before we plan, and we check the options for your date. The details of the works at the statue are on our Christ the Redeemer page.

How to book

Send us:

• your date, and a backup date if you have one;
• half day or full day, and any extra stops;
• how many people, with the ages of any children;
• where you are staying, or the ship and its times;
• the language for your guide;
• anyone who finds stairs hard or uses a wheelchair;
• whether you already have tickets, and for what time.

Write to us. A person replies the same working day, from 8:00 to 20:00 Rio time, and the proposal follows within 24 hours with the plan, what is included and the terms. Our fee is already included in the price, and you pay nothing before you confirm. The steps are on how we work.