Cidade do Samba Behind-the-Scenes Carnival Tour in Rio de Janeiro
3.5
Cidade do Samba Behind-the-Scenes Carnival Tour in Rio de Janeiro
By Gray Line Tours
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About
Get a behind the scenes look at Rio’s world famous carnival experience during this tour of Cidade do Samba. Visit one of the top samba schools, Acadêmicos do Grande Rio's, and see where they store the over-the-top parade floats and intricate costumes. Learn about the history of Brazil and its culture of Carnival while sipping on a traditional caipirinha and trying on a few costumes yourself.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 3-99, max of 15 per group
Duration: 3h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: German, Portuguese, English, Italian, French, Spanish
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Highlights
- Discover the extravagant world of Rio’s Carnival on this 3.5-hour tour
- Explore the warehouse of Acadêmicos do Grande Rio's and their floats
- Learn the history of Carnival culture in Rio and Brazil from your guide
- Sip on a traditional caipirinha as you try on a few over-the-top costumes
- Professional guide
- One caipirinha drink
- Hotel pickup and drop-off to most South South Zone hotels in Rio
- Guided Visit to Grande Rio’s Warehouse
- Entry/Admission - Cidade Do Samba
What's not included- Gratuities
- Food
- Receive complimentary pickup at your Rio hotel and ride to the neighborhood of Gamboa, where Samba originated. Visit the warehouse of Acadêmicos do Grande Rio's and see where they store their extravagant floats and beautiful costumes. As you walk through the ‘Cidade do Samba’—the city of Samba—learn about the history of Rio and Carnival culture from your guide. Find out about the preparations that go into each competition and what has to be done to put on a great show every year. Explore the racks of lavish costumes as you listen to the stories and legend of how Carnival made its way to the Portuguese colony of Brazil. End your tour with a complimentary caipirinha—the national drink—while trying on a costume or two before heading back to your hotel.
- Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.Pickup details
- * Roundtrip transfer to/from most hotels located in Sao Conrado, Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon * 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.
Hotel pickup offeredDuring checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2484HISAMBA- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- It is recommended that you wear comfortable clothes and shoes
- Minimum age to drink alcohol is 18 years
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2484HISAMBA
From
$65.00
per adult (price varies by group size)
Select date and travelers
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Itinerary
- 1After hotel pickup, travel to the mandala-shaped Cidade do Samba, a warehouse complex in Gamboa, the birthplace of Rio de Janeiro's samba. More than 80 samba schools with 100,000 dancers participate in Carnival, but each year only the top 12 to 14 samba schools form the Special Group, aka the First League, which build and store their magnificent floats and costumes at Cidade do Samba. As you explore the complex with your guide, learn about the history of samba as well as the Carnival parade and competition in the Sambadrome. Although Carnival explodes into action only once a year, backstage preparations continue on a daily basis. Want to know more? Head inside the warehouse of G.R.E.S. Acadêmicos do Grande Rio, a local-favorite samba school established in 1988. With your guide leading the way, meander through the warehouse and marvel at the floats in progress. Eye the rows of racks bursting with eye-popping costumes. Learn about the allegories and stories underlying the pageantry, as your guide explains Carnival’s pagan origins that began in ancient Greece and continued into the Middles Ages in Europe before arriving in Brazil through Portuguese colonization. Wondering how those costumes would look on you? Try them on and find out! Slip on some outrageous ensembles and snap memorable pics to upload on your social media accounts. Finally, toast your visit with a caipirinha, a cocktail made with cachaça (sugar cane hard liquor), sugar and lime, before taking transport back to your hotel.
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
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- robaD8476UU0 contributionsThe best tour to visit Christ the Redeemer.This was a fantastic tour and our guide Warley made the whole experience even better. It rained (not Warleys fault!) but that didn’t matter as the attractions were even better than we expected. Christ the redeemer and Sugar Loaf were as brilliant as we’d hoped and our expert guide Warley added fantastic details and insights that we wouldn’t have otherwise known. I wholeheartedly recommend this trip and if you have Warley as your guide you will have the best.Written September 17, 2024
- sdelafe0 contributionsGreat 1/2 day private tourWe had a great time! Our guide was pleasant and explained a number of things. This was definitely the way for us to experience the falls and forest. The jeep was the perfect way to do this. Fun, small and 1/2 a day was great. If you want a hike, this is not the tour, but if you want to see it and enjoy the views and the basics this is perfect.Written September 12, 2024
- AJ22810 contributionsAmazing garden in the middle of the cityOur guide George was charming, funny and very knowledgeable about all the flora and fauna around us. We thoroughly enjoyed the day out and it would not have been the same if we have gone alone without our guide George.Written September 10, 2024
- EmilieLevec0 contributionsTHANK YOU MAIKOThank you so much MAIKO for all ! We saw the flamengo match and lt was a beautiful moment! We did a tour of favelas with you and I really need to say to all the people you are the Best guide in Rio ! Thanks for your patient, your fun and your respect and the lesson of story concerning Rio !! See you next time Maiko !Written August 30, 2024
- F2524AOerikm0 contributionsExciting, Beautiful, RioThe views were great. The forest was a pleasure to go through. The ride there goes around Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas and on the way back goes through São Conrado, Leblon & Ipanema with incredible viewsWritten August 10, 2024
- ana marta m0 contributionsIguaçu fallsWas great making the Iguaçu falls with Breno our guide He showed us everything and between ! Super guide I recommend for sureWritten August 1, 2024
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- V546TYvictoriah0 contributions8 hrs in Rio de JaneiroThe views were amazing. Beautiful beautiful weather. Our tour guide Warley was passionate and quick on his feet. Great guy in explaining both in English and Spanish, switching between both to cater to the groups. (Ps. buy Warley some sunblock, he needs sun protection) To meet our schedule, we were running late for lunch so do bring some mini snacks in case you get hungry.Written July 21, 2024
- Shady M0 contributionsAmazing Stadium Energy and Futbol Team InformationOur guide was amazing ! He came right on time to pick me up. He explained to us background of the Botafogo futbol team. He made sure we were safe at all times and that we stayed as a group. The stadium and energy in the stadium was amazing!Written July 18, 2024
- M955KDjamest0 contributionsOooh LA LA LAThe tour is worthwhile-not just for the convenience of navigating ticket lines and such, but also for the many tips about best place to take a pic, what local treats to try (Açai!!), etc, but also for the fun-THANK YOU TiTi!!!! Btw-the experience was so good, we even booked a city tour the next day-very worthwhile.Written July 6, 2024
- 177jackg0 contributionsWell organised and so worthwhileThe trip was simple and communication was good before it even started. I got picked up, taken to the game and everything was so easy. The guide was very kind and knowledgeable. He did so well to get all of us in the stadium and seated so efficiently. Couldn't recommend more!! Was a great experience!!Written June 25, 2024
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These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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3.5
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Carl v
Hoyanger, Norway3 contributions
Dec 2017 • Couples
Today my wife and me (I am from Sweden) went for this tour with a perfect English speaking guide named Dandara. She was very sympathetic, as well as the other staff, and told many interesting things, some which even was unknown to my Carioca wife. It was also impressive to see the tremendous amounts of work that is done by each samba school for their parade - about 200 persons working for months to create all the costumes and building the big fantasy floats!
The tour is definately recommended if you want to know more about the history and backstage work of the Rio Carnival.
Carl
The tour is definately recommended if you want to know more about the history and backstage work of the Rio Carnival.
Carl
Written December 2, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Carl V,
Thank you so much for your review.
We are happy you had such a great tour with us. The amount of work that happens throughout the year for just a couple of days of parade is very impressive. Each school works for several months on all the details so that they can be at their best at their parade which is just little over an hour per school. It is a whole industry that revolves around that.
We are happy you had such a time experiencing a little bit of it.
We hope to see you and your wife again in the near future in other tours.
Thank You.
best regards,
Pedro Malta on behalf of Diogo M.
Written December 5, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Daniel H
Swansea, UK6 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
This was a shambles company, we booked and we're told that we needed to go at a different time to what we originally booked because CARNIVAL WAS ON THIS WEEK. We understood after all our whole trip was because of carnival. We booked this and also needed to change a few things with our holiday provider which caused a huge headache just so we could go on this excursion. We had 2 nights in the middle of a jungle before this and had no access to e-mail. And we had an e-mail the night before this excursion that it was cancelled because "CARNIVAL WAS ON THIS WEEK." Now usually I would understand but the company knew carnival was on even when we booked. I have a suggestion for this company. Just give up because you obviously have no idea how to treat your customers. I would probably understand a little more if they allowed us to book and then cancelled as they realised it was carnival but no it wasn't untill the night before that they sent an e-mail. Let me just add that prior to our trip to Rio we were 2 nights in the jungle with no access to e-mail. It was quite short notice too if you ask me. I was curious and will never use the company "VIATAR" EVER AGAIN. Please to avoid any disappointment on your holidays stay well away from this company.
Written February 16, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Daniel H,
Thank you for your review.
The issue was that we had confirmed this with the Samba School where this tour takes place, however at the last minute the carnival organization rescheduled the departure of the parade cars and we were unable to do the tour.
So although we had everything in place for your tour, due to circumstances outside of our control we were forced to cancel the tour.
We hope you accept our apologies.
Thanks,
best regards,
Pedro Malta on behalf of Diogo M.
Written February 28, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
No questions have been asked about this experience
