Historical Tours
3 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 98% of travelers
98% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$67
per adult
Rio Free Walking Tour
Rio Free Walking Tour
5
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Full view
About
Embark on an unforgettable journey through the heart of Rio de Janeiro with our highly-rated free walking tours. Discover the vibrant City Center on our engaging and informative free walking tours. Immerse yourself in the rich history of Rio and Brazil as our captivating storytelling and interactive activities bring the past to life. Join our free walking tours from Monday to Saturday at 9:30 AM. Meet our friendly guides in their signature yellow t-shirts and umbrellas in front of the Theatro Municipal in Cinelandia. There is no need to book! For a more personalized experience, we also offer private paid walking tours. Check out our tour list on TripAdvisor to find the perfect option for you. Experience the magic of Rio with our free walking tours today!
Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Improve this listingTours and Tickets by Rio Free Walking Tour
Private Sightseeing Tours
2–3 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$60
per adult
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
1,109 reviews
Excellent
949
Very good
137
Average
15
Poor
3
Terrible
5
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PrestonGuild
United Kingdom56,110 contributions
Oct 2019
We have done lots of walking tours around the world and we were interested in doing one in Rio.
We did the Rio Free Walking Tour of Centro. We found it interesting and informative. It is the kind of thing you cannot do by going around in an Uber or a HOHO bus.
There was a lot of walking of the Centro and Lapa area. However there is a lot of sitting down as well as the guide explains the history of Brazil and the surrounding buildings.
One of the first stops was in Confeitaria Columbo bakery. We bought some cakes and pastries which we ate when we were sitting down. We then went to XV Square, Imperial Palace, Cinelandia and it ends on the Selaron staircase in Lapa.
Our guide was fun and informative. She always had a lot of quirky facts.
We did the Rio Free Walking Tour of Centro. We found it interesting and informative. It is the kind of thing you cannot do by going around in an Uber or a HOHO bus.
There was a lot of walking of the Centro and Lapa area. However there is a lot of sitting down as well as the guide explains the history of Brazil and the surrounding buildings.
One of the first stops was in Confeitaria Columbo bakery. We bought some cakes and pastries which we ate when we were sitting down. We then went to XV Square, Imperial Palace, Cinelandia and it ends on the Selaron staircase in Lapa.
Our guide was fun and informative. She always had a lot of quirky facts.
Written July 28, 2020
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.
Vicki
London, UK709 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
Joined this free walking tour with Jessica. There were initially only 2 of us in the English tour group as the others were in the Portuguese tour group but eventually another lady joined us so it was a very small group in the end. Jessica gave us the background and history about the city and also talked us through the various landmarks - Theatre district Seralon Staircase, Lapa Arches, Cathedral etc. She was very knowledgeable, friendly and also answered all our questions even though new to the role. She even managed to get us football tickets for the Semi finals of the Carioca Cup with pick up & drop off at the hotel on the same day! Ask for her if going on a tour with this company and remember to tip generously. Highly recommended!
Written April 2, 2024
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.
Thank you for your rave review of our free walking tour with Jessica! We're thrilled she provided a personalized and informative tour and went above and beyond to help you secure football match tickets. Her dedication to exceptional service is a testament to the quality of our tours, and we're grateful for her hard work and professionalism. We hope to see you again for another memorable adventure!
Written April 21, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kiran S
Toronto, Canada3 contributions
Apr 2023 • Business
The walking tour was excellent. I feel like I have a decent understanding of Brazil’s history thanks to Rafael. It’s not easy sharing so much information in an engaging concise way. He does an excellent job and he is very passionate about sharing about Rio (and Brazil’s) history. Thank you!
Written May 5, 2023
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.
You are welcome! It's excellent to know that you had a great experience. Thanks for the review!
Written May 12, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dennis W
Calgary, Canada7 contributions
Nov 2019 • Family
We joined the Rio Free Walking Tour without much expectation as it’s “free”. However it turned out to be a nice experience. Our tour guide Francesco Caleno was really good. He spoke very good English, has good knowledge in local culture and history, good humour as well, and had lot of patience with the group. We really enjoyed the tour. Thank you.
Written March 6, 2020
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.
Thank you
Written March 7, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lisette G
Santiago, Chile39 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
Appalling. We took the Pub Crawl tour that was supposed to last about 4 hours through the Lapa neighborhood, but we were forgotten by the guides at the first point, in Selina Lapa. We arrived on time at 9pm to check in with Junior, and then we looked for Felipe to have our bracelets, who was solving a problem with some children on the tour, after about 30 minutes Felipe gave us a shot of cachaça, and we waited for leave, at some point he added us to a WhatsApp group. Around 10:45 p.m. we started asking the people from Selina why we had been in the bar for a long time and didn't see the guides again. There they told us that the tour had already left, and they informed us that the next place was Sacrilegio. We looked for the bar on the internet, we went out quickly to find them and we arrived before the tour, there I asked in the WhatsApp group and they said they were on their way. We decided to leave there, we took the tour just to feel safe, and standing waiting was the opposite.
The company did not want to take responsibility, they did not want to refund the value of the tour
The company did not want to take responsibility, they did not want to refund the value of the tour
Written April 27, 2024
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.
Tu reseña se ha escrito en el perfil equivocado. Actualmente no ofrecemos pub crawls. En cualquier caso, lamentamos que su experiencia haya sido tan negativa durante su visita a nuestra ciudad. Si todavía está en Río, le invitamos a participar en nuestro Tour Histórico, que tiene lugar de lunes a sábado a las 9.30 h, con punto de encuentro frente al Teatro Municipal, en Cinelandia. Guías con camisetas amarillas.
Written May 5, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jake
Minneapolis, MN122 contributions
Feb 2020
My wife and I woke up to rain in Rio. We didn’t really have an agenda, so I was looking up stuff online for us to do and found this free tour. I have taken free walking tours in other cities and found them decent so I suggested this. Plus, we wanted to do a day in Centro anyway. We were a bit disappointed with the tour. I was hoping for more history and facts, and my wife was hoping for more visuals. It was a lot of standing and listening, then walking and more standing and listening. We got to see Centro but part of us was wondering if we would have been better off doing it ourselves. I have to take into account that it was a free tour and you get what you pay for. But, we wish we would have just paid for a tour.
Written March 1, 2020
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.
Thank you for your insights.
Our tour is a historic tour, we not only explain the history of the places visited but also facts, customs, and traditions from our culture.
Our guides follow a route filled with historical sites in the downtown area, in addition to receiving training and being tested monthly. Do you remember the name of the guide or the day and the month you took the tour? So I can understand and correct what was the "exciting sights" that you missed.
Written March 3, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Benjamin F
1 contribution
Jan 2020 • Couples
A superb morning spent in the streets of Rio. Gustavo, the guide, was really great in English. Very friendly and funny, he gave us great information and anecdotes. It is a very good time not to hesitate to do if you spend a few days in Rio.
Written January 27, 2020
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.
Thank you so much for the review!
Written January 28, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Carmen M
Oxford, UK114 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
We had a great tour of Downtown Rio with Nina on 3rd November in the afternoon. She spoke very good English, had extensive knowledge of the History of Rio, and made the tour fun. I would have liked to have visited more buildings to see the inside, but I understand that the tour is only 3 hours with a lot of ground to cover, and we finished later than planned as it was. I definitely recommend this company for a walking tour in Rio De Janeiro.
Written November 22, 2023
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.
Alena
Bremen, Germany1 contribution
Mar 2022 • Solo
I really liked the tour. I was by myself and as it was the day after carnival nobody else did the tour. But anyways the guide went just with me and explained me a lot about buildings and the interesting history of Rio. Beside he answered all my questions and offered me help if I would need some information after the tour I could just text. The registration for the Free Walking Tour was super easy and they responded directly via WhatsApp and explained me where to go.
Thanks a lot for this nice and friendly experience!
I would do the tour again:D
Thanks a lot for this nice and friendly experience!
I would do the tour again:D
Written March 11, 2022
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.
That's great! Thanks for the review and if you come to Rio again let us know.Take care. :-)
Written March 11, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Eleanor S
2 contributions
Feb 2024 • Friends
Absolutely loved this walking tour and couldn’t recommend it enough! The perfect amount of walking to history ratio. Opportunities to stop to buy water and food throughout. Also gave us time to take pictures at the main tourist sites. Rafael was very knowledgeable and was very helpful with other suggestions of things to do in Rio. Felt very safe throughout and was an all round great experience!
Written February 29, 2024
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.
We're delighted you loved the walking tour! The perfect mix of history and walking, with Rafael's expertise and helpful suggestions making it a great experience. Thank you for sharing your positive feedback!
Written March 10, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
¿Cuanto es el promedio actualmente que se deja como colaboración? Deduciendo que salió todo bien.
Written May 18, 2024
Gostaria de saber se amanhã (22/12) irá ocorrer o tour. Quais os pontos visitados durante o tour?
Written December 21, 2021
Devido a pandemia. Como estão os funcionando os horários entre fim de janeiro/começo de fevereiro?
Written January 6, 2021
ManuelQuintanilla
Mendoza, Argentina
Hola! Cual es el promedio que suenen dar como colaboración a los guías ?
Written December 25, 2019
Colaboración es libre, sin embargo, generalmente las personas aportan entre 20 y 50 BRL
Written December 26, 2019
En enero es en ese horario y en ese punto de reunión? Se necesita reservar? Es a la gorra o con costo fijo?
Written December 9, 2019
En Janero no trabajaremos en el 01. Operamos de lunes a viernes a las 09:30, el punto de encuentro es en Cinelândia frente al Teatro Municipal
Written December 11, 2019
Hola! El walking tour de patrimonio africano y puerto lo hacen en español? Muchas gracias
Written October 21, 2019
Hola, que tal?
Si, hacemos en español
Written October 21, 2019
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.