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Morro da Urca

Morro da Urca, Rio de Janeiro: Address, Morro da Urca Reviews: 4.5/5

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Morro da Urca

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Morro da Urca
4.5
9,303
#9 of 821 things to do in Rio de Janeiro
Points of Interest & Landmarks • Lookouts • Hiking Trails
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About
This is the first hill up on the way to Rio's famous Sugar Loaf. It offers it's own marvelous view from the top (215 meters) but its base is also a good place for hiking.
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Urca
Urca is one of the oldest areas in Rio. Known for its incredible views of the city, the neighbourhood runs along Guanabara bay, providing visitors with an opportunity to watch the sunset from one of Rio’s greatest natural treasures: Sugarloaf Mountain (Pao de Acucar). It is said that the locals in Urca are “bon vivant,” which is one of the reasons the area attracts people of all styles and ages. Urca is the perfect place to take a stroll and appreciate the area’s beautiful architecture, enjoy a cocktail and some delicious seafood pastries at a bar, or bring a bottle of wine and enjoy it while sitting anywhere along the stone seawall known as the “mureta.”
Best nearby
Restaurants
2,079 within 3 miles
Classico Beach Club
684
75 ft$$ - $$$ • Brazilian • Bar • Seafood
Circulo Militar da Praia Vermelha
339
0.1 mi$$ - $$$ • Brazilian • Seafood • South American
Bar do David
785
0.4 mi$$ - $$$ • Brazilian • Bar • Seafood
Estrelas da Babilonia
470
0.4 mi$ • Latin • Bar • Vegetarian Friendly
Restaurante Marius Degustare
14,886
0.5 mi$$$$ • Seafood • Gluten Free Options
Terra Brasilis
1,003
0.1 mi$$ - $$$ • Brazilian
Árabe Urca
65
472 ft$ • Diner • South American • Arabic
Gaia Art & Cafe
290
0.5 mi$$ - $$$ • Brazilian • Cafe • Vegetarian Friendly
Bacio di Latte - Shopping Rio Sul
628
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • Dessert • Italian
Camarada Camarão Riosul Shopping
786
0.7 mi$$ - $$$ • Brazilian • Bar • Seafood
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Attractions
578 within 6 miles
Vermelha Beach
1,139
0 ftBeaches
Museu de Ilusoes
76
125 ftSpeciality Museums
Urca Beach
262
483 ftBeaches
Estátua de Frédéric Chopin
203
0.1 miMonuments & Statues
Claudio Coutinho Trail
3,447
0.2 miHiking Trails
Urca
3,307
0.3 miNeighborhoods
Sugarloaf Mountain
56,218
0.8 miTrams • Mountains
Morro da Babilônia
46
0.2 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Forte Duque de Caxias
703
0.5 miMilitary Bases & Facilities
Leme
502
0.4 miNeighborhoods
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
9,303 reviews
Excellent
7,023
Very good
2,060
Average
194
Poor
17
Terrible
9
Lovin' it on Phuket
1,258 contributions
Better than the Redeemer
Dec 2020 • Family
We found a visit to Urca much more enjoyable than going to the Redeemer. The view is not as high up but it sure is a lot nicer. You can hike the trail in about 30 minutes or take a cable car up and then head to sugar loaf after you are done.

Unlike Christ the Redeemer Urca is not nearly as crowded. During the pandemic this is a great thing. It’s also a really nice view over the city and of Christ the Redeemer from the top. I enjoyed the view more, I found Christ the Redeemer to be a major let down and can’t figure out why everyone makes such a big deal about it or why it would be a wonder of the modern world. I guess if you look at the places I’ve been you can realize why. Urca is just lovely. There are shops at the top, the view is in the valley so you don’t see all the nasty parts of Rio (well less of them) and sits over the marina and you can see all the boats down below. A cool feature is watching for a jet to take off from the airport and behind sugarloaf. We found that very interesting. There are also several types of lizards and some marmosets at the top, so if you are lucky you will get to watch a very cute animal show as the lizards like to run and chase each other around the side of the mountain and the marmosets are just fun to watch on their commute to the trees.
Written January 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Goal100Countries
Cheltenham, UK615 contributions
Incredible Views
May 2019
Morro da Urca is the first stop on the gondola for Sugar Loaf mountain. You can access this place by foot through stunning jungle, and takes around 45 minutes. It is a steep incline however, so bear this in mind. In my opinion, the views from Urca are the best in Rio as they offer views of the ocean, Christ the Redeemer, the beautiful coast and Rio's skyline. It is well worth paying the small cost to go to the very top of Sugar Loaf too as the views are sublime.
Written January 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Jack Miller
Czech Republic26 contributions
Panoramic viewpoint.
Jul 2019
Very beautiful view of the hill. It has a wonderful infrastructure up there. It is possible to go by cable car or on a beautiful trail where children and the elderly can enjoy.
Morro da Urca has a spectacular view of various points of the city.
Written June 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Tupelo010835
Denton, TX1,962 contributions
"I Can See For Miles and Miles"......
Jan 2020
.......as the song goes. Certainly true about this place, in spades! I particularly enjoyed the view of the airport. Being an airplane nut, it was really cool to watch the traffic come and go. Then there are the beaches.
Oh my.
Written March 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Hermes_NL 🇳🇱
Amsterdam, The Netherlands19,903 contributions
Nice stop on the way back from the Pao
Jan 2019 • Family
The Morro da Urca is the hill with the cable car stop going both up and down to the Pao de Acucar. It has pretty good view itself as well over Rio. And more shopping and eating opportunities than the smaller area on the Pao. Makes for a pretty good place to stop, rest and take in some more views on the way back in particular. Note there can be lines here especially for going up.
Written February 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
KodoDrummer
Yekaterinburg, Russia64,088 contributions
Hike up the path
Aug 2018 • Friends
Getting to the top of Morro da Urca affords you good views of Rio and the ocean. It is 220-metres above sea level. However for the awesome views from Sugarloaf are from 396-metres above sea level. Albeit, the further one is from sea level, the less clear will be the ocean, beach, and city views. The awesome part is hiking up the path and earning the view from atop Morro da Urca. Once at this level, I would suggest going all the way to the top of Sugarloaf. Yes, the views will be a little less clear, but it is considered to be about five times as interesting as a tourist attraction. That said, I still rank Morro da Urca in the top 20 percent of tourist attractions, and thus rate it as Excellent.
Written August 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
joanadventure
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia1,386 contributions
Sugarloaf
Dec 2013 • Friends
I can even walked here from Botafogo that took me an hour. The cable car ride is good and the view up there is good with clear weather. It was raining but after that I managed to capture the night view - the best of RIO at night. Last cable car down is at 8.40pm.
Written January 5, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
ncubillos
Bogota, Colombia12 contributions
Beautiful view and easy trail
Dec 2014 • Couples
It worth to go up walking, it is an easy trail, you find monkeys all the way, very funny. It starts close to Pao de Azucar ticket office using the Claudio Coutinho train, and you have amazing views from the beach. After walking 1 or 2 kms there is the trail to Morro da Urca at the left. It doesn't have a very big sign, it is possible to ignore it (it happen to us). The view from Morro is very beautiful and you can enjoy an acai or something else to drink. We had to walk down because the only way to go down in the cable car was to buy the tickets in advance, or to wait after 7 pm.
Written January 11, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Claudia
6 contributions
Trail to the cable car
Dec 2019 • Family
Excellent trail. All developed and well taken care of. One must be a bit fit, but it’s a memorable experience. I highly recommend this view from Rio. The hike is short (about 40 min) and it is uphill with a wooden staircase at times. Take plenty of water and be thrilled in the end!
Written November 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Dirk P
12 contributions
Not for free any more
Jan 2016 • Family
On the top of Morro da Urca is the first cable car station before shugarloaf (2nd and last one) Instead of waiting 2,5 hours downstairs for buying a ticket , you can hike up in half an hour for free along a terrific rainforest trail, accessable by the Claudio Coutinho coast way. Don´t get afraid of the little monkeys gangs , you´ll meet on the way. They are hungry (because it´s forbidden to feed them) and love bananas. They intend to install a caxier in order to charge the entrance at the station upstairs. So, soon, nothing will be for free any more.
Written January 7, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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