Listen, I am not a luxury traveller. And I know private city tours in otherwise-very-touristy cities are usually associated with luxury travel. However, not a soul on earth can deny the woeful reputation Rio has for safety, particularly pickpocketing and phone snatching. My friends suggested just taking a cheap burner phone (not an option for an 11-day full Brazil trip?!). Or “taking other devices so you’re prepared when you get robbed” (lol, what?). As a solo female traveller who’d actually been robbed in Peru less than a month before this trip, I was absolutely not about to take any chances here. So a private tour of Rio was the only thing I was willing to consider.
Would I have been fine with a group tour, or just taking care at the tourist stops? Perhaps. But the private tour gave me that comfort blanket. And it came with a huge host of other benefits, like early morning airport pickup, a customisable itinerary, safe bag storage, and pre-arranged tickets.
Here’s what was involved, and why a private tour was totally worth it as a solo female traveller in Rio.
For a full stop-by-stop breakdown of the perfect Rio itinerary, check out my guide here!
And if you’re looking for other trips from Rio, why not head to Ilha Grande for a day of boats, beaches, and caipirinhas. here’s my full review of taking an Ilha Grande day trip from Rio!
In a rush? Quick facts on the Rio Private Tour
- Pickup: Airport pickup included, plus door-to-door hotel transfer at the end of the tour.
- Duration: Around 7 hours, starting around 7am.
- Stops: City centre highlights, Selarón Steps, Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, buffet lunch, drive-bys of other landmarks I requested.
- Extras: Flexible stops you can add yourself, coffees and water included
- Want the full stop-by-stop breakdown of what you’ll actually see? Check out my post on How to See Rio de Janeiro in a Day
- Book the private tour here!
Why I chose the Rio private tour over a group tour
I’ve already covered my safety concerns, and that was my main motive behind the private tour. But I had some other reasons too.
I wanted to see more of the city
A private tour lets you set your own stops instead of sticking to the three or four standard highlights you get on group tours. Sugarloaf, Christ the Redeemer, and the Selarón Steps are obviously incredible. But I also wanted to see parts of downtown Rio (the cathedral, the stadium, the giant murals) and get a feel for that part of the city, plus pass by a couple of architectural landmarks I’d pinned (like the aqueduct. Nerdy, but whatever). I also wanted to drive the length of Copacabana – you know fine well my security-conscious nerves were not going to let me wander it on foot. The private tour let me add all of that in.
I was on a tight schedule
I only had one day to see Rio in full. Sure, I could’ve booked a few separate tours if I’d had more time and gotten all of the above in much more detail. But I didn’t have the days. This was the perfect alternative without compromising on security.
Side note: I was short on time because I was using my second day to get out on a boat 3 hours away and see Ilha Grande. Obviously. Highly recommend doing this for more relaxed beach and ocean vibes where you can actually enjoy yourself without worrying about your stuff. Check our this full day Ilha Grande tour, and see my review of the whole Ilha Grande boat trip experience.
I wanted safe photos
I normally carry a tripod when I solo travel. But leaving my phone standing on one in the middle of Rio was obviously not an option. If I’d gone solo without a tour, I would’ve been riskily asking strangers to take my picture. In a group tour, I’d have been one of 15+ people asking the guide to do it. In a private tour, I could ask the guide as many times as I wanted without holding anyone up. This might sound vain, but let’s not pretend we don’t all think like this when snapping our travel shots.
I needed an earlier start and an airport pickup
I wanted to start touring as soon as I landed, to see as much of the city as possible and avoid the worst of the traffic. The only options I found with group tours were pickups in Copacabana at 6am or 7am. I needed an airport pickup to start earlier than that. Having a private guide and driver meant I could ask them to get me at the airport and stipulate the exact time – it ended up being 07:30ish by the time we left. And that was totally fine, because there was nobody else to think about.
Sure, I could’ve started at 11am after taxiing in from the airport, but then I’d have spent most of the day sitting in traffic.
Bag storage
I landed with my full travel backpack. I really did not want to be lugging luggage into Copacabana traffic, wearing it around tourist sites, or handing my valuables to a hotel bag store and hoping for the best. Fortunately, I was able to lock my bag out of sight in the private car that drove me around all day. I still technically risked it getting stolen from the car, but the sites we stopped at were well policed.
Value for money
This was probably the biggest surprise. Add up everything I would’ve needed in Rio that day: a taxi from the airport, secure bag storage, coffee, lunch, water, site entrance tickets, transport to and from meeting points, possible extra taxis or tours to see other sites. The private tour really didn’t cost much more than all of that plus a standard group tour. Which mostly proves that standard group tours are overpriced for what they are. Either way, I didn’t feel like I was paying through the nose for what I got. And you can’t put a price on safety.
Honest note on the Rio Private Tour
This tour wasn’t perfect. As standalone private city tours go, it was mid-range. The guide wasn’t especially knowledgeable and struggled to understand a lot of what I asked. But it was flexible, logistically solid, and reasonably priced. Importantly, it gave me the security I needed, meant I didn’t have to leave a bag of valuables sitting in a hotel I didn’t yet trust, and just gave me better peace of mind. Plus photos: even if the guide’s photography skills were – truly – terrible, a handful were still usable.
What was included in the Rio Private Tour
You actually have the option to choose from 4 hour, 6 hour, or 8 hour tours. I went with the 8 hour so that I could include everything. You obviously can design the itinerary for any of them, but you’re limited by time in the shorter ones so you can make fewer stops.
Airport Pickup
My driver was waiting at arrivals with my name on a card from 6:30am onwards, which was genuinely useful after a long flight. He whatsapped to let me know where he was, then called the driver when I came through arrivals and we were on the road within 10 minutes.
Rio Private Tour stops
In the 8 hour tour I was able to visit
- Giant murals
- Valongo Wharf
- Maracanã Stadium
- Metropolitan Cathedral
- Selarón Steps
- Coffee stop
- Christ the Redeemer (with minibus transport and as much time at the top as I wanted)
- Sugarloaf Mountain – cable car ride up and down, and as long at the top as I wanted
- Drive-by of pinned points (nice architecture, Carioca Aqueduct, famous statues or buildings)
- Copacabana Beach
- Lunch stop
I’ve written a full guide on all of these stops – read more about that in my post on Rio de Janeiro Full Day Itinerary!
Lunch – included
Lunch was a backstreet restaurant in Copacabana with an all-you-can-eat buffet of fairly average food. A big salad bar, churrasco (Brazilians love their grilled beef), fries, chicken, and a few other basics.
Since it was included in the tour, I wasn’t about to turn it down. Drinks and desserts cost extra, which seems to be the standard model across Brazil tours. I wouldn’t seek this restaurant out on its own, but it did the job as a pitstop between stops.
The guide gave me an hour here. I needed 15 minutes. It’s the last stop on the tour so you can either skip it or just use it as a way to kill your hunger for a bit before a nicer dinner later.
Final thoughts: is a private tour of Rio worth it?
Yes, especially after a robbery elsewhere on my trip left me wary of Rio’s reputation. The convenience of an airport pickup and the flexibility over the itinerary was high-key worth it. And it was super economical. Factor in what I’d have spent on transport, lunch, and extra sites otherwise, and it more than pays for itself compared to a group tour. Being able to dictate a few of my own stops, like the mural and Valongo Wharf, made the day feel less like a checklist and more like my own version of Rio.
Curious what those stops were actually like? I’ve written the full breakdown, timings, and tips for each one here: How to See Rio de Janeiro in a Day
FAQ on a Rio Private Tour
Where can I book a Rio Private Tour?
I booked a Rio Private Tour via GetYourGuide and went with the 8 hour option. You get flexibility over 4, 6 and 8 hour tours (pricing increases as tour length increases) and can communicate with the agency about your desired stops.
Is a Rio private tour more expensive than a group tour?
Technically yes. But in practice, not necessarily. Factor in airport transfers, lunch, and transport to sites outside the standard route, and the total can land close to a group tour. If you’re travelling as a group of 2–3, it often doesn’t cost more per person than everyone paying separately for a group tour.
Is Rio safe for solo travellers?
A private tour with airport pickup is one of the easier ways to reduce risk on your first day, especially if you’re arriving with valuables and don’t yet know the city. It won’t eliminate risk entirely (nothing does), but it removes several of the moments (unfamiliar taxis, unattended luggage, wandering alone with a phone out) where things are most likely to go wrong.
What will I actually see on the Rio private tour?
A full stop-by-stop breakdown of the mural and Valongo Wharf, Maracanã Stadium, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Selarón Steps, Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Copacabana Beach is over in How to See Rio de Janeiro in a Day.
Where else can I take a tour in Rio?
Why not consider a full day tour to Ilha Grande from Rio?! It’s only 3 hours away by bus, and you get an incredible day of sun, beaches, boats, and of course, caipirinhas. Check out my full review of the Ilha Grande day trip here!
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