Day Trip to Petrópolis from Rio de Janeiro: Discover Brazilian History and Heritage

Embark on a captivating day trip from Rio de Janeiro to Petrópolis and immerse yourself in the rich history and cultural heritage of Brazil. Explore iconic landmarks, such as the Imperial Museum and Crystal Palace, and stroll along the charming Tereza Street. Don’t miss the chance to visit a local brewery for a taste of authentic Brazilian beer.

Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Crystal Palace - A venue where Princess Isabel once held grand parties and feasts.
  • Imperial Museum - Visit the summer residence of Emperor Dom Pedro II and explore the Imperial Museum.
  • Centro Historico de Petropolis - Founded by Emperor Dom Pedro II, the city of Petrópolis is known as the Imperial City. It boasts a pleasant climate,…
What's Included
  • Guided visit to Crystal Palace
  • Lunch included
  • Explore Emperor Dom Pedro II summer residence and Imperial Museum
  • Expertise of a licensed bilingual guide
  • Convenient hotel pickup and drop-off*
  • Stroll through Thereza street and visit the Chocolate Factory
What's Not Included
  • Bebidas
  • Gratuities
  • Entrance fees
Additional Information

Embark on a journey into the heart of Brazilian legacy with this all-day excursion to Petrópolis, starting from Rio de Janeiro. Delve into the city’s storied past and cultural significance while exploring renowned landmarks such as the summer estate of Dom Pedro II (currently not open to the public), the Imperial Museum, Crystal Palace, Santos Dumont’s…

Location
Crystal Palace
Rua Alfredo Pacha S/N 0,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
3.4
(18 Ratings)
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Albertoycristina2018
May 24, 2019
"Knowing the Imperial City" - A great walk through the history "Brazilian Empire". Petropolis is a beautiful city with a lot to see and travel, and if you are lucky enough to be touched by an exceptional guide like Rodrigo who brings all the battery of knowledge he has, it is unmissable and you take a beautiful memory of this part of Brazil. Luckily we had very good weather and also enjoyed the natural surroundings of the walk. We were also a very disciplined group and that allowed us not to miss anything that was planned in the tour. Highly recommended experience!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jaqueline
Mar 23, 2019
Petropolis - This tour was amazing! We went to so many historical places in Petropolis and we got to do some shopping. The tour guide Tete was very entertaining and informational.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adrian_a_213
Dec 2, 2018
A Great Cool Decision... Literally - One of the things that I appreciate and try to do more of, when I travel, is to take day trips. I am able to get away from the major cities.... whereevere I may be... I was traveling to Rio and wanted to get away for a day. Most trips were too nature based for me. They didn't quiet pique my interest. I love nature but I didnt want to pay just to see natural things. Perhaps I needed some more real world tour. Perhaps to include historical but also modern stuff. (also other people got to do some shopping! lol) I found this tour and was immediately intrigued! What? Go to another city in Brasil? Do it with a guide? Be away from the hot weather? Take a vacation within a vacation? YES! to all! ! All the points got touched plus the guide was a super cool guide that was really personable! I speak Spanish and English so I talked to him about how I could kinda understand Portuguese. At the end he showed us a Rio local phrase. I felt so cool and insider-ish using it! One of the best day trips I took. Worth every penny, or whatever your lowest denomonation of currency is in your native legal tender is... Also we had some free time and the guide was able to take us to an extra bonus place that made me feel like I got away with a day tour of a life time. The summer place is one of my favorite places. It isnt extravagant but they do a great job at recreating it as it was back in the day! Wow! ps. they also have a whatsapp number if you have any questions. it was helpful at the beginning.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Djordje
Aug 4, 2018
One really nice day trip - During your trip you will see first suburbs and streets of Rio, while mini van catches around travelers from Copacabana Hotels. If you are in hotels outside downtown, it could be a problem to take a tour since you have to come to Ipanema hotel which can cost you around 100 reals (23 euroes) or 60 reals (13 euro) by Uber. The whole trip costs 180 trips and includes entrance to the Imperial Museum which is absolutely amazing. The city of Petropolis is nice, in mountains. We visited the Cathedral whose stained glass window are very nice. The history of royal family is very interesting. Not miss Simon Duomont house (entrance is 8 reals) and exhibition about him. Cristal Palace is in the city center with nice park with original look, however it could be restaurated. Also many nice villas and palaces to be visited. Be aware that in chocolate shop prices are high. Rich lunch on the basis of Swedish desk offered for less than 10 euroes (worthy of that price) In general, very nice trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pilar_b123
Mar 21, 2018
Good option if you spend many days in Rio - The tour is entertaining as you tour several places in the same visit. The palace of Peter II is very nice, but you can not take pictures inside. It is worth visiting the place only if you have got bored of the beaches, as it is to visit museums and palaces. One tip is that this place is less hot than Rio, so it is advisable to take a light jacket mostly by the air conditioning of the bus as it is a trip of about 2 hours round trip from Rio.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tinan1248
Sep 24, 2018
Waste of time - This is a classic tourist bus tour where you drive a lot. The first many stops are only for a few minutes to take a picture or for toilet conveintly at a chokolate store so you can leave some money. By lunch time around 15, we had not seen anythong special. The casino is an off distance photoshot. The Crystal Palace is nothing special and no stories were told about it. The only thing worth the trip is the Imperial museum, which was really interesting, but using nine 9 hours is not worth it. The guide was a classic bus trip guide. Not my favorite type, but I think she actually did a good guide job for this kind of trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Johann_f
Nov 16, 2025
The worst tour of my life! The worst tour of my life! - My tour guide, Paloma, picked me up promptly at 7:55 a.m. with a smile. So the day started off great. Then we started to Petrópolis in a bus packed with tourists. The first stop (30 minutes) was at an overpriced tourist supermarket in the middle of nowhere on a country road... Then we continued on, and the next stop was at a chocolate factory. Unfortunately, we didn't actually visit the factory; instead, we went into the chocolate shop for another 30 minutes. Then we continued on to Petrópolis, where we were dropped off at the shopping center, this time for a full hour. After this stop, five hours had already passed, and we hadn't seen a thing, apart from the shops. This tour has nothing to do with sightseeing in Petrópolis; it's simply an expensive sales pitch. You'd be better off giving your money away or throwing it out the window—anything is better than this tour. Even free is too expensive. I stopped the tour and take an Uber back to Rio de Janeiro! It's a shame that the nice tour guide is part of this system that doesn't treat tourists well... My guide Paloma picked me up from the meeting point on time at 07:55 in the morning with a smile. So the day started great. Then I went to Petropolis on the bus full of tourists on the Wen. The first stop (30 minutes) was at an overpriced tourist supermarket in the middle of the country road in the middle of nowhere.... Then we continued and the next stop was at a chocolate factory. Unfortunately abee was not visited the factory but it went to the sales shop for another 30 minutes. Then we continued to Petropolis where we were let out at the shopping center, this time for 1 hour. So after this stop 5 hours had passed and you could see, apart from shopping absolutely nothing. This tour has nothing to do with a visit to Petropolis but is simply an expensive sales trip. Give her money or throw it out by the window, anything is better than this tour. Even free is still too expensive. I then called an Uber taxi and went back to Rio de Janeiro privately. Too bad that the nice guide is part of this system which does not treat tourists well....
Review provided by Viator
Cecilia
Jul 6, 2019
Day tour to Petropolis. - Last April, we made a reservation at this agency for a day trip to Petropolis, on the web and put our credit card details. Yesterday, our card issuer called us to let us know that purchases are being made with our card, from Brazil, when we are in Uruguay. Our card has a chip, therefore it could not be cloned. Only the data from the web purchases we made could have been copied. We made three purchases via web and one was the booking of this excursion. We're very upset about the situation. I appreciate the attention you can give to this matter.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Peter
Jul 26, 2018
Very long day but despite a 13 hour... - <p>Very long day but despite a 13 hour day we only spent about 3 hours actually looking at the sights. The pickup process was awful. We were first on the bus but it took 2.5 hours to complete the pickup process as the bus wound its way past all the hotels in Rio to collect the 45 people. Very inefficient and time consuming. When we arrived at Petropolis when were left on a street to shop for an hour but most people found that boring. We then had lunch and it was 2:30 before we started looking at anything of real interest. The afternoon improved with some interesting sights and we left at 5:45 before starting the very long drop off process at 7pm. The drop off was quicker but it was still 8:30 by the time we arrived back at our accommodation. It wasnt worth the money. That said, Rodrigo was a good host who knew his stuff.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Oleg
Apr 2, 2018
Tour arrived one hour late from... - <p>Tour arrived one hour late from previously communicated start time. No apologies.<br/> Tour guide English was poor. She would talk in Portuguese and say only few words in English. As far as sightseeing: this is a nice 2 hour tour that was stretched to 12 hours by padding activity. Very dissatisfied.</p>
Review provided by Viator
From $71
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).