Petrópolis from Rio: The 6 Best Day Trips

1.Petrópolis Day Trip with Optional Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 203 reviews · 12 hours · from $48Our pick

Travel from Rio to mountain-top Petrópolis for a full day of imperial sights. You’ll visit the Imperial Museum, Saint Peter’s Cathedral, Crystal Palace, Quitandinha gardens, and Santos-Dumont’s former home. Multilingual guides such as Rafael, Julio, and Mama Chris have helped make the history clear. Add lunch and the Bohemia Brewery if you want a fuller day.

“The trip to Petrópolis was a delightful day, and our tour guide Julio was exceptional. He explained everything in Spanish, Portuguese and for 3 of us English. It was packed with different tours and it was photographers dream. The places we visited where fabulous and we're worth every real. Lunch was an all you could eat buffet and large selection of different foods. Although I didn't leave until 9.15 we didn't return until 8.30pm. I definitely would recommend this to tour to any traveller.”

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2.Petrópolis Day Trip from Rio de Janeiro including Imperial Museum and Crystal Palace

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 101 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $93

Travel from Rio to Petrópolis with a multilingual guide, hotel pickup, and Imperial Museum admission. See Pedro II’s summer palace, royal tombs, Crystal Palace, and optional Santos Dumont House, Rua Teresa shopping, or Bohemia brewery. Expect a scenic mountain drive, a packed schedule, and possible pickup delays.

“Enjoyable day. 8-6. Nice to go up into the mountains and out of Rio. The hour shopping wasn’t for us (English) but the Brazilians loved it!”

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3.Imperial City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 95 reviews · 9 - 10 hours · from $68

Spend 9 to 10 hours exploring Petrópolis from Rio by air-conditioned bus. Visit Quitandinha Palace, the Imperial Museum, the cathedral, Crystal Palace, the Flowers Watch, and Santos Dumont’s home. Hear the story of Brazil’s emperors from a live guide in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Add a brewery visit with tastings if you want a relaxed finish.

“A very nice trip outside Rio, in a small city with a different vibe. It is recomandable to read some details about the history of the city and it's importance.”

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4.Petropolis The Imperial City with Beer tour and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 83 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $59

Spend about 10 hours in Petrópolis with an accredited guide, visiting the Imperial Museum, cathedral, Crystal Palace, Quitandinha Palace, and Bohemia Brewery. The tour includes Rio transport, museum and brewery entry, a buffet lunch, and three beer tastings. Guides such as Rafael may lead in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, but language support can vary.

“My favorite tour from my travel to Brazil! The staff was really kind and responsable. They look for everyone to be ok and on time always haha. Dont miss the visit to Bohemia!! It was the soo cool!”

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5.The Imperial City with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 59 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $56

Spend about 10 hours visiting Petropolis from Rio, with an accredited guide, executive transfer, Imperial Museum entry, and buffet lunch. See Quitandinha Palace from outside, the cathedral, and Crystal Palace. Guide Julio has earned special praise, but pickup delays, crowded vehicles, and unclear English service may matter.

“Very nice guide. He gave a lot of information and managed the group well. Excellent day with Julio.Auto-translated”

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6.Petrópolis Tour departing from Rio de Janeiro

★★★★★★★★★★3.2 · 13 reviews · 9 hours · from $48

Travel from Rio to historic Petrópolis with round-trip transport, a live guide in English, Spanish, or Portuguese, Imperial Museum entry, and buffet lunch. The route includes Quitandinha, Crystal Palace, and Santos Dumont’s house. Guide Julio has earned praise for his lively historical explanations, but mixed-language groups and long pickup times can affect the day.

“Escolhemos uma excursão que não incluía visita a cervejarias e nem compras, apenas lugares históricos. Entretanto, logo que a viagem começou percebemos que o roteiro mencionado não era exatamente o que nós havíamos escolhido. Metade do nosso grupo teve que esperar 1h e meia o pessoal que pagou para visitar a cervejaria e o guia nos orientou a aproveitar o tempo fazendo compras. Quando finalmente fomos ao nosso último destino, a casa de Santos Dumont, só foi possível tirarmos uma "foto" da parte externa, pois o museu já estava fechado, fecha às 17h. Achei mal organizado pois enquanto uma parte do grupo estava na cervejaria os outros poderiam ter feito…”

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