Petropolis: Imperial Museum & Crystal Palace with Brewery Option

The Imperial Family's Summer Palace Is Now Yours to Walk Through

You visit the Imperial Museum's furniture, jewelry and clothing collections, walk through the Crystal Palace and Santos Dumont House, and optionally tour the Bohemia Brewery with a sample. Transport from your Rio hotel is included in an air-conditioned vehicle, and you return by evening without arranging any logistics yourself.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Imperial Museum1h · entry included
2. Petrópolis30m
3. Santos Dumont House Museumpass by
4. Bohemia Brewery1h · entry included
5. Crystal Palace30m

Petropolis city tour highlights

• Visit Quitandinha Palace
• Tour Imperial Museum
• See St. Peter Cathedral
• View Crystal Palace
• Pass by Santos Dumont House Museum

The experience

Most Rio visitors never leave the beach. Petropolis sits two hours inland, where the Brazilian Imperial Family escaped the heat, and the whole city still feels like their private retreat. The Imperial Museum is the reason to go. You walk through rooms where emperors actually lived, past their jewelry, their paintings, their clothes hanging in cases like they might wear them tomorrow. It's the kind of place where history stops being a textbook and becomes furniture you can almost touch.

The day moves through the city's other landmarks in a logical order: the Crystal Palace downtown, which hosted celebrities and dignitaries for over a century. The neo-gothic St. Peter Cathedral; and the Santos Dumont House Museum, where Brazil's aviation pioneer lived in a house he designed himself. You travel in an air-conditioned bus with a maximum of 45 people, which means you're not crammed into a van but not alone either. The pickup happens from your Rio hotel: the driver contacts you to confirm the exact time based on where you're staying.

If you choose the full experience, the Bohemia Brewery tour comes at the end of the day. You see how one of Brazil's most important beers moves from grain selection through bottling, and if you're lucky, there's a sample waiting. It's optional, so you can skip it if the museum alone is enough, or add lunch in the city between stops. The whole thing takes roughly eight hours door to door, which sounds long until you realize you're not driving, navigating, buying tickets separately or figuring out where to eat.

What’s included

• Entrance to the Imperial Museum.
• air-conditioned vehicle transport from your Rio hotel.
• visits to the Crystal Palace, St. Peter Cathedral, and Santos Dumont House Museum.
• optional Bohemia Brewery tour with a sample.
• optional lunch in Petropolis.

Options for this experience

3 options

Guide in English, Spanish or Portuguese08:00

Guide in English, Spanish or Portuguese08:00

Guide in English, Spanish or Portuguese08:01

You pick the guide language when booking. Options with the same name differ in details you'll see when you pick a date.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesTuesday to SundayDepartures at 08:00 and 08:01

AgesAdult (11 and older) · Child (5 to 10 years) · Infant (under 5): free

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.Operator's directions: “If you do not contact us to reconfirm pickup time, we assume you will meet us at the Meeting Point at the Front Desk of the Rio Othon Palace (Avenida Atlântica, 3264 - Copacabana).”

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 6 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomeInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Rio Carioca Tour Ltda

Is this one for you?Book this if you want Rio's most important historical sites in one day without renting a car or buying tickets at each stop: the fixed itinerary and included transport are what make a full inland trip possible without spending the morning on logistics.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 10 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24h before the start.

How long is the drive from Rio to Petropolis?

Approximately 2 hours each way.

What happens if the Imperial Museum is closed?

The tour includes entry to the Casa de Santos Dumont instead, which is the Santos Dumont House Museum.

Is lunch included?

Lunch is optional. You can book the basic city tour, add lunch, or add both lunch and the Bohemia Brewery visit.

How many people travel on this tour?

Groups have a maximum of 45 travelers per bus.

When is this tour not available?

The tour does not operate on Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, or during Carnival season.

Can I bring a stroller or pram?

Yes, infants and small children can use a pram or stroller. Infants must sit on an adult's lap during transport.

How do I arrange pickup?

The operator contacts you by email or phone to confirm the pickup time based on your hotel location in Rio.