Rio de Janeiro: Sugarloaf Mountain Cable Car & Copacabana Beach Tour
The cable car climbs twice, once to Morro da Urca, then higher to where Rio spreads below you in every direction.
You get hotel pickup, both cable car rides to Sugarloaf's summit and Morro da Urca, entry tickets, and a drive past Copacabana Beach in an air-conditioned vehicle. The tour starts at 8am and runs as a small group, so expect to share the cable cars and the van with other travelers. Infants sit on a parent's lap.
Step-by-step itinerary
Sugarloaf Mountain and Beach Panorama
- Take cable car to Urca hills
- Continue cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain
- Enjoy panoramic views from Sugarloaf
- Panoramic drive along Copacabana beach
- Sugarloaf Mountain Entry included 1h 30m
- Copacabana Beach passing by
What’s included
Hotel pickup and drop-off, both cable car tickets (Morro da Urca and Sugarloaf Mountain), entry to both stops, an air-conditioned vehicle for the panoramic drive past Copacabana Beach, and a tour guide. Infants travel free but must sit on an adult's lap.
Times
- Every day 08:00
Before you book
Operated by City Rio Turismo
Prices and times updated today
Traveler reviews
The experience
Most people arrive at Sugarloaf Mountain already tired: parking, queues, figuring out which ticket booth, waiting in the sun. This tour skips that. A driver picks you up from your hotel, and by the time you're thinking about breakfast, you're already stepping into the first cable car at Morro da Urca, 220 meters up. The car itself is glazed, so the city starts shrinking the moment the doors close. Guanabara Bay opens up on one side, Botafogo on the other, and you're still not at the top.
The second cable car takes you the rest of the way: to 396 meters, where the view stops being a view and becomes something you have to stand still to process. The South Zone spreads out in front of you, Niterói across the water, and on a clear day you can trace the whole curve of the coast. People who've done Sugarloaf before say the glazed car changes it. You're not just looking at the city, you're suspended inside it. The ride up takes about three minutes each way, and both are included, so you're not choosing between the two stops or rationing your time.
After Sugarloaf, the tour takes you on a panoramic drive along Copacabana Beach: no stop, just the road running alongside the sand and the curve of the shoreline. It's the kind of thing that sounds like filler until you're actually there and realize you're seeing the beach the way locals do, not the way tourists usually do, which is standing in it. The whole outing runs from 8am, and because it's a shared tour with another group, there can be delays at the start if queues back up, but once you're moving, the timing is locked in.
Is this one for you?Right for travelers staying in Rio who want the Sugarloaf views without arranging transport or buying tickets separately. The 8am start means an early pickup, and the tour is shared, so expect to move with a group and plan for potential delays at the beginning.
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Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 10 years); Infant (under 3): free.
What's included in the ticket price?
Both cable car rides, entry to Sugarloaf Mountain and Morro da Urca, hotel pickup, and the panoramic drive past Copacabana Beach. You don't pay separately for any of those.
How high does the cable car go?
The first stop is Morro da Urca at 220 meters. The second cable car takes you to Sugarloaf Mountain at 396 meters above sea level.
Is there a stop at Copacabana Beach?
No, it's a panoramic drive. You see the beach from the road but don't get out. The main activity is the cable car rides and the views from the top.
What time does the tour start?
Boarding starts at 8am. The tour may experience delays at the beginning if there are queues, since it's shared with another group that starts in the morning.
Can I bring a baby?
Yes. Infants must sit on an adult's lap during the cable car rides and in the vehicle.
Is the vehicle air-conditioned?
Yes, the van is air-conditioned.
What if I'm not very fit?
The tour is suitable for all fitness levels. You're in a cable car and a vehicle for most of it, so no hiking or climbing is required.
Rio de Janeiro: Sugarloaf Mountain Cable Car & Copacabana Beach Tour
3h · EN · ES · PT · at your hotel
from US$ 64 per person
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