Rio on our own?

[petlover]

I'd love to hear from anyone who has done Rio on their own. Are taxi's readily available? Most of the tours are all day and we're only interested in something more like 3 hours so we're thinking of just doing our own thing while there in February.

[juliejoe]

Marcie,

 

You might contact Luciano at www.rioviptour.com E-mail Luciano Vaz Sampaio lvsampaio@terra.com.br . He will do 4 hr. tours. We will be met at the airport by Luciano for transfer to our hotel and he will pick us up the next day for a tour/transfer to the port. He has been quick to respond to e-mails and I think we'll be happy with him as a guide for Rio.

 

Julie

[Splinter]

I would not recommend going on your own in Rio...too much crime, too easy to get taken by a cab driver. You can arrange all types of tours through reputable tour companies of varying amounts of time (not through the ship). We used http://www.southstartours.com to arrange 3 different tours in our 2 days in Rio, all in vans, much more private, and highly individualized to our interests. They also ended up being cheaper than the ships tours.

[greatam]

As Splinter stated, Rio can be a disaster on your own. Street crime is rampant. Don't look to the police for help. The tourist police are supposed to aid tourists, but most could care less. Rio is a dangerous, dirty city.

 

Find some organized tours. Other posters have given you some suggestions. Please be careful.

[smj]

Rio is no place do on your own. If you don't do a ship tour I would suggest that you line up a private guide before you get there or check with H. Stern about their free Rio tours. We had a private guide with us every min. and I still felt a little unsafe.

Steve

[dileep]

I did go to Sugarloaf on my own. I had the hotel concierge tell the cab driver where to drop me off and he was a bit off track and I had to point to my map to get him to the right place. The cab ride back was uneventful. This was in broad daylight of course. 3 hours is just enough time to go to Sugarloaf and enjoy the view.

[Jane110]

I highly recommend Pedro (aka Peter) at www.privatetours.com.br He's terrific and you can hire him for as many hours as you like. He's a native of Rio, speaks excellent english, is extremely knowledgable, extremely honest and a real pleasure to deal with.

 

Also, if you're planning on buying any jewelry, H Stern Jewelers will give you a private guide and driver for free. Call them from your hotel when you get to Rio and ask them.

 

Jane

(aka CJ from our other board)

[Guv]

Hello..I am a first timer for Rio. I will be arriving there on a cruise and thinking of staying there for a few days. My problem is, is it worth staying there alone? Yes I am travelling alone. I do not yet have a hotel, but looking for on along the beaches. Any suggestions? Am also looking for suggestions on tours to take. I am leaving Dec 21 from Ft. Lauderdale on the Regal Princess. Would appreciate any help asap.

Thank you.

 

Guv

[Daw6id]

We went out on Copacabana beach to take a picture of Sugar Loaf at sunset and got mugged by a gang of twelve year olds. PLEASE be careful!

[Aussie Gal]

Guv,

 

We are joining the Regal when you disembard. We are staying for 3 nights in Rio precruise and our hotel is the Sofitel right on Copacabana Beach. I have read a lot on this board about safety etc. in Rio and from what I have read, if you go to the beach, do not have anything on yourself except your bathers and a towel as it is easy pickings for the locals. Otherwise just be prudent and be careful and don't wander away from the main streets.

 

I would organize either beforehand or when you arrive at your hotel to do some tours and then you will have an idea of the city.

 

Jennie

[Jane110]

We went out on Copacabana beach to take a picture of Sugar Loaf at sunset and got mugged by a gang of twelve year olds. PLEASE be careful!

 

 

We got mugged at 3:00PM crossing the street to walk onto Copacabana Beach and didn't even have a camera with us. just enough cash for tee shirts and ice cream.

 

Our gang were younger - about 10 years old.

[PaulaJK]

Even walking down a well populated street...in

the middle of the day....with other people....is no

protection from street crimes. One man had his watch

cut off his wrist. I still enjoyed Rio but it is one city

where I would stick to tour or w. guide only.

[travel-kat]

I agree, a tour guide would be best in Rio. I have only been there once, but I did not feel unsafe. Our guide warned us not to carry ANYTHING with us, no picture taking on the beach, etc. We walked along Ipanema Beach for a long time and then caught a taxi back to our hotel in Copacabana and had no problems. But a think a guide can add a lot to the visit. Our guide was Daniel from Elcotours and he was great.

 

I enjoyed the trip to Corcovado to see Christ the Redeemer. We really enjoyed lunch at the Art Deco Cafe Confeitaria Colombo in downtown Rio. Beautiful place and gives you a chance to be around locals and look in the stores where they shop. My husband and dad enjoyed the beaches along the way - you can guess why.

 

We were repeatedly warned about safety (they said they don't prosecute the juveniles, that's why the problem is with young people) and I know that was with good reason, but don't let it stand in the way of enjoying the beautiful city. (I was most put off by strange experiences in public restrooms. I would recommend "planning ahead" in that regard and making sure you are in a safe place.)

[gottago2mexico]

We spent two weeks in Rio last month, and saw a very different Rio than you guys are describing.

 

It is a big city, not a tourist town, so you do the same common sense things you do in any big city, especially one that is out of your own country - don't go to certain areas at night, don't wear flashy jewelry or carry purses if you don't need to, don't wear expensive watches or fancy clothes, don't walk around too much with your camera out - you know, look as little like a Gringo as is possible. Take taxis, not the city bus or trolley car - you know, just don't put yourself in bad situations.

 

We did that and after seeing the city in great detail for the full two weeks, we never felt unsafe, never were mugged, and never witnessed a mugging. The people were very nice, and the city was full of life and very beautiful. There is so much to see and experience in Rio, and all I seem to hear is comments like these - seems like a shame to me.

 

That being said, we opted to go with a guide because of the things we read on message boards like this one, which turned out to be a wonderful experience. We hired a guide through Luiz Amaral Tours who took us everywhere we wanted to go. Highly recommended.

 

Skip the packaged tours and hire a private guide. You'll see a lot more and get a lot more out of your trip. Rio is a big city - if you try to do it on your own in that short of a time, you'll doubtless spend most of your time lost instead of enjoying yourself. BTW - Ipanema is much nicer than Copacabana, IMHO.