Are you afraid of heights? Don’t panic, Relax! Your fear will not prevent you from taking the cable cars to visit Urca Hill and Sugar Loaf Mountain. Why? Here are a few reasons to convince you to not miss the chance of visiting Sugar Loaf while in Rio de Janeiro: 1 – The cars are brand new (2007) 2 – The cables are brand new (2002; need to be replaced every 30 years) 3 – Sugar Loaf company follows rigorous maintenance…read more
The opening hours of Rio de Janeiro Sugar Loaf Mountain is not the same on New Year’s Eve. The ticket office opening hours are: every day 8 a.m. – 7:50 p.m. However, on New Year’s Eve (December 31) is open from 8 a.m. until 5:50 p.m. only; or at least these are the opening hours of the last years. On New Year’s Day (January 1st) the Sugar Loaf cable car ticket office opens as usual. 8 a.m. – 7:50 p.m. Bear in mind…read more
Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro is open every day all year around. The cable car ticket office is open every day from 8 a.m. until 7:50 p.m. However, it has special opening hours on Christmas. On December 24 the ticket office is open from 8 until 11:50 a.m. On December 25 the opening hours are as usual, — 8 a.m. to 7:50 p.m.; at least it has been like that the last years. No matter what day of the year,…read more
“Sugar Bread” is not the right name of the famous hill located in Rio de Janeiro; the right name is “Sugar Loaf”. Of course, you can call it Sugar Bread, but in Rio de Janeiro everyone says “Sugar Loaf”, when speaking in English. In Brazilian Portuguese, we say “Pão de Açúcar” — pão for “bread, or loaf” and “açúcar” for sugar. Another thing is that it is not really a mountain, but a hill. View photos and learn more on…read more
You board the cable car to Sugar Loaf Mountain next to Praia Vermelha (Red Beach) in Urca Neighborhood. Urca is an area very close to Copacabana. The taxi ride takes anything between 10 to 30 minutes, assuming that you depart from your hotel in Copacabana, Leme, Leblon or Ipanema. Traffic plays a major role, and Rio’s traffic is getting worse in the last years. In Rio de Janeiro taxis fares are reasonable though – expect to pay R$15-30; US$7-15; €6-12…read more
The cruise ship port in Rio de Janeiro is very close to Sugar Loaf Mountain. In fact, about an hour before arrival at the port, you will see Sugar Loaf if you go to the left-hand side of the ship. The view of Sugar Loaf Mountain from the ship is unforgettable, as it enters Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro towards the harbor. That alone will give you a sense of direction on where Sugar Loaf is located in regard to…read more
You can easily visit Sugar Loaf directly upon disembarking at Rio de Janeiro International Airport Antônio Carlos Jobim-Galeão (GIG). The distance between the Rio international airport and Sugar Loaf cable car ticketing is 25 kilometers (16 miles) — approximately 30 minutes without traffic. During rush hour though, your time on a taxi can be twice as much (rush hour in Rio is Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-11:30 a.m. towards Sugar Loaf and 3:30-9 p.m. back towards the international airport). A yellow taxi…read more
Calm down. There has never been a disaster or crash with the cable cars at Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As each cable car holds 65 tourists, a fatal accident could be disastrous. Fortunately, the Sugar Loaf Aerial Path Company, since 1912, follows rigorous maintenance procedures, turning the Sugar Loaf cable cars one of the safest in the world. Disaster is the last thought you should have while on the cable car up to Sugar Loaf. There is…read more
It is very safe to walk the trail up Urca Hill in Rio de Janeiro. Urca Hill is half way to Sugar Loaf, and you can hike the trail up instead of the taking the 3-minute ride on cable car/gondola. You should not be worried about safety whether you take the cable car or walk up the forest to reach the summit of Urca Hill — both ways are very safe. Safety in Urca District The Urca area is surrounded by…read more
There are no restaurants on the summit of Sugar Loaf mountain (although there is a snack bar that sells savories, sandwiches, drinks [Caiprinhas, local beers], etc.). However, if you want to have a meal, you can eat lunch at Abençoado Bar at the food court at the top of Urca Hill, the hill half way to Sugar Loaf. The bar/restaurant serves lunch (typical tasty Brazilian food) from 12 noon to 4 p.m., but no dinner. Another great option is Urca Bar. Although…read more