Open top bus tours have be in and out of operation in the last few years in Rio de Janeiro. In fact, such double-decker open-air buses strangely stay in operation only for a few weeks or so at a time. For a variety of reasons, these sightseeing hop on hop off bus always go out of operation after a while.
It might surprise you that there is no regular fleet of open top bus tours in Rio de Janeiro. In fact, it would be very convenient and possibly the cheapest way for tourists to go sightseeing on such buses, since Rio has plenty of photo-op stops along the way. Fortunately, there are many other ways to visit the city without open air bus tours.
Guided tours on air-conditioned buses
These are the most seen bus tours running full of tourists around Rio de Janeiro. They are usually organized by travel agencies or by bus tour operators. The latter can easily be booked at your hotel or on the Internet. Differently than the open top bus tours, you have to take the very same bus after having visited a site (on the other hand you are in a air-conditioned bus instead of the open-air one, with direct sunlight on you).
Guided private tours
This is one of the best ways to see Rio de Janeiro — in the hands of a professional private tour guide. At first, it might sound expensive, but if fact, since the bus tours are not cheap, a private tour guide may be a good option for you if you prefer to have someone driving and doing the customized itinerary for you at a premium price.
Taxi tours
There are tens of thousands of taxis in Rio de Janeiro, and you can easily hail one on the street to go visiting the main places of interest. The price of such cab tours is reasonable cheap since taxis fares in Rio are not expensive, especially if there are two or more in your group to share the cost.
You can safely and conveniently explore Rio de Janeiro by yourself on a taxi. Get instant access to a full suggested itinerary of must-visit sites in My Rio Travel Guide – The Essential How-To Visitor’s Guide to Rio de Janeiro.
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