Home > Rio de Janeiro > Petropolis Day Trip from Rio de Janeiro including Imperial Museum and Crystal Palace
USD $61.00
Petropolis Day Trip from Rio de Janeiro including Imperial Museum and Crystal Palace
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Spend a day at Petrópolis, a mountainside retreat that once served as a summer getaway for Brazil's royalty. On this guided tour, wander through the treasures of the Imperial Museum and then visit the burial place of Dom Pedro II and his family. Marvel at the Crystal Palace, built as an extravagant gift to Princess Isabel. Upgrade with a stop at Cervejaria Bohemia, where you’ll be wowed by the factory’s high-tech and interactive exhibits. Learn all about the history and science behind beer and taste Bohemia’s end result — a cold, rich lager.
After morning hotel pickup in Rio de Janeiro, take a 90-minute drive north past forests and waterfalls to Petrópolis, a favorite mountain resort known as Brazil’s Imperial City, nestled in the wooded hills of the Serra dos Órgãos.
Upon arrival at Petrópolis, start off at the Imperial Museum, housed in the former summer palace of Pedro II, Brazil's second emperor. Follow your guide into this restored Austrian-style palace built in 1845, and get a good look at how Brazil’s royalty once lived.
Walk by tapestries, antique furniture and jewels, and gawk at the imperial crown studded with over 600 diamonds and 77 pearls, weighing nearly four pounds (1.7 kg). See the golden quill used by Princess Isabel to sign a law that liberated Brazil’s slaves in 1888.
Next, admire the Gothic architecture of St Peter of Alcantara Cathedral and visit the tombstones of Brazil's last emperor, Pedro II and his family.
Walk over to a quiet park and feast your eyes on the Crystal Palace, a ballroom of glass and steel with chandeliers, all built and imported from France, as a gift to Princess Isabel from her husband. Hear about the expositions and royal parties once held here.
Purchase lunch at a restaurant of your choice in town, and feel free to ask your guide for recommendations. Your tour ends with transport back to Rio. If you’ve opted for the upgrade, continue on to Cervejaria Bohemia, or Bohemia Beer Factory.
Optional Visit to Cervejaria Bohemia (Bohemia Beer Factory) Top off your visit to Petrópolis with a stop at Cervejaria Bohemia, and take a high-tech, interactive tour to learn about Brazil’s popular lager first produced in 1853. You’re given a coded wristband which you can use to login at the factory and link to your social media account. Learn fun facts from touch-screen games and score points, and swipe your wristband to send information to your account, allowing you to share your experiences online in real time.
Your guide takes you through the factory’s exhibits. Find out all about beer from the Mesopotamian era to present day, and understand the science and art behind Bohemia’s brewing process. You’ll get to create your own beer brand, and then drink up a glass of recently brewed, refreshing Bohemia beer.
Spend your remaining time playing interactive games or picking up souvenirs at the emporium. Or, head over to the bar and restaurant to try Bohemia’s specialty beers along with tasty snacks (own expense), before returning to your hotel in Rio.
First rate trip to see the highlights of Petropolis. The hotel pickups in Rio at the start of the tour included too man stops. But, once we were on the way our guide, Tanya, was great. She efficiently and effectively communicated to a diverse group in Portuguese, English and Spanish. The tour was well organized once we reached Petropolis. We saw or visited most of the highlights before a late 2:30 pm delightful, bargain-priced lunch next door to the cathedral. It was smart of Tanya to suggest waiting until after lunch to visit the Imperial Museum. By then the crowds had thinned out and we were to tour at a leisurely pace. Tanya was exceedingly accommodating in having the driver drop me off close to the port so as to reboard my ship. The tour was well worth the price, and the guide was worth her weight in gold.
Review by: Zairi, February 2018
Well I was the 1st stop for pick up and we did about 9 pick ups this took over an hour out original pick up time was 8:10 but the arrival of the tour guide was :20 mins later due to inclement weather. Call it a drive by, stop in a few places for 3-5mins photo opportunity and move on type of trip
Review by: mlbrzo1, January 2018
enjoyed the trip, very outgoing tour leader. Packed day, quite long.
Review by: carol q, December 2017
Very good saw lots of things beautiful screeners. Tour guide was great. Carol australia
Review by: Robert M, November 2017
Petropolis is a fascinating place if you are interested in history. The guide was very knowledgeable about the different places we visited and could answer our questions. It is also a very picturesque place and we had plenty of opportunities for photographs, except in the Imperial Museum where it is not allowed. My only issue were there were times when things could be more organized. We were left in downtown for shopping for over one hour, and everyone felt that was a waste of time.
Review by: Stephen G, November 2017
The mini bus transport was clean and comfortable, our tour guide TTUHLALA was brilliant, she kept us entertained and informed even though we were the only British couple on the tour. _br/_ The Petropolis trip started at a chocolate store, which was okay then on to the shopping centre in Petropolis which was not for us. From there we visited the Crystal Palace, quite interesting. We made a short trip to Santo Dumont's house 8 reals entrance fee where a video explained the inventors life. We then had a buffet meal 40 reals good food and value. Next was a visited to the Cathedral followed by the museum Royal Summer Palace, for us this was the highlight of the tour and our guide kept us informed throughout. A worth while day trip made more enjoyable by our guide TT.
Review by: Michelle W, October 2017
Great tour outside of the city. Nice seeing the Museum and Crystal Palace. Long drives but worth it. Hey when stopping for lunch the guide wanted everyone to eat at a local restaurant. But my husband and I noticed a brewery with a beer garden right by where we stopping for lunch. Which lunch is on your own. So we walked over to the Brewery. Free brewery tour and great beer and food to enjoy after. So happy we did this extra stop at Bohemia Brewery in Petropolis. If you a beer fan, this is a must check out at lunch time!
Review by: David L, October 2017
The only trip we have been disappointed with. We were seated over the back wheels and i hit my head on the roof twice. The seat belt was broken and very uncomfortable. The tour guide had three groups. Spanish at t6he front, Portugese in the middle and English at the back. She struggled with English and although we couldn't understand her we were compelled to pay attention and we misses a lot of the scenery. We would recommend this tour only with a better tour guide and road worthy vehicle.
Review by: Malia V H, May 2017
Really good. The guide kept calling places while we were on the tour to make sure that we were not caught in crowds at any of the locations. She was funny and knowledgeable. Kept the tour moving without feeling rushed.
Review by: Miles B, March 2017
The place was really interesting. I wish they've allowed us to take photos of the Imperial Museum. However, the tour was great.
Review by: harrisontoe, January 2017
get to see something outside of rio
Review by: Violeta, January 2017
Excellent choice! Wonderful trip and competent guide! It was a pleasure to spend one day in Petropolis, far from the madding crowd in Rio!
Review by: S C H, September 2016
Excellent but could have spent less time in shopping area and more time looking at the really interesting places. Needed stronger travel medicatioN to cope with the winding roads of the ascent might be worth making this clearer in your description of the day.
Review by: Linda W, August 2016
the tour was fine, it was the tour diretor Tonya I did not like.. Even though_br/_ I had requested the tour in English, she spoke mostly in Portuguese as _br/_ most of the other people spoke both languages. She would talk 5-10 _br/_ minutes in Portuguese and then just a few words in English. As a _br/_ result I missed seeing one of the tour highlights because she did not_br/_ tell me when we were to see it. Also she caused undue stress on me_br/_ when on our way back the bus stopped and people started to get off_br/_ I did not know why as she spoke in Portuguese. When I asked what_br/_ we were doing she just told me to stay on the bus for the time. Turned_br/_ out it was the free time about 40 minutes to look around the city, but she_br/_ could not be bothered to explain that in English. When I came back to_br/_ get the bus, no bus and no around causing me to think the bus had _br/_ already left without me. She gave no apologies.
Review by: Peter L, August 2016
This was a good tour. Interested parties should be aware that there is a fairly long drive between Rio and Petropolis. Google Maps will say that it's 1 hour 15 minutes from Copacabana, but there are hotel stops to make to pick up fellow tourists. The countryside was pretty, but it would have been nice to have some dialog over the speakers or headsets to describe what we were looking at along the drive.
Review by: Jabari W, June 2016
Good tour as it was nice to see a different part of Brazil and learn its history of the Portuguese royal family. Lunch was superb. Disappointing you couldn't take pictures inside the Impetial Museum.
Review by: Jennifer P, June 2016
The guide we had was truly a delight and well versed in the history of Rio de Janeiro. It was though she made the vacation....Rio at its best!
Review by: Humberto M, April 2016
Beautiful
Review by: aldon m, April 2016
excellent knowledgeable guide speak many language,keeps everyone entertained.
Review by: Ralph D, March 2016
Great trip. Tété was our guide and she was fabulous. Effortless transition from Portuguese, to Spanish to English. This is exhausting work, but Tété brought humour with her knowledge and everything went extremely well.
Review by: bobphillips65, January 2016
A long way to go to be left window shopping for two hours in a surprisingly large town.Tour of Imperial Museum interesting but not riveting .Tour guide spoke very little english.Lunch was disappointing. Probably better ways to spend a day of your stay in Rio.
Review by: yungsoon y, December 2015
great
Review by: Bobo828, October 2015
We spent two hours driving and waiting in the city to pick up passengers. The tour guide communication need improvement. Too much time speaking in Portuguese and did not provide correct information in English. All the English speaking tourist got confuse the pick up time , lunch time etc. The highlight of the tour was the Palace which was a 5 minutes stop to take pictures far away. Very disappointed tour lost a full day in Rio.
Review by: Athens Hootie, September 2015
Quite a surprise to find a town of over 350,000 people on top of this mountain. Beautiful, although long, trip up the mountain, but our guide, Leo, was excellent. He knew his history and was enthusiastic to share his country's past. He was very attentive to his tourists and made sure they were well cared for. He explained all the different aspects of the museum we visited which made the experience interesting. Well worth the price!!
Review by: Joseph F, July 2015
Loved the tour to Petropolis. TT was the best tour guide ever! she entertained us and gave us a fun history lesson during the tour and made sure we had time to explore on foot while there. We never felt rushed. I would recommend this tour with TT as the tour guide.
Review by: Robert G, July 2015
Very nice trip and an excellent day trip from Rio. The guide was great and everything went very smoothly. The tour stopped at a chocolate candy factory/store in Petropolis and the people running that store could serve as an example of how not to run a business. They should skip that place on all future tours and spend that 20 minutes someplace else.
Review by: shazclarke2, June 2015
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Donna M, June 2015
The tour guide didn't seem to include all languages as well as she should have and this may be due to the large group size. We liked the places of interest and learning about their history. We do feel as though this tour had far too many people to be able to hear the guide in our language.
Review by: Angela C, June 2015
Celia was a good tour guide- she was multilingual and made me feel comfortable on the tour. Was very nice about taking pictures for me. Great job!
Review by: johnsouth, March 2015
Missed it due to illness
Review by: Teddy, March 2015
Very nice, worth visitin
Review by: Rachael G, February 2015
Could not understand the tour guide's english. Lunch was expensive/not included/not very good.
Review by: Sachia M, December 2014
The tour guide was amazing, he had a very hard job as I was the only English speaking person there , it was done in error but luckily he spoke many languages. He was very attentive, and made sure he translated everything so I was still in the loop. He was very passionate about the history of Brasil.
Review by: Jesse L, November 2014
Excellent value to a most interesting place away from Rio. Our guide spoke mostly Portuguese and Spanish since we were the only couple who understood English. Our guide spoke to us on the side however about everything we needed to know. Extremely happy to have taken this trip.
Review by: Jesse L, November 2014
Excellent value to a most interesting place away from Rio. Our guide spoke mostly Portuguese and Spanish since we were the only couple who understood English. Our guide spoke to us on the side however about everything we needed to know. Extremely happy to have taken this trip.
Review by: Marius S, November 2014
Nice guide (JB), nice tour but something was missing from the program: the Cervejeria (brewery) in Petropolis. Maybe would not be bad idea to introduce it in the tour.
Review by: Joseph S, August 2014
The palace was closed, which was the main attraction on this tour. 4 hours bus ride to get back to the city because of the bad traffic. The tour guide was nice tho.
Review by: Gabriela R, August 2014
I had a great time it is an excellent option while in Rio. I will recommend it.
Review by: Yim Lee W, July 2014
Very informative and picturesque town
Review by: Tonic O, July 2014
Great tour really informative_br/_
Guide was worth the price of the tour_br/_
All four tours were excellent however_br/_
Transport arrangements we're chaotic_br/_
At each hotel there were always heaps of people waiting on transport and the drivers/guides who had the names did not have signs with passengers names_br/_
Toni
Review by: graciela m, July 2014
The place is beautiful! I recommend to go. Our guide was very warm and friendly, and I would love to have another tour with her! The choice of restaurant was excellent, and I wish I could eat that delicious food again. The only thing I would recommend is to have the shopping time at Petropolis reduced to zero and add that time to the museum.
Review by: Philip P, April 2014
Our guide was FANTASTIC!!! Can't say enough good about him. Sites we saw were enjoyable. This we would give 4 stars. The service we had via phone ahead of time, countless calls, prompted by the company (0 stars) telling us to keep calling back for an update on pickup time, WAS HORRIBLE. The last time we talked, the night before, we were told we would be picked up at 7:10. The van arrived at 10:15. This did not make any of us very happy and because of this, we would not use your company again or recommend it. Therefore 2 stars
Review by: César S, January 2014
The tour was excellent. First, the pickup service made things a lot easier. Second, Carla, the tour guide, was fully prepared to give all necessary background and to explain the whereabouts of places we visit. Lastly, the schedule they provide was very accurate, regardless the heavy traffic in Rio.
Review by: California Tourist, December 2013
Worth the time for sure. Learnt the history of the country from a very good guide Maria. She was organized. Recommendation for buffet lunch was also excellent! Recommend it!
Review by: California Tourist, December 2013
Worth the time for sure. Learnt the history of the country from a very good guide Maria. She was organized. Recommendation for buffet lunch was also excellent! Recommend it!
Review by: cindyp, December 2013
Worth the trip out; an hour and a half bus ride from Copacabana. The palace shows all the rooms as they once were when the queen and her son and grandson lived in Petropolis and the stories are pretty interesting. The lunch was not good (buffet which is about $15USD).
Review by: Elodie D, August 2013
Unbelievable city! Very good guide, savvy on the place. A must-do I would say. Beware the road to get there is across the mountains so lots of turns to be expected. Sit in the front of the bus (very comfortable) if you are "fragile" while traveling.
Review by: Eduardo W, January 2013
Very good tour! Right amount of time in each attraction, free time to visit Santos Dumont house right after lunch; really nice!
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