Brazil · FOOD & DRINK
Feijoada, moqueca, açaí that bears no resemblance to the exported version. These 15 walk the markets and the botecos, priced, timed and clear about exactly how hungry to turn up.
Spend four hours in Lapa with Caipi Tours, tasting at least four cachaças, sipping a caipirinha beneath the Arcos da Lapa, visiting the Selarón Steps, and dancing to live samba, Brazilian funk, pop, and reggaeton. Guides such as Andressa, Raffa, Marcos, and Nayara keep the group together.
“Excellent tour by lovely people. Would highly recommend, made it fun, interesting and safe!”
Visit Vitivinícola Jolimont in Canela for a roughly one-hour look at wine production, from the winery’s story to storage and bottling. You’ll enjoy vineyard scenery, then taste eight products, including wines, sparkling wine, juice, and beer. The virtual-reality portion is currently unavailable.
“Compramos um ingresso com a data do dia e só depois que foi efetuado todo processo de compra é feito o pagamento foi que liberaram o ingresso para data do dia seguinte.”
Sail from Marina da Glória for a three-hour sunset outing with an English- or Spanish-speaking guide, beer, water, soda, and snacks. Stop near the Museum of Tomorrow, Niterói’s contemporary art museum, Urca, and Adão e Eva Beach for swimming. Guides Leo and Rafaela have received special praise.
“Nice weather, the boat had snacks and drinks which was very nice. The tour guide was very informative and very friendly! I would definitely book this tour again.”
Join a local guide such as Thiago for a 90-minute walk through Paraty’s UNESCO-listed historic center. Hear about Indigenous peoples, colonial trade, Freemasonry, and the town’s sugar, gold, coffee, and pau-brasil eras, then sample sweet cachaça Gabriela with honey, clove, and cinnamon.
“The tour of Paraty was absolutely wonderful. Thiago is incredibly knowledgeable, bringing the town’s history to life and helping you truly understand its roots. A journey through the past, expertly guided and deeply engaging. The cachaça tasting is also a must! Daniela”
Spend five hours with a private guide such as Isaac, Mauro, Pedro, or Julianna, traveling by air-conditioned vehicle through São Paulo’s key sights. You’ll see Paulista Avenue, Batman Alley, Sé Cathedral, Mercadão, Ibirapuera Park, and MAC USP, with airport pickup available.
“The best tour I took during my trip, and I took quite a few tours. My guide, Isaac, was super knowledgeable and I learned so much about the history of Brazil. He clearly has good relationships with the people at the places he takes you. The fruit tasting was great! I saw all the main highlights of São Paulo, even more than I saw on a different 8 hour tour of São Paulo. If you want a great tour of São Paulo, I cannot recommend this one enough”
Travel from Rio to Petrópolis with an accredited guide, visit the Imperial Museum, cathedral, Crystal Palace, and Quitandinha Palace, then tour Bohemia Brewery with three tastings. Rafael has earned praise for guiding in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, though language support can vary.
“Very nice walk, lots of history, beautiful road. We really liked Petropolis and were surprised. Very good food, excellent brewery! All very good! We recommend it.Auto-translated”
Walk São Paulo’s Liberdade with an English-speaking guide, often Giuliano, and sample Japanese pastel, onigiri, takoyaki or tempura, Korean choux pastry, sugarcane juice, and more. This small-group tour connects food with the neighborhood’s Japanese, Afro-Brazilian, Chinese, Korean, and other immigrant influences.
“Tour was great. Guide very knowledgeable and a good communicator. Food & drinks provided were very good. Highly recommend this tour.”
Start at Urcabar in Urca for a shared speedboat ride of about three hours. You’ll cruise toward the Cagarras Islands, stop for swimming, and enjoy beer, water, soda, and floats. Captains such as Antonio and Ricardo have been praised for friendly service, though the route and commentary can vary.
“Captain antonio was super friendly, i loved the speed boat trip, we stopped at 2 spots and had a nice swim and we had a chance to take amazing photos as the boat moved in different angles revealing the magical beauty of rio de janeiro.”
Meet in Ipanema at 10 a.m. for a 2.5-hour market walk and tasting led by a local guide such as Hay Za, Caterina, or Erica. Sample 15 to 20 Brazilian fruits, juices, nuts, and native ingredients while learning how they fit into daily life and regional culture.
“Quite a lot of fruits to sample and enjoy with Caterina. Learned lots about what Brazilians like and eat. I tried them all and there was nothing I would not eat again. All very good!”
Spend five hours tasting São Paulo with a private bilingual guide such as Monica, Vicky, Doris, or Laura. Visit Mercado Municipal, Vila Madalena, and Jardins, sampling pão de queijo, coxinha, pastel, brigadeiro, fruits, coffee, cachaça, and more, with pickup and drop-off at your hotel or airport.
“Had a great experience with Monica who has lived in Sao Paulo for over 30 years. She drove me to many of the key sites in Sao Paulo and explained the geography & history of Brazil to me. Really enjoyed our trip to the market where we sampled nuts, fruits (lots of fruits), and had very filling dishes of local favorites. It was fabulous!”
Walk Paraty’s stone streets with an Embratur-accredited guide, visiting four historic churches, the Sacred Arts Museum, and Casa da Cultura before learning about regional cachaça at an authentic cachaçaria. The two-hour tour begins at 5:30 pm and returns to the Paraty Tours office.
“Foi td muito bom, pois o guia conhecia muito bem todo centro histórico. Farei novos roteiros qdo eu voltar.”
Spend three hours with a bilingual guide exploring Manaus’s Adolpho Lisboa Market and tasting regional foods, fruits, açaí, and guaraná. Guides such as Felix and Josi have been praised for their food knowledge, though English ability and transport arrangements can vary.
“Guide had only a very basic knowledge of English. Difficult to comprehend him and difficult for him to understand us. He gave very little information to us about where we visited. The transportation was in his personal car that was way too small for a driver plus four adults passengers. He kept promising that a bigger car was coming but it never happened. He did not take us to see all the market. We missed the fish market almost totally. Saw only a bit of it as we later discovered on another market tour. This tour was not even worth half the value of what we paid. I will not…”
Board at Urca Pier for a three-hour private or small-group speedboat ride past Sugarloaf Mountain, Copacabana, Arpoador, Niterói, and Cagarras Islands. Captain Rafael may guide you in English, Portuguese, or Spanish, with beer, soda, and water included.
“me gustaría un tour en español o en otro idioma solo hablo en portugués”
Travel from São Paulo in a small group of up to 12, follow São Roque’s Wine Road, and taste artisanal wines at three wineries. Guides such as Moisés and Mauricio have led this route. You also get lunch time at Quinta do Olivardo and a stop at the Cacau Show Mega Store.
“The tour itself (as a tour) was great - knowledgeable guide, enough time at all spots, "exotic landscape" (from a European point of view at least :) ), nice lunch opportunity (price not included though - don't forget), but I honestly... I was not too impressed with the wines, except at the third (out of three) vineries.”
Explore São Paulo with a private bilingual guide such as Isaac, Joseph, or Nelio. You’ll visit Batman Alley, Sé Cathedral, Liberdade, the Municipal Market, Ibirapuera Park, and MAC USP, with fruit tasting and a flexible route in an air-conditioned vehicle.
“The tour guide Mr Joseph was amazing person. Really liked him throughout the tour. His guidance and explanations. And he had knowledge. Really appreciate.”
Pick a summit, a shoreline or a dancefloor.
