City Rio is a service where you pay for a one-day ticket and you can hop on and off of the air-conditioned bus as you need to. A typical city tour features the historical parts of Rio, from Flamengo to Centro. You will pass by attractions such as the Sambodrome, the Cathedral, the financial district, museums, colonial churches and a host of squares, and monuments, with a stop at either the Sugarloaf or Corcovado, the mountain topped by the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer.
At the Riotur office in Copacabana you can get free literature, brochures and maps to do a city tour on your own. Cinelandia is a charming square, surrounded by attractions like the Municipal Theater, Museum of Fine Arts, Municipal Library, and Passeio Publico.
You can take a helicopter tour and fly over the beaches, downtown, the hills and the forests. The tours start at Lagoa, near Piraque Island and take from fifteen minutes to 1-½ hours starting at about $50. If you’re afraid of heights, rent a swan-shaped pedal boat and watch the city lights as they come on and the sun goes down.