Rio de Janeiro and Búzios in 6 days: a sample group program

The program day by day

Day 1: arrival in Rio

The driver meets the group in the arrivals hall with a sign, and guests on different flights get separate transfers. In the evening, dinner at a restaurant booked for the group.

Day 2: Christ the Redeemer, Selarón Steps, Sugarloaf

The Corcovado train leaves Cosme Velho station every 20 minutes, from 8:00 to 18:00 daily. The official Paineiras-Corcovado vans leave from Copacabana, Largo do Machado and the Paineiras visitor center and are the only vehicles allowed up the park road, so the coach drops the group at the station or a van boarding point.

The escalators up to the monument have been under replacement since August 3, 2026. Tijuca National Park has cut the number of visitors allowed at the top at one time by 50%, and the works are expected to run until May 2027. Visitors use the old stairs in the meantime, and the park has stair-climbing chairs for people with reduced mobility, so tell us if anyone needs one.

After lunch, Santa Teresa and the Selarón Steps in Lapa: 215 steps covered in tiles by the Chilean artist Jorge Selarón. The day ends at Sugarloaf, where the cable car runs daily from 8:30 to 21:00 (last boarding at 19:30). A large group can split the day, with half starting at Sugarloaf and half at Christ the Redeemer.

Day 3: Rio to Búzios

Búzios is about 170 km from Rio, over the Rio-Niterói Bridge, then along the BR-101 and the Via Lagos (RJ-124). Melhores Destinos gives an average of 2h10 by car and 2h50 to 4h by scheduled bus, and weekend or holiday traffic can add a lot more, so we time the departure to avoid the peaks. In the evening, the group walks Rua das Pedras, the town’s main street for restaurants and nightlife, and the Orla Bardot waterfront.

Day 4: schooner trip

Schooner trips leave from the pier on the Orla Bardot and last about three to four hours, sailing around a peninsula with more than 20 beaches. The proposal states whether the group shares a boat or has one to itself. If the sea is rough, we swap days 4 and 5.

Day 5: beach day or Arraial do Cabo

Arraial do Cabo is about 40 km from Búzios, and its boat trips leave from Praia dos Anjos. Three things changed there in 2026:

• Since July 1, 2026, ICMBio has suspended landings, access and all activity in the boat lanes at the Prainhas do Pontal do Atalaia until a new decision. On October 9, 2026 we found no announcement lifting it. The boat route depends on the weather and on which beaches are open for landing on the day.
• Since August 21, 2026, private vehicles may not drive or park on the Pontal do Atalaia road. Visitors reach the Prainhas on foot, or by taxi or ride-hailing car for drop-off and pickup only. The published rules do not mention tour buses or vans, so we confirm land access for the group before the trip.
• On boat trips from the Marina dos Pescadores, passengers may not bring coolers, thermal bags, food or drinks, and glass containers are banned.

Day 6: departure

The transfer runs from Búzios straight to Galeão, without going back into the city. We set the pickup time from the flight time and the day of the week.

Notes for planners

Tour buses in Búzios

Tour buses need prior authorization from the city’s traffic office (Coordenadoria de Trânsito e Transporte, CTT). Under the latest rule we found, from April 2023, they may enter the peninsula only to drop off and pick up passengers, then wait in the parking area near Faetec on Avenida José Bento Ribeiro Dantas, in Rasa. In the 2022/23 high season they were kept off the peninsula from December 20. We check the rules for your dates with the coach company.

Tourist tax in Búzios

Búzios charges visitors no tourist or preservation tax at present. A high-season tourism tax passed a first vote in October 2025, but the mayor withdrew the bill and it was archived on November 19, 2025; a preservation fee created in 2017 has never been charged.

Flying through Cabo Frio

Cabo Frio airport (CFB) is about 34 km from Búzios. For summer 2026/27, Aerolíneas Argentinas has announced a Córdoba-Cabo Frio route from December 26, twice a week, plus flights from Buenos Aires and Rosario, and the city of Cabo Frio expects 24 charter flights by Andes Líneas Aéreas on Sundays from January 3 to March 2027. A group can land in Rio and fly home from Cabo Frio.

What the proposal includes

• Coach, minibus or vans sized to the group and its luggage.
• A local guide in Rio and on the Arraial do Cabo day; the guide’s language is confirmed in the proposal.
• Airport and intercity transfers, including Búzios to Galeão.
• Hotels in Rio and Búzios at the level your group needs.
• The schooner trip in Búzios.
• Entrance tickets for Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf, quoted at the rates for your dates.
• One contact on our team for the tour leader, from arrival to departure.

Options we can add

• An extra night in Rio or Búzios.
• Ilha Grande or Paraty instead of Búzios: see group transfers for how we move groups along that coast.
• New Year’s Eve in Copacabana.
• Carnival nights at the Sambadrome: the Special Group parades are on February 7, 8 and 9, 2027, and the Champions Parade is on February 13.
• A shorter program without Búzios: Rio in 4 days.

Group size and terms

We work with groups from about 10 people. Groups of 50 and more we run together with a large local receptive partner, and you keep one contact on our team. Terms and payment are set out in the proposal; you pay nothing before you confirm. The full process is on How we work.

Write to us with your dates, the number of travelers and the hotel level, and you get a priced proposal within 24 hours.