By Nora Lindqvist · Updated · Affiliate links, explained in my disclosure
Ingresso Com Desconto
Christ the Redeemer Entry Ticket by Corcovado Train
4.4 (5,399) · from $47.99
If you want the best views in Rio de Janeiro, two peaks do most of the work and a ring of lookouts does the rest. Christ the Redeemer is the higher, with tickets from $31.63 and the Corcovado train at $47.99, rated 4.41 from 5,399 reviews. Sugarloaf Mountain costs $44 for the cable car, rated 4.58 from 93. My pick is the statue in the morning and Sugarloaf at sunset.
| Tour | From | Rating | Length | Free cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christ the Redeemer Entry Ticket by Corcovado Train | $47.99 | ★ 4.4 (5,399) | 24-hour ticket | Yes | Check availability |
| Sugarloaf Mountain Cable Car Ticket | $44 | ★ 4.6 (93) | 2 hours | Yes | Check availability |
The best views in Rio de Janeiro come from granite peaks, not towers, so there are no floors to count. Christ the Redeemer stands on Corcovado, inside Tijuca National Park, and looks east over the city. Sugarloaf Mountain rises from the mouth of Guanabara Bay, and its cable car climbs in two stages. The table has the numbers I could cite, with the cheapest ticket on GetYourGuide and the rating of each place’s top listing.
| Deck | Height | Open-air? | Price from | Top ticket rating | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christ the Redeemer | Peak about 710 m, statue 30.1 m | Outdoor platform at the statue | $31.63 | 4.41 from 5,399 | Tickets |
| Sugarloaf Mountain | Summit 396 m | Outdoor summit, reached by cable car | $44 | 4.58 from 93 | Tickets |
The 710 m elevation and the 30.1 m statue height are from Wikidata, and the 396 m summit is from Wikipedia’s Sugarloaf Mountain article. Prices are US dollars from the listings I checked in October 2026. The cheapest Christ the Redeemer ticket, at $31.63, includes entry and a round-trip van from Copacabana. A third attraction, the Rio Star Ferris wheel, is rated 4.5 from 12,278 reviews on Google Maps, and my Rio Star tickets page covers it.
Christ the Redeemer is the one I’d book first for the best views in Rio de Janeiro, because nothing else in the city gives you this height and this frame. According to Wikipedia, the Art Deco statue was built between 1922 and 1931, is 30 metres high without its pedestal, and faces east. Google Maps rates the place 4.8 from 132,840 reviews and lists it as open 8 AM to 7 PM every day. Clouds can sit on the peak, so I’d go early.
Ingresso Com Desconto
My pick: The Corcovado train ticket at $47.99: the most reviewed, 5,399 at 4.41, and the one I'd book for a first visit.
from
$47.99
For first light, the sunrise tour is the one that works around the opening hours. It includes the sunrise at the Dona Marta lookout and the statue entry.
Trip in Rio
My pick: A sunrise tour at $98 that starts at the Dona Marta lookout and ends at the statue; rated 4.9, though from 164 reviews.
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$98
There are six more ways in, from a $31.63 van to day tours. My Christ the Redeemer tickets page compares all eight and explains the train and van options.
Sugarloaf Mountain is the best of the Rio viewpoints for seeing the city’s shape, because it sits at the bay’s mouth and looks back at the beaches, the Botafogo shoreline and the Corcovado peak. Wikipedia gives its height as 396 m above the harbor and says it is known worldwide for its cable car and panoramic views. By my distance calculation, Christ the Redeemer is 5.5 km from the summit in a straight line. Google Maps rates the Sugarloaf natural monument 4.9.
C2RIO TOURS & TRAVEL
My pick: The cable car ticket at $44, with both rides and park access, rated 4.58 from 93 reviews; the plain way up.
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$44
If you want both peaks in one outing, a tour with transport takes care of the route between them. The ticket below includes the statue and the Sugarloaf complex, plus hotel pickup from selected hotels.
CARIOCA TROPICAL TOUR OPERATOR
My pick: The half-day tour at $129.50, 5 to 6 hours, rated 4.65 from 757 reviews, with both tickets and a guide.
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$129.50
The full detail, including the private and motorbike tours, is on my Sugarloaf Mountain tickets page.
Rio has more lookouts than most cities, and they are the part of the best views in Rio de Janeiro that a ticket can’t buy. These places are in my Google Maps data with ratings, and I have no entry terms or prices for any of them, so check before you go. The distances are straight lines from my coordinates.
Mirante Dona Marta is rated 4.8 from 10,247 reviews and is 1.6 km from Christ the Redeemer, which makes it the closest. Vista Chinesa (4.8 from 9,356 reviews) is 4.6 km from the statue, and Google Maps lists it as open 8 AM to 5 PM. Pedra do Arpoador, between Copacabana and Ipanema, is rated 4.8 from 33,040 reviews and is 5.8 km from Sugarloaf. Mirante do Leblon (4.8 from 19,467) is 8.5 km from Sugarloaf. The Emperor’s Table is 4.8 from 1,507 reviews, and Urubu Lookout is 4.8 from 851 and just 2.2 km from the statue.
Observation deck
4.8 · 10,247 Google reviews
Estr. Mirante Dona Marta, S/N - Cosme Velho, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, Brazil
Open in Google MapsObservation deck
4.8 · 9,356 Google reviews
Estr. da Vista Chinesa, S/N - Alto da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 20531-590, Brazil
Tourist attraction
4.8 · 33,040 Google reviews
Av. Francisco Bhering, s/n - Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22080-050, Brazil
Tourist attraction
4.8 · 19,467 Google reviews
Av. Niemeyer - Vidigal, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22450-220, Brazil
Open in Google Maps
Tourist attraction
4.8 · 851 Google reviews
parque da catacumba, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tourist attraction
4.8 · 1,507 Google reviews
Alto da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tourist attraction
4.6 · 75 Google reviews
Rua Dona Alexandrina, Ladeira do Leme, 66, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22010-060, Brazil
Tourist attraction
4.9 · 411 Google reviews
R. Alberto Wolfando Teixeira - São Conrado, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, Brazil
Lookout Babylon is only 2.0 km from Sugarloaf, though it has just 75 reviews at 4.6, so it is a quieter choice. Mirante do Joá (4.8 from 2,892) is 10.1 km from the statue, and Mirante da Pedra da Gávea (4.9 from 411) is 9.1 km away. Several of these are on a hillside or a road, so I’d plan the route and the hour on the day. For photographs, a lookout lets you wait for the light, which a crowded platform rarely allows.
From the Sugarloaf summit at 396 m, the horizon is about 71 km away on a clear day, per the horizon formula in my data. That is enough to take in Guanabara Bay, the Copacabana shoreline and the ridge of Corcovado with the statue on it. From the statue’s side you look the other way, over the Lagoa, Ipanema and the Atlantic. The two views barely repeat, which is why I’d see both before judging which is better.
The Rio viewpoints also differ in how you arrive. The statue is reached by the Corcovado train, a van or a tour. Sugarloaf is two cable car rides, first to the 220 m Morro da Urca and then to the summit, per Wikipedia. Count on a morning for one and a late afternoon for the other. If you have only a half day, the combined tour above saves you the planning, though not the queues, since the lines at both places depend on the hour and the weather, not on the ticket you hold.
The weather is the same for both peaks, so I use the statue’s year of data as the city’s reference. Per Open-Meteo, March was the clearest month in 2025 at 39 percent cloud cover with 5 rainy days, February followed at 41 percent and May at 42. The wettest were November with 17 rainy days and October with 16. Summer runs from December to February, and sunset then falls between 18:31 and 18:43. In June it comes at 17:15.
| Month | Sunset (Sao Paulo time) | Cloud cover | Sunshine a day | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18:43 | 62% | 11.4 h | 13 |
| Febclearest | 18:31 | 41% | 11.8 h | 2 |
| Marclearest | 18:08 | 39% | 10.9 h | 5 |
| Apr | 17:39 | 57% | 9.3 h | 14 |
| Mayclearest | 17:19 | 42% | 9.4 h | 3 |
| Jun | 17:15 | 45% | 9.4 h | 8 |
| Jul | 17:24 | 43% | 9 h | 7 |
| Aug | 17:37 | 47% | 9.6 h | 7 |
| Sep | 17:46 | 49% | 9.7 h | 10 |
| Oct | 17:57 | 61% | 9.4 h | 16 |
| Nov | 18:14 | 56% | 10.6 h | 17 |
| Dec | 18:34 | 58% | 11.3 h | 11 |
Sunset planner
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book this entry time (50 min before sunset)
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sunset, Sao Paulo time
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typical cloud cover that week
Sunset and cloud cover for the same dates in 2025 at the deck (Open-Meteo historical weather (ERA5), 2025); sunset moves by about a minute between years.
The sun rises at 05:00 in November and December and at 06:33 in July. My rule for the best views in Rio de Janeiro is a morning at the statue, before the cloud builds, then Sugarloaf about an hour before sunset. Cloud matters more than the hour, so choose a clear day over a perfect time if the forecast lets you.
The two are 5.5 km (3.4 miles) apart in a straight line, from the coordinates in my data. That is close enough for one day, though the road between them is longer than the line. Each one looks at the other, so Sugarloaf gives you the statue in the frame and the statue gives you the bay. If you only have time for one, the statue is higher and Sugarloaf is better at dusk. My two ticket pages above go into price and timing for each.
I’ve kept this list to one line per visitor, so you can find yourself quickly.
If you can only afford one paid view, I’d book Christ the Redeemer, the top of my best views in Rio de Janeiro list. Add Pedra do Arpoador at the end of the day, and you will have seen the city from above and the bay from its edge.
For the widest frame I'd pick Christ the Redeemer, because the statue stands on a peak of about 710 m, per Wikidata, against 396 m for Sugarloaf Mountain. For the view that includes the statue itself, I'd go up Sugarloaf, where the cable car ticket is $44. Both give you the bay and the beaches.
I'd say yes. Google Maps rates Christ the Redeemer 4.8 from 132,840 reviews, and the Sugarloaf natural monument 4.9. The city is built between granite peaks, forest and bays, so several lookouts add to the two big ones. The weather decides how much you see, so plan a flexible day.
Over the bay and the ocean to the east. Per Open-Meteo, sunrise falls at 05:00 in November and December and at 06:33 in July. Christ the Redeemer faces east, per Wikipedia. For dawn I'd book the sunrise tour at $98, rated 4.9 from 164 reviews, which starts at the Dona Marta lookout.
Neither beach is a ticketed deck, so I can only compare the lookouts beside them. Pedra do Arpoador, between the two, is rated 4.8 from 33,040 reviews on Google Maps, and Mirante do Leblon is 4.8 from 19,467. I have no entry terms for either, so I'd check on the day.
I'd go to Christ the Redeemer first for the height and the icon, with the Corcovado train ticket at $47.99. I'd choose Sugarloaf for the sunset and for the view of the statue, at $44. They are 5.5 km apart in a straight line, so the half-day tour at $129.50 covers both.
Per Open-Meteo data for 2025, March was the clearest month at 39 percent cloud cover with 5 rainy days, and February was next at 41 percent. November was the wettest with 17 rainy days. Summer here is December to February, with sunset around 18:30. I'd arrive early, before cloud builds on the peaks.
Yes. The two sit 5.5 km apart by my distance calculation, and several tours combine them. The half-day Carioca Tropical tour is $129.50 for 5 to 6 hours and is rated 4.65 from 757 reviews, and the full day with a BBQ lunch is $74. I'd do the statue in the morning and Sugarloaf at sunset.