Carnaval Backstage Tour: Explore Samba City's Preparations with Cocktail

Experience the backstage of the world-famous Carioca Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Explore Samba City’s preparations, witness the construction of floats and costumes, and enjoy a Caipirinha welcome drink!

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Carnaval Experience - • Bilingual guide

    Guided tour to the Grande Rio samba factory – one of the main Samba Schools of the city of Rio de Janeiro 

    Presentation of the explanatory panel: some of the history of samba and the carnival parades

    Getting in the mood: costume layout to dress and photograph

    Samba Flavor: welcoming…
What's Included
  • Rare glimpse at Rio’s Carnival backstage
  • Bilingual guide
  • Professional guide
  • Bottled water
  • Alcoholic beverages
Additional Information

Experience the exclusive backstage tour of the Carioca Carnival, renowned as the most famous carnival worldwide!
While in Rio, immersing yourself in Samba is a must! This tour offers a glimpse into the creativity and artistry of Carnival, granting access to the behind-the-scenes of the greatest show on Earth!
Enjoy a unique and genuine experience as you…

Location
Cidade do Samba
The meeting point for the tour is at the Cidade do Samba Square. Upon arrival, look for the Carnaval Experience team, located either in the square or in front of the Grande Rio warehouse, easily recognizable by their colorful shirts. If you need any assistance, just approach one of our team members.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(279 Ratings)
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Justine_m
Apr 13, 2026
Oi - A must do if you are a carnival fan. The history the processes the floats the costumes and a dance lesson. It is an experience as intended.
Review provided by Viator
Born_to_fun
Apr 4, 2026
Just do it! - This was a fun and informative tour. We saw a few floats and several costumes. We got to try on Carnival costumes. The guide was very knowledgeable and explained the samba schools and timelines for Carnival. She was very personable and answered all questions thoroughly. Well worth the time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rod_f
Apr 3, 2026
If I could give this six stars, I would - If I could give this six stars, I would. Ines was a friendly and interesting guide on a tour which was both informative and enjoyable. It was great being close to this year's floats, and seeing and trying on some costumes and headdresses. I learned a lot about Carnaval: this experience made me keen to see it for myself one day. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Viator
Simon_w
Apr 2, 2026
We had so much fun! We... - We had so much fun! We were there in March, we were able to see the floats they used in Rio's carnival in Feb. Though we missed the actual carnival, we felt lucky seeing the actual stage items for the competition.
Review provided by Viator
Rcm2
Mar 25, 2026
Carnival experience - Very nice tour to learn more about carnival. Rosa Maria was incredible from beginning to end. Thank you!
Review provided by Viator
Brummi01
Mar 1, 2026
Very authentic - We enjoyed it a lot. You get a deep insight into the Rio carnival and how a samba school works. The tour is made by a member of the Samba School and is therefore not professional commercial, but authentic. We really liked it
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kateml2684wr
Feb 20, 2026
Samba and what an experience dressing up in the fabulous outfits. - Brilliant afternoon at Samba city. Hopefully they will win this year at Carnaval. Our guide was very enthusiastic about her part in the Samba experience. She told of the history of Carnaval and what fun when it came time to dress up in these fabulous outfits. Everyone had a ball.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicole_g
Feb 19, 2026
Book today! Costumes + History - Book today! It was so cool to learn while getting to try on the costumes! Perfect way to end our trip. So unique and fun.
Review provided by Viator
728andreinac
Feb 18, 2026
Very good - I loved the Tour, it is well complete and explain how they prepare for each carnival, they put you suits and a little; Samba class
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jada
Mar 27, 2026
Simple, a lot of history - It was a decent tour. The best part was the surprise Samba dance. Only thing I will say is it felt rushed. Bring water and fans. A lot of history during the tour. Wasn’t what I expected but we were given free drinks at the end but the rooms were not air conditioned. The warehouse seemed run down but our tour guide was AMAZING!! 🫶🏽
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $30
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).