Before You Book Sugarloaf Mountain: Every Cost, and What's Worth It
By the BeatTheCrowd team · Prices last checked 2 November · 3 min read
Sugarloaf Mountain's cable car, the Bondinho, rises in two stages, to Morro da Urca and then to the summit, for one of the world's great city views. There are different prices for foreign visitors, Brazilians and Rio residents, half-price tickets, a fast-access ticket and a free hiking trail up the first hill. Most of them sound worth paying for. You don't need the most expensive one to have a great visit. In this guide we walk through what each option costs, what you really get, and how to choose the right one, whether that's a quiet weekday morning or a busy weekend at sunset.
At a glance
Adult, foreign visitors
About R$199-205
Adult, Brazilians
About R$155-160
Children 3-12, seniors (half price)
About R$97-102
Fast access (Acesso Rápido)
About R$295-315
Rio state residents
R$85 adults, R$42 children
Hours
Mon-Thu 9 am-8 pm; Fri-Sun 8:30 am-8:30 pm
Quietest
Monday and Wednesday, and weekday mornings
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Check the crowds, find the best time slot, and book through our authorised partner.
The real total: cheapest ticket vs what most visitors pay
The standard Bilhete Bondinho covers both cable cars, to Morro da Urca and the summit, and back. Foreign visitors pay about R$199-205 for an adult, Brazilians about R$155-160, and children aged 3-12 and seniors pay half price, about R$97-102. Under-3s are free. Prices vary slightly between guides, so check the official site.
Visitor
What they buy
Price
Foreign adult
Bilhete Bondinho
About R$199-205
Brazilian adult
Bilhete Bondinho
About R$155-160
Child 3-12 or senior
Half price
About R$97-102
In a hurry
Acesso Rápido
About R$295-315
🎟️ Book skip-the-line tickets
Check the crowds, find the best time slot, and book through our authorised partner.
Prices last checked: 2 November. Prices vary with the season, peak and off-peak dates and promotions, and we recheck them every month. Visitor-reported costs are marked as estimates, and US$ figures are rough conversions.
Ticket options: what each one gets you
Cost
Price (R$)
Type
How to cut it
Bilhete Bondinho, foreign adult
About R$199-205
≈ US$36-37
Unavoidable
Or hike up Morro da Urca and pay only for the upper leg.
Bilhete Bondinho, half price
About R$97-102
≈ US$17-18
Unavoidable
Children 3-12, seniors, students and visitors with disabilities.
Acesso Rápido (fast access)
About R$295-315
≈ US$53-57
Optional
Only on busy weekend afternoons.
Upper leg only, after hiking
Varies
Optional
The crowd tax: why weekends cost more
Our crowd data shows Sugarloaf moderate all day on Mondays and Wednesdays, and mostly moderate on weekday mornings. Saturdays and Sundays are busy from about 10 am to 4-5 pm. On Thursday it's busy from about 1 to 5 pm, and on Tuesday and Friday there are shorter busy spells in the afternoon. The price is the same, but busy times mean queues for the cable car, where fast access tempts.
When
Crowds (our data)
What to buy
Monday or Wednesday
Moderate all day
Standard ticket
Weekday morning
Moderate
Standard ticket, or hike up
Weekend, about 10 am to 5 pm
Busy
Fast access, if short of time
Crowds by day and time
From the typical weekly visitor pattern for Sugarloaf Mountain, based on Google’s popular-times data.
Quietest time
Monday, 6-10 am
Which ticket is worth it?
Most visitors: the standard ticket, on a weekday.
Budget and fit: hike Morro da Urca, then pay for the upper leg.
Families: children 3-12 pay half; under-3s are free.
Weekend sunset, short on time: fast access.
Short on time? What you'd regret missing
The summit view over Copacabana and Botafogo.
Christ the Redeemer across the bay.
Sunset from the summit.
Morro da Urca, the first stop, with its own view.
Getting there
The cable car station is at Avenida Pasteur 520, Urca. Take a taxi or rideshare, or a bus to Urca. Booking on the official site gets you a parking discount at Rio Sul shopping centre.
Weather and visibility
Cloud can sit on the summit, especially in the rainy season. Check the live cameras before you buy. Sunset is popular, so arrive about an hour before.
What can go wrong
You arrive late for your online slot: valid only 20 minutes after.
Weekend afternoon: busy in our data.
Cloud on the summit: check first.
You miss the last boarding: 6:30 pm Monday to Thursday, 7 pm Friday to Sunday.
What one person really spends
Level
What's included
One adult
Budget
Hike Morro da Urca, upper leg only
Less than a full ticket
Typical
Bilhete Bondinho, foreign adult
About R$199-205
In a hurry
Acesso Rápido
About R$295-315
A child (3-12) adds about R$97-102. Under-3s are free.
FAQs
How much is Sugarloaf Mountain?
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About R$199-205 for foreign adults and R$155-160 for Brazilians. Children 3-12 and seniors pay about R$97-102.
Can you hike Sugarloaf Mountain?
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You can hike Morro da Urca, the first hill, for free in about 40 minutes, then pay for the upper cable car only.
Is Sugarloaf fast access worth it?
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Only on weekend afternoons and at sunset. It costs about R$295-315.
What are Sugarloaf's opening hours?
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Monday to Thursday 9 am to 8 pm, and Friday to Sunday 8:30 am to 8:30 pm.
When is Sugarloaf least crowded?
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In our data, Mondays and Wednesdays, and weekday mornings. Weekends are busy from about 10 am to 5 pm. See our crowd forecast.
Heading to Sugarloaf Mountain?
See how busy it is right now and the quietest hours for your date, then walk in when the line is short.
How we research: every guide is written by the BeatTheCrowd team from official sources and recent traveller reports, cross-checked against each other. Crowd figures come from our own crowd data. Prices last checked 2 November. Prices and rules change, so always confirm on the official site before you book.
Cheaper than a full ticket.
Prices are from Viaja Que Passa and Melhores Destinos. Rio de Janeiro state residents pay R$85 (children R$42) with ID and proof of address. Online tickets are valid for entry until 20 minutes after your chosen time.
Hiking Morro da Urca
The trail from Pista Cláudio Coutinho takes about 40 minutes to the top of Morro da Urca, and walking up the first hill is free. From there, you buy a ticket for just the upper cable car to the summit, which costs less than the full ticket. Our verdict: the best way to save money if you're fit and go in the cool of the morning.
Is fast access worth it?
Acesso Rápido gives priority boarding and costs about R$100 more than a standard foreign adult ticket. Our verdict: only on a weekend afternoon or at sunset, when our data shows it's busiest. On weekdays, the standard queue is usually manageable.
What visitors say
Visitors describe the view from the summit, over Copacabana, Christ the Redeemer and Guanabara Bay, as one of the best in the world, especially at sunset. The most common complaints are the price for foreign visitors and queues for the cable car at sunset, so the advice is to go on a weekday and arrive an hour before sunset.
