5 Ways to visit Christ the Redeemer

The most iconic figure of Rio and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World is definitely one of those places you should visit during your stay in Rio. Similarly to the Rome’s Colosseum or Paris Eiffel Tower, the 38m tall Christ statue sitting amidst the rainforest of Tijuca remains the unique symbol of the city.

Christ the Redeemer or, as cariocas often refer to it, simply “Corcovado” is visited by thousands of tourists on a daily basis. No matter the weather, time of the year, time of the day, holidays or not, seeing few tourists on-site it’s a very rare sight. Sadly, due to the huge flow of tourists, it has become consistently more difficult to figure out what your options are to get to the top without spending a fortune.

Don’t let yourself be convinced there’s only one way to get to the top and keep reading to discover the 5 Ways to get to Christ the Redeemer for all budgets.

Visitor Center (Paineiras) & the Statue

Many people are not aware of this but to visit the Christ you’ll have to go through the visitor center (located 2-3km on the road to the summit) where you pay your entrance and can have a bite before the top.

The entrance price for Christ the Redeemer is 14R during low season and 28R during high season.

Visitor Center Paineiras

1. By Private Van

The most used option to get to the visitor center is taking one of the private van companies that operates from various spots around Rio to Corcovado. Currently, there are three spots (Largo do Machado, Lido Square and Barra da Tijuca) where you can catch the vans running every 30min from 8am to 6pm Mon.-Fri. and 8am to 5pm on weekends & holidays. Prices include the entrance price to the site but can vary depending on whether it’s high or low season (up-to-date prices here).

Price: Largo do Machado & Lido (63-77R), Barra da Tijuca (92-106R)

Train to the Christ

2. By Train (Trem o Corcovado)

Possibly the most spectacular way to get to Corcovado is by train. The Trem o Corcovado goes through a scenic route inside the rainforest of Tijuca right up to the bottom of the statue. The only train station which serves this route is located in the neighbourhood of Cosme Velho at Rua Cosme Velho n° 513 (here’s more info on how to get there). Once again, the price for the tram includes the entrance fee to the site.

Price: High Season 79R and Low Season 65R

3. By Uber + Private Van

Another very convenient option, especially if you’re a group of 2 or more, is simply taking an Uber. Like other private vehicles, even taxis, can only get to the visitor center. Nonetheless, once in the visitor center there’s the possibility for you to take a van for the last leg of road for (prices depend on whether it’s high/low season). The van’s price also includes the entrance fee to the site.

Price: Uber to visitor center is roughly 30-50R and van is 30R-44R (low/high)

Well-marked trail on the way up

4. Uber + Hiking

Like option 3, you can take an Uber to the visitor center and then just hike to the top. Once at the visitor center, just ask for the path to the statue and the officials show you the way. The path is just 2.5km long and won’t take you longer than 1h to get to the bottom of the statue. We cannot stress this enough, this part of path is COMPLETELY SAFE. Once at the top, you only need to pay the entrance price to the statue and off you go.

Price: Uber to visitor center is roughly 30-50R and entrance price 18-24R (low/high)

View from atop

5. Hiking all the way

For those hardcores adventurers, there’s also the option to hike up all the way up of the Corcovado mountain. In order to get to the trail to Corcovado mountaintop you’ll have to get to Parque Lage first. The entrance to this park is free and toward the end of the park you’ll see a small ranger outpost where rangers will give you information on how to reach the summit of Corcovado. The whole hike takes around 2h.

Nevertheless, even though hiking the Corcovado trail used to be a safe activity, nowadays it can be considered the most dangerous way to reach Christ the Redeemer. Just back in July 2019 dozens of tourists were kept to a gunpoint and robbed of their values on that same trail. Truth to be said, the path borders a very poor favela and muggings have never been an uncommon sight. The safety of the trail is a constant struggle between police tried to secure it and thieves taking it back.

We suggest to avoid this option at all costs (and we loveeeee hiking) and if you want to save, just take an Uber to the visiting center and then hike. Even if you plan hiking without any valuables, are you ready to take the risk to be stopped at a gunpoint?

Price: Free, you only need to pay the entrance price 18-24R (low/high)

Thankfully, there are plenty of options for all pockets to visit the famous Christ the Redeemer. Whether you plan taking the bus, train, uber or a risky walk, we’re sure you’re gonna love the view from atop this beautiful site. At the end of the day, is it not one of the New 7 Wonders of the World?

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