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Sugarloaf Mountain

Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar)

Place · Urca and Sugarloaf

Photo: Donatas Dabravolskas, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pão de AçúcarUrca and Sugarloaf, Rio de Janeirogo at hour · first cable car on a clear morningadmission: unknown

Go up early on a clear day: cloud arrives from mid-morning and the queues grow, so book a timed ticket and check the weather before you leave.

Time on site90–120 minp95 180 min
Best hourfirst cable car on a clear morningquietest window
28″ bagsPainful WarningUrca and Sugarloaf
Sensory loadModerate3 of 5 · Moderate
  • Go first cable car on a clear morning
  • Timed ticket: book ahead
  • Queue: switch at 40 min

Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.

Rules in force · 10Above 2,500 m (Bogotá, Quito, Cusco, La Paz) keep the fir…After dark, use a ride-hailing car between clusters
  • South America ↗Above 2,500 m (Bogotá, Quito, Cusco, La Paz) keep the first day light; sleep lower where you can (Sacred Valley before Cusco) and descend if headache comes with vomiting or confusion.
  • South America ↗A yellow fever certificate is required on arrival in French Guiana, and asked for on some routes into Bolivia, Paraguay, Suriname and Guyana, or when arriving from Amazon areas — vaccinate at least 10 days before travel and carry the card.
  • South America ↗Overnight buses are the norm in Argentina, Chile and Peru, but pick top-tier companies and keep valuables on your body; on-board thefts from overhead racks are the common loss.
  • Brazil ↗US, Canadian and Australian citizens need an e-visa (about US$81 — check) applied for online at the official VFS portal before travel; EU and UK citizens do not. Check your passport with Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs before booking.
  • Brazil ↗Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for many areas, including the Amazon and Pantanal; check with a travel clinic at least 10 days before travel.
  • Brazil ↗Keep your phone out of sight in the street and on beaches; phone theft is the most common crime against visitors in big cities.
  • Brazil ↗Carnival 2027 runs about 5–10 February (Tuesday 9 February; Salvador from 4 February): book Rio, Salvador and Recife/Olinda months ahead or avoid those dates.
  • Rio de Janeiro area ↗Cloud hides the mountain views on many mornings: keep the Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf days flexible.
  • Rio de Janeiro ↗Phone snatching is the main crime against visitors: keep your phone in a front pocket or a zipped bag, not in your hand on the pavement or on the beach.
  • Rio de Janeiro ↗After dark, use a ride-hailing car between clusters; do not walk the beachfront edges, Lapa side streets or Santa Teresa slopes.
More
Map & directions
Google Maps Apple Maps
Directions
From where I am

Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.

Plan

Open now, best time to go, opening hours

Go now?

hours and prices: check on the day
Open
Hours not on file: check the official site.
Time to spend
90–120 min · up to 180 min if you linger
Directions Add to a day →

Best time to go

Queues build from mid-morning; the first cable cars are the quietest.

Queue rule: switch if the queue passes 40 min; come back when under 15.

Opening hours
Note
Opening and last-ascent times are not printed until verified; the cable car stops in strong wind or lightning.

Weather here, next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).

On the ground

Getting in, access, sensory load, what to bring, and where to go if it does not work

Getting in

Stop
Car to the Praia Vermelha cable-car base
Ticket
timed advance official · official site
Stairs
none of note
Shoes
Shoes on.

Sensory load

  • Sensory load3/5 Medium

Exposure: medium

What to bring and the rules

  • Your booked ticket or QR code · Entry is timed and sold ahead on the official site.

Rules and prices change: check the official site before you go.

Bailouts

  • heat: AC café nearby

Nearest rescue anchor: A — Praça General Tibúrcio, cable car base (WC, café)

Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).

Map and nearby

Where it is, how to get there from your hotel or from where you stand, and what is around it

Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar)Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de …Bar Urca

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Map layers
Google Maps Apple Maps
Directions
From where I am

Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.

The pin marks the centre of Urca and Sugarloaf: this place has no exact entrance point on file.

Eat in Urca and Sugarloaf

More detail

Everything else we know about this place

Tickets, prices and entry

Tickets & entry

2026 estimate · check the posted board
Where to buy
  • Timed entry: book a slot on the official site; walk-up slots can run out.
  • Buy from the official site or the ticket desk; resellers add a fee for the same ticket.

Official site ↗

Time on site, inside and your plan

Time on site

minutes

Minimum

60min

Worthwhile

90min

Typical

120min

p95

180min

How much time do you have?

from the time-on-site figures above

Enough for a typical visit (120 min).

Visit times are typical figures, not promises; queues and closing times can change them.

Step-free check, who it suits, facilities
Combine with

Combine with

nearest first

Walk the Urca and Sugarloaf area · the cluster page has the walking order, rescue stops and after-dark notes

Best photo time

Best photo time today

sun times for the area

Sun times for today load in your browser.

Deep dive

Questions, photos, and where our facts come from

Questions and answers

Questions and answers

No questions answered here yet.

Answers come from Voykit editors, not from other travellers.
Photos

Photos

3 · free licences, credited
Deep dive

Sources

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Directions
61 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Not saved offline