Venue of FIFA World Cup 1950 final, FIFA World Cup 2014 final and Olympic Games 2016, Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is where chapters of history have been written in the game of football (soccer).
So, when visiting Rio, a popular thing to do for travelers is to take a tour of this legendary stadium.
🏟️ But is it really worth taking the Maracana Stadium Tour? We are going to break down that answer for you, based on our own Maracana experiences.
We will also explain all the logistics details about this stadium tour, like, how to book, what to see, transportation options, and whether to do this as a self-guided or guided activity.
So, with this comprehensive guide of Maracana Stadium Tour, you will be better equipped to decide if a tour of the Maracana Stadium is right for you.
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Maracana Stadium Tour: Quick Summary
🏆 If you are a soccer fan like us, it is absolutely worth taking a tour of the Maracana Stadium that has stood witness to several significant moments in the history of the game.
🎟️ You can walk in to buy tickets, but to avoid waiting in queues, you can do any of the following:
✅ Buy online in advance from the Maracana Tour official website.
✅ Buy official ticket on GetYourGuide with the option of Free Cancellation.
✅ Book a Tour with Transportation.
📍 Location for Marcana Stadium Tour:
Put Tour Maracanã on Google Maps or as Uber destination.
Enter by Gate A for public transport and go to Gate 2 for vehicle parking.
⚽️ Take your Maracana experience to the next level. Watch a game at the stadium!
🌎 What is commonly known as soccer in the United States is referred to as football in many parts of the world, including Latin America.
🇧🇷 In the Spanish speaking countries, it is called fútbol, while in Brazil, it is called futebol in Portuguese.
⚽️ So, in this post, we interchangeably use soccer and football to refer to that game that Messi and Ronaldo play!
Is the Maracana Stadium Tour Worth It?
We went to the Maracana Stadium, not once, but twice! On consecutive days.
The first day, we did the Maracana Stadium Tour, and the next day, we went again to watch a local football match.
So, here is our take on whether it is worth taking the Maracana Stadium Tour:
If you are a soccer fan
Go for this stadium tour if you are a fan of the game. See closely some pieces of soccer history and feel the excitement as you step foot in places where famous footballers have been.
If you are NOT a soccer fan
In all honesty, you may not connect with the emotions and excitement of touring the Maracana Stadium if you do not follow football. So you may or may not not find value in spending the time and money on this experience.
However, if you still want to check off all the top things to do in Rio de Janeiro and earn the bragging rights of visiting one of the best football stadiums in the world, go for it.
But if you want to get a true Carioca experience from your Maracana visit, skip the stadium tour and watch a football match at this stadium.
Even if you do not follow the game or the teams, the fanfare and the pulsating energy at the stadium will be something to remember.
Our Experience
Kolkata, the city we hail from, is passionate of Latin American football.
In our individual households, Indranil and I grew up rooting for football from Brazil and admiring football from Argentina.
💫 So, for us, visiting the Maracana Stadium was a wholesome experience. It gave us goosebumps seeing things like footprints of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho etc. and the original net where the great Pele scored his 1000th goal.
🌟 We enjoyed the stadium tour but our Maracana experience peaked when we watched a Derby match of Rio at the stadium the next day.
How to Book Maracana Stadium Tour
Offline: At the Box Office
You can buy the Maracana Stadium Tour tickets offline, in person, directly at the box office on the day of your visit.
🎟️ To avoid queueing up at the counter and to secure your place for your preferred date and time, book the Stadium Tour online in advance. Here are 3 ways you can do so:
Online: From the Website
🔑 You need to have an account or create an account with email ID and password for buying stadium tour tickets this way.
- Go to the official website of Maracana Stadium Tour
- Set language to English (or Spanish or Portuguese), if the website does not launch in your preferred language
- Click on “Buy Here” which will take you to the reservation page.
- Select the details of your visit: day, time and product. Choose “Monitored Tour”, unless you wish to visit Flamengo Museum too (at a different location, within 3 days)
- Choose “Full Price” tickets for regular adults, and “Half Price” tickets for children of 6-10 years/ seniors of age above 60 years/ students/ people with special needs. Enter the quantity of tickets against each.
- Register or login with your email ID and password, and continue to make the payment and finish the booking.
Online: Official Ticket on GetYourGuide
Do not wish to go through the entire process of creating a new account, and prefer to book on a familiar platform?
🎟️ Book the Maracana Stadium Tour official tickets on GetYourGuide, with the option of Free Cancellation.
Online: Tour with Transportation
If you prefer the commute logistics to be sorted, and wish to learn the details from a professional guide, then book this guided tour with transportation →
You can choose between a Private Tour and a Shared Tour. They offer pickup and drop off in the areas of São Conrado, Ipanema, Leblon and Copacabana.
Maracana Stadium Tour Hours
🕰️ Maracana Stadium Tour takes place all days of the week, between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, starting monitored tours in groups every half an hour, and on weekends, they begin at 8:00 am.
📣 There are exceptions to the tour timings on match days at the stadium. So, check the schedule and plan in advance.
Maracana Stadium Tour Duration
The Maracana Tour official website states that the monitored tour takes about 50 minutes.
If you purchase additional experiences like Goal Kick, Photo Souvenir, that will be some additional minutes.
You will also have time to spend at leisure when you are at the players’ dug out area or in the gallery.
You can check out the store selling branded merchandise of Flamengo and Fluminense, the two home teams of Maracana Stadium.
If you want to grab a meal or get a drink, there’s food court next to the stadium tour entrance area.
⏱️ Including commute time, tour duration and leisure time, plan to dedicate about half a day for taking a self-guided tour of the Maracana Stadium.
What to See during Maracana Stadium Tour
Maracacana Stadium Tour route follows a one-way path, that is, you cannot come back to an area that you have already visited. So, on the day of our visit, we took our time to absorb every bit of information and experience that the stadium offers.
On the Maracana Stadium Tour, you can expect to see the following:
🏆 Historical Exhibits: Discover exhibits and installations that narrate the stadium’s storied past.
👕 Locker Rooms: Get a behind-the-scenes look at where the footballers get ready before the match.
🤩 Player’s Tunnel: Walk the same path as your favorite footballers, as you step in to the…
🏟️ Pitch: where many iconic moments have taken place.
💺 Dugout: Sit at the dugout area and feel like part of your favorite team.
At the locker room: Pubali, next to Flamengo team jersey. Indranil, next to Fluminense team jersey.
🪑 Gallery: Spend time at the gallery and imagine how the stadium would roar when it is not empty. (Or buy a ticket to a match and experience it for yourself!)
🎤 Press Conference: Sit at the officials’ side of the table in the the press conference room.
Add-on Experiences
After arriving at Maracana, you can also purchase additional experiences like:
Goal Kick: Where you take a shot at the goal, right next to the original turf. For different packages, you get 3-5 chances.
Photo Souvenir: Pose with the flag of your favorite team with the iconic Maracana pitch in the background.
How to Get to Maracana Stadium
Address: Av. Rei Pelé – Maracanã, 20271-130 Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
If arriving by public transport, enter by Gate A, and for vehicle parking, go to Gate 2.
There are various ways to get to the Maracana Stadium, whether you prefer public transportation or driving.
Ⓜ️ Metro: Take (or connect to) Metro Line 2 (Green Line) to Maracanã Station. From here, it takes less than 5 minutes walking from metro station exit to Gate A.
🚙 Uber: Call an Uber. This is a comfortable, convenient and inexpensive way of commuting in Rio.
🚌 Bus Routes: Various local buses service the stadium. We use Google Maps to check routes. Even if the schedules may not be correct to the T, the routes are.
🚘 Self-drive: If you are renting a car in Rio, you can drive directly to the stadium and go to Gate 2 for the pad parking area.
🚗 Check Rentalcars.com by Booking.com to find the best deals across different rental car companies →
Maracana Stadium: Guided Tour vs. Self-Guided
Wondering whether to get a guided tour of Maracana Stadium or to visit it self-guided? Let us help you with the decision making process.
🚙 🚇 We went to Maracana by ourselves using public transport, and toured the stadium mostly on our own, and partly listening to the Maracana official skipper of the monitored tour. It is absolutely doable this way.
🎟️ If you choose to do a self-guided Maracana Stadium Tour, remember to buy your official tickets online in advance.
If you are not comfortable with the idea of commuting to the other side of the city by yourself, and/or if you would prefer to have a professional guide by your side for the entire duration, then book the guided tour with transportation.
Plan Your Rio de Janeiro Trip
➡️ Rio de Janeiro 5-Day Itinerary
➡️ Safety Tips for Rio de Janeiro
➡️ How to Experience Rio Carnival
➡️ Packing List for Rio de Janeiro
➡️ Little Africa – Our Favorite Cultural Tour in Rio
➡️ How to Visit Christ the Redeemer – one of the 7 Wonders of the World
➡️ Practical Tips for Visiting the Sugarloaf Mountain
➡️ Best Areas to Stay in Rio de Janeiro
➡️ eSIM vs. Local SIM in Rio de Janeiro
💻 For digital nomads in Latin America, Rio de Janeiro is one of our top recommended cities. Check out our other Latin favorites for digital nomads →
Travel Resources
- Flights: Skyscanner
- Hotels: Booking.com | Expedia
- Tours: Viator | GetYourGuide
- Travel Insurance:
- Heymondo (get 5% off)
- SafetyWing Nomad Insurance
- eSIMs:
- Transfers: Bookaway. Code PARADISE5 for 5% off
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