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Is the Maracanã tour worth it?
What you see on the Maracanã stadium tour, how long it takes, who it suits and whether it is worth doing on a day with no match.
Book the stadium visit ↗Quick answer
Yes, for anyone who likes football or big stadiums. The ticket is a self-guided visit of about an hour through the museum and the behind-the-scenes areas of the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro: the changing room, the players' tunnel, the pitch side and the press room, as the booking page names them. There is no match and no guide. Show your voucher at the tour box office at Gate A, and check that the visit is open that day.
The short answer
Yes, if football or stadiums interest you, and most of all when no match falls inside your dates. For about an hour you move through exhibits, a changing room, a tunnel and the pitch side at your own pace, and you can take photos on the way. The booking page's review summary describes the visit as worthwhile for football fans and scores value for money at 4.3 out of 5. The trade is that nobody guides you, and a stadium is a working venue, not a theme park. The sections below say what you see, what you do not, and who should skip it.
What the ticket covers
According to the booking page you get a self-guided visit of about one hour, with museum admission and behind-the-scenes access. It is a ticket to see the stadium and not a seat at a match, and it does not include a guide. Nothing in the description of the visit mentions a hotel transfer, food or drink, so arrange your own way there and eat before or after. After booking, the activity provider sends a separate email with your voucher, apart from the booking confirmation. The booking page asks you to check your spam folder as well as your inbox, because that email is easy to miss, and a voucher on a phone or on paper both work at the gate.
The route in order
The booking page names the places you pass, and a Brazilian travel blog puts them in a rough order. It describes a one-way route that starts in the museum, runs through the changing rooms and the mixed zone, reaches the tunnel and the pitch side, and ends near the press room. Rooms and exhibits can change, so treat the list below as the kind of route to expect, not a fixed itinerary.
- The museum, an exhibition of Brazilian football history
- The changing room and the warm-up room
- The players' tunnel to the pitch
- The pitch side, with the dugout
- The press conference room
The museum
The booking page describes an exhibition that brings together important pieces of Brazilian football history. A Brazilian travel blog lists historic shirts, match tickets and pennants, panels on well-known players and a walk of fame, and says the museum comes first on the one-way route. One football fact fits the place: Wikipedia records that Pelé scored the 1,000th goal of his career at the Maracanã, in 1969. Exhibits get rearranged, so read this as a guide to the kind of material, not a list of what will be on show. If you came for one object, such as a famous shirt or trophy, do not count on seeing it, and treat anything you do find as a bonus.
The tunnel, the pitch and the press room
The booking page invites you to walk down the players' tunnel and imagine the roar of nearly 80,000 fans, to sit in the dugout, and to visit the press conference room as if after a big match. Reviewers on the page mention photos taken pitch-side. The travel blog says visitors stand in a marked area along the sideline, and that the route is one-way, so you cannot go back to a room once you have left it. Take your pictures as you go, and keep your phone charged, because the photos are the souvenir that most reviewers mention.
What the stadium is
Wikipedia says the Maracanã opened in 1950 to host the World Cup, and that Brazil lost 2-1 to Uruguay in the deciding game of that tournament, a result remembered in Brazil as the Maracanazo. Walking the route is easier with that story in mind. It later hosted the 2014 World Cup final and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Olympics. The rebuilt stadium has yellow, blue and white seats around a green pitch, a combination Wikipedia notes matches the Brazilian national colours. The booking page's words, two World Cup finals, are looser than the record: the 1950 game was the decider of a final round.
Match days and closures
Check the day before you go. The travel blog says the visit closes several hours before kick-off on match days, and that the exact time varies with the fixture. A Brazilian news report from November 2025 describes the tour closing temporarily for an event during a royal visit, with some visitors who had bought tickets in advance learning of it at the ticket office. The booking page says that if the operator cancels or reschedules, you are offered another date or a full refund. Choose a day without a match if you can, and read your confirmation again the evening before. If the plan changes on your side, the free cancellation window closes 24 hours before the scheduled start, so decide early.
Getting there
Lance, a Brazilian sports site, says the metro station called Maracanã is a few metres from the stadium and gives access to gates A, B and C, and that the suburban train also stops at Maracanã. The tour box office is at Gate A. One reviewer on the booking page took a ride-hailing car from Copacabana, and another says to go to the right entrance, next to Gate A. The review summary says some travellers wanted clearer directions to the start, so look for the gate letter before you queue. The stadium complex is large, and the entrance for match crowds is not the one you want.
Read next: Getting to the Maracanã and Gate A
How long to allow
The booking page gives the length as one hour, with starting times shown for each day. The Brazilian travel blog says the average visit is about 50 minutes, with no minimum or maximum time, and that monitors are stationed in each area to answer questions even though the visit is self-guided. Add the walk from the metro station and any wait at the box office, and keep a margin if you plan to buy photos at the exit. Budget roughly ninety minutes from leaving your hotel to being back on the street.
Read next: Getting to the Maracanã and Gate A
Who this isn't for
Skip it if you want a live match, the singing and the crowd: that is a different outing, covered in the match-day guide on this site. Skip it if you want a guide telling the stories, because the review summary scores the guide at 3.7 out of 5 and the visit is self-guided. It is also a poor fit if football leaves you cold, if you need a hotel transfer or a meal built in, or if you have only a few minutes, because the route is a full hour. The booking page lists the visit as wheelchair accessible.
Read next: Stadium tour or match-day ticket?
Booking and the day itself
Choose a day in the calendar, where the price appears in your own currency with taxes and fees already added. You can cancel for free until 24 hours before the scheduled start, and you can ask for a new day up to the same point if space allows. Show the voucher on a phone or on paper at the tour box office at Gate A. The booking page lists the visit as wheelchair accessible. If your plans include a match, book the tour for a different day.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Maracanã tour worth it without a match?
Yes, if you like football or large stadiums. You see the museum, the changing room, the tunnel and the pitch side in about an hour. It is self-guided, so expect no commentary. If a match falls in your dates and you want the crowd, see the match-day guide first.
Is the tour guided?
No. The booking page calls it self-guided, and a reviewer liked exploring at their own pace. The review summary scores the guide at 3.7 out of 5. A travel blog says monitors in each area answer questions.
How long does it take?
The booking page gives one hour, and the calendar shows starting times. A reviewer said there was no time limit, so confirm the rule on the day.
Where do I show my voucher?
At the tour box office at Gate A. The provider emails the voucher separately after you book, so check spam as well.
Can I visit on a match day?
A Brazilian travel blog says the visit closes several hours before kick-off on match days, and that the exact time varies with the fixture. Check your confirmation, or choose a day without a game.
Are food, drink or a transfer included?
The description of the visit mentions none of them. Plan your own transport and eat before or after.
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