Cosme Velho

Cosme Velho The tram where you needed a ride to when you visited Christ the Redeemer. I went to the ticketing office early in the morning around 8 am (they accept cash and card), there’s a lot of visitors and tourists alike which was really surprising. After buying the tram tickets you will queue and wait for your turn to ride the tram. I was alone and luckily enough to catch the first tram going up Christ the Redeemer. The thing I would like to suggest is that DO NOT LOSE YOUR TICKET CARD. Once you enter, SIT ON THE RIGHT SIDE near the tram door for the views (but they will announce that you can take your phone cameras because the views are stunning). There is also another stop for the tram which is the museum but I didn’t bother to go there as I was running out of time. The line for the tram going back to the main station is really long.

It's a tain station for the train up to the christ statue. Good to know: outside of the station, there are loads of people who wants to sell you tickets for a Van ride up to the statue instead. I saw people doing this, but I don't know how this ride is compared to the train. Inside the train station, you can buy tickets using credit cards from one of the several machine. These also had the shortest/no queue. This is my recommendation, as buying with cash or even change the online voucher for a physical ticket had longer queues. Also, whatever time you pick for departure, doesn't matter. You have to stand in line for the departure and can board any train. One slight frustration while queuing is the constant flow of guided groups that are bypassing you. Also, you don't need to take (and later buy) a photo, even when it might sound like that when you say no.

Great experience, it was super organised! However, highly recommend you getting a ticket online as the queues there are very long and it is too hot to stay in the sun

This is where you need to go to catch the funicular (train) up to Christ the Redeemer. This main station allows you to buy tickets in person using cash at a box office or using a credit card at one of the electronic kiosks on the station platform. They are timed tickets so pay attention to the time. You will be put in a line based on your ticket. There is no air conditioning while you wait for the funicular, but you will have shade waiting outside or fans while waiting inside. Expect to wait at least half an hour in line unless you get on a very early train. Snacks and drinks are available at the train station. You should have no problem finding an Uber or cab from here.

From here you take the Corcovado funicular train up to Christ the Redeemer, with trains departing every 30 minutes. We purchased our tickets online on the same day, which included both the train ride and entry to the Christ. When purchasing tickets, you can select your preferred train departure time. The station was very well organized, there was no waiting time. We boarded the train right within the time slot we had booked. The train journey takes about 20 minutes. We went in August during the afternoon, and the train wasn't too crowded. Temperature was also nice, not too hot. However, the return trip in the evening was very busy and I ended up having to stand. I had seen some negative reviews beforehand, but our experience was quite the opposite. The train ride was very well organized for us. It might just depend on the time of year you visit.

Fun train ride and organized. I recommend coming early on the morning to a) avoid the heat b) avoid a dirty/COVID train and c) avoid crowds. My journey couldn't have been better planned at 8:20am Saturday in a perfectly sunny day.

Took the tram through the jungle. At the top we were met with a large crowd really the whole platform was very crowded. The views were nice but not as good as sugarloaf. The statue itself is tremendous but can be hard to admire with so many people jostling around. Personally the highlight for me was the monkeys we encountered

It is very crowded. A lot of scammers outside are trying to sell you a "vip package" You need to be light dressed because of the high temperature.