How to visit Maracana Stadium & purchase tour tickets
Traveling to Rio and not visiting Maracana is not an option if you are a true soccer fan. Having held two World Cup Finals, Maracana is the most important soccer stadium in Brazil and one of the most iconic stadiums worldwide. In this post, you will find everything you need to know to organize your visit to Maracana, doing the full stadium tour.
If you would also like to attend a soccer match in Maracana to see it at its full glow with the crowds present, we also have you covered. In the end, you will find the details on how to buy your tickets to a soccer match in Maracana and tips from a local who has been to many matches.
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How to get to Maracana
Maracana is located in the east part of Rio de Janeiro, in a neighborhood also called Maracana. There are many ways to get to Maracana since the stadium is well connected with public transport. See below the best options:
- Subway: There is a subway station located right near the stadium, also called Maracana. It belongs to Line 2, which connects the suburbs with downtown Rio. If you will be boarding on Line 1, you can easily exchange lines from the station Botafogo onwards.
- Bus: Depending on where you will be coming from, the bus will offer a nicer connection. There are many bus lines that have stops near the stadium – we recommend checking on Google Maps prior to your visit since Maps has quite an accurate schedule for Rio´s public transport.
- Train: Departing from the Central Station in downtown Rio, you also have the option of taking the train to Maracanã. The train station is located side-by-side with the subway. However, I recommend leaving this as the last alternative since the subway ride is much faster and more pleasant.
- Private car: If you have rented a car in Rio, you can also decide to visit Maracana Stadium by car. For the Maracana Stadium Tour, you should enter gate nr 2 to leave your car in the private parking inside the stadium. The parking price is fixed at R$ 35 for cars. However, on game days, I do not recommend driving since the tour is suspended five hours before the match and most parking places get full very quickly (especially if it is an important match).
Do you need to rent a car for your trip?
We always use DiscoverCars to rent our car. So far it has proved to be not only the cheapest option but also the most reliable one. We used DiscoverCars to rent our car for our trips through Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia, Italy, and so many other countries, and we never had any issues. We even convinced all of our friends and family to use it. So that’s why we are also recommending it to you!
- Taxi or Uber: Getting to Maracana Stadium by taxi or Uber is also a very practical alternative. Just to give you a general idea, an Uber ride will cost you around R$ 27 from Copacabana to Maracana outside of peak hours. If you will be going in a group of 4 people, that is almost the price of the subway ticket.
Prices of the Maracana Stadium Tour tickets
Maracana Stadium is open for the tour from 8h30 until 16h30 every day. There is only one option of tour available, called a “monitored tour” – this means that there will be people to guide you through the spaces of the exhibition, but every visitor takes the tour independently. Everything is explained in signs throughout the museum and the other visited areas. Below you will find the updated 2024 prices for the Maracana Stadium Tour tickets.
- Full price – R$ 75
- Half price – R$ 37,5
In Brazil, half price is offered by law to students, elderly 60+ y.o., kids between 6 and 10 years, people with any disability, and their companion. Of course, if you fit into any of these categories, you will be asked to provide your ID as proof, along with any other required documentation.
Where to buy tickets for the Maracana Stadium Tour?
The tickets to Maracana Stadium Tour can be purchased either online or at the ticket booth at the entrance. The price for both options is the same, the only difference is that you may save yourself some time on the line if you book it online. Here is the site where you can buy your tickets to Maracana online.
How is the self-guided tour in Maracana Stadium
I have been to Maracana countless times for matches during my entire life, but 2022 was the first time I have actually taken the time to do the Maracana Stadium tour – and I am so glad I did. For any sports fan, the visit is very worthwhile and quite interesting. We really liked the experience and definitely recommend it if you will be visiting Rio soon. Below we will describe our personal experience visiting Maracana Stadium.
What is included in the Maracana Stadium Tour?
During the visit, you will go through the following areas:
- Museum exhibition with historical pieces such as shirts and autographs, a hall of fame, and other items of memorabilia.
- Locker room with shirts of some of the most famous Brazilian players. In the annex, you can also enter the warm-up room that is used by the players during game day.
- Access to the pitch, one of the dugouts, and a small section of the seats. You will use the same entrance as the players to access the pitch (this was the most emotional part of the tour for me).
- A small replica of the interview room for pictures.
Maracana Stadium Tour through our eyes
The tour takes around 45 min in total, depending on how long you spend taking pictures. We were glad the tour starts with the museum part and finishes at the pitch, leaving the best for last. We weren’t expecting much from the museum, so it came as a big surprise for me that this was my favorite part of the tour. We loved seeing all the relics on display. Since this is the stadium of my childhood team, it was really special seeing all the pieces and the people that made history there.
The biggest highlight of the visit was the entrance to the pitch. The current capacity of Maracana Stadium is 78.838 people – but back in the days, they were able to fit over 180.000 people. It is crazy to even imagine what it must feel like for the players to be surrounded by such a crowd.
If you want to experience the real Maracana, you should come back to attend a match at the stadium. The energy of the Brazilian crowd is special.
How to attend a match in Maracana
Maracana Stadium is currently owned by two teams: Flamengo and Fluminense. The first thing you need to do is choose the match you want to attend.
To get your tickets for a match in Maracana, you can choose one of the options below:
- Buy your tickets using either Flamengo or Fluminense’s official websites. Depending on which team is playing, you will have to access one or the other.
- Buy your tickets in person at the ticket booth located at Gate 1 at Maracana. You can do so in the upcoming days before the match or a few hours before – but I highly recommend buying it at least one day in advance.
- Buy your tickets in person at the ticket booth in Clube do Flamengo, in the neighborhood called Gavea, or at one of the authorized shops. The list of available authorized shops is usually listed on Flamengo and Fluminense’s official websites before a game.
- Try your luck with people selling at the door before the game. I don’t recommend this option as this is not exactly legal and there have been many efforts to reduce such practice, so it may be harder to find people selling.
Where to pick your seats
The seats at Maracana are split into four areas: North, South, East, and West. North is where Flamengo supporters are and South is where Fluminense usually stays. East is what we call the “neutral” seats and the section I recommend the most for visitors. It is located on the side of the pitch, so you have a great view of the game while not being in a very busy area.
The price of the ticket to attend a match at Maracana are very accessible. For most games, you will find options starting at R$ 20. However, this number can go high very quickly if you choose to buy a ticket for the VIP area, especially on important matches.
We hope you will be able to visit Maracana Stadium following our tips and have an amazing experience. This is definitely an experience to check off the bucket list for soccer fans. Let us know in the comments if you have any additional questions!
Fe & Edo
Check other tour options in Rio de Janeiro
Organizing your trip
To help you plan your trip to Brazil, we have put together our favorite planning resources:
- Flights: Get affordable flights to Brazil on Skyscanner.com.
- Travel insurance: Make sure you are protected during your trip. We use SafetyWing whenever we are traveling abroad.
- Renting a car: We always use Discover Cars to get the best car deals.
- Accommodation: Find the best hotels and apartments on Booking.com.
- Activities: Get fun ideas of what to do and buy unique activities with Get Your Guide.
- SIM Card: Stay connected during your trip with Airalo.
- Personalized itinerary: We can create a travel plan tailored to your wishes!
- Rio de Janeiro map: All of our favorite places on one map.
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