Drinks in
Inclusive sunset sail
Crew mixes as you go
- PoursCaipirinha, beer
- AlsoSparkling wine
- FoodSnacks
Your own checklist
Rio de Janeiro sunset sailing tour with drinks, glass by glass
Sunset sail on Guanabara Bay
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Answer in brief
A Rio de Janeiro sunset sailing tour with drinks usually pours caipirinhas, beer and sparkling wine with snacks, while party boats sell drinks at a bar and nobody under 18 may be served alcohol.
Drinks essentials
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Book a seatA Rio de Janeiro sunset sailing tour with drinks can mean a crew mixing caipirinhas, an open bar or a party boat with a till. Here is what each trip pours, what you eat and the rules that come with the glass.
Editorial team, riosunsetsail.com · Updated November 11, 2026 · Read in 7 min
The essentials
- Our sailCaipirinha, beer and sparkling white wine, with snacks.
- Open barOne Urca sailboat sells its 3 hours with an open bar.
- Party boatsOn the schooner party you pay at the counter for each drink.
- Under 18Serving them alcohol in Brazil is a crime, even free.1,2
- No alcohol?Soft drinks and water are on the sails that list them.
What the sunset sails pour
On a Rio de Janeiro sunset sailing tour with drinks, the drinks are part of the ticket, and the crew mixes them as you go. The sail sold on this site lists caipirinha, beer and sparkling white wine, served with snacks over its 3 hours on the bay. There is no bar tab to settle at the end, so you can relax into the evening without counting.
Other sails have their own menus. A blue-water cruising sailboat from Marina da Gloria lists beer, caipirinhas and soft drinks with snacks. A smaller Urca sailboat, capped at 8 guests, pours caipirinhas, beer, water and soft drinks. One Urca sailboat puts the open bar in its very title, with caipirinhas and snacks on board for 3 hours.
Shorter trips pour less. On the 1.5-hour Urca catamaran you get water and sodas, and a sparkling toast as the boat comes back in. A speedboat sunset tour serves beer, and its group is limited to 8 participants. So if a cocktail is part of the picture you have in mind, read the drinks line in the listing before you book, not after.
What is poured
Drinks on the bay trips compared
| Trip | Length | Drinks | Food |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our sunset sail | 3 hours | Caipirinha, beer, sparkling wine | Snacks |
| Open-bar sailboat | 3 hours | Open bar, caipirinhas | Snacks |
| Cruising-yacht sail | 3 hours | Beer, caipirinhas, soft drinks | Snacks |
| Small Urca sailboat | 3 hours | Caipirinhas, beer, water | Snacks |
| Catamaran circuit | 1.5 hours | Soft drinks, sparkling wine | Not listed |
| Schooner party | 4 hours | Paying bar | Not listed |
Drinks and food as each GetYourGuide listing names them.
The caipirinha, by the letter of Brazilian law
Brazil defines its national drink in law. Under the federal decree on beverages of 2025, caipirinha is the typical drink of Brazil, made with cachaca, lime and sugar, at 15% to 36% alcohol by volume when sold as a product.5 A caipirinha mixed on deck follows the same recipe, and its strength depends on the hand that pours.
Its base spirit is protected too. The same decree reserves the name cachaca for the sugar cane spirit produced in Brazil, between 38% and 48% alcohol by volume.6 That is a strong spirit, worth remembering when another caipirinha arrives as the sun slides behind the hills and the deck is moving gently under you.
If you prefer to avoid spirits, there is a second reason to choose beer or sparkling wine. The UK government warns that people in Brazil have died or fallen seriously ill after drinking spirit-based drinks containing methanol, and that methanol cannot be detected by taste or smell.7,8 On a booked sail the crew mixes from its own stock, but you are always free to ask what is in the glass or to stay with beer.
Snacks, brunch and whether a dinner cruise exists
Food on a sunset sail means snacks, not a meal, and the crews plan for nibbling rather than eating. The sail sold here serves snacks with the drinks, and so do the cruising-yacht sail and the small Urca sailboat. Expect light bites to keep you going between drinks, then plan a proper dinner for afterwards, when the appetite that sea air brings has properly arrived.
Mornings bring a fuller spread. Daytime sailors get more: the brunch trip, sailing from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM, lays on fruit and small bites beside the drinks, and its price starts at $49. Morning light is kinder on a full plate than the last glow of the evening. The guided bay cruise of 3 to 5 hours offers an optional barbecue lunch, eaten ashore rather than on deck.
A sit-down sunset dinner cruise in Rio de Janeiro is not among the shared trips we compared. The closest thing is private: a privately chartered catamaran whose 5-hour outing includes grilling on deck, unlimited beer and caipirinhas, and a meal of 45 minutes at anchor. For a couple or a family the simpler plan is a sunset sail followed by dinner at the marina, whose restaurants and bars look out over the water.4
Your evening
Which drinks trip suits you
Choose the kind of evening and the glass that comes with it.
If Caipirinhas with the sunset
Our inclusive sunset sail
Caipirinha, beer and sparkling wine are poured, with snacks.
If As much as I like, no tab
The open-bar sailboat
Its 3-hour trip from Urca has an open bar in the title.
If Dancing, not sightseeing
The schooner party
A DJ, about 150 people and a bar that sells drinks.
If A real meal at sea
The private catamaran
A barbecue on board with an open bar of beer and caipirinhas.
If No alcohol for me
A sail that lists soft drinks
The cruising-yacht sail pours soft drinks as well as beer.
Three kinds of glass
Inclusive sail, open bar or party
Open bar
Open-bar sailboat
From the Urca dock
- Length3 hours
- PoursCaipirinhas
- FoodSnacks
Paying bar
Schooner party
DJ and dance floor
- Length4 hours
- CrowdAbout 150
- DrinksBought aboard
Party boats and their bars
The other kind of drinking cruise is the party. A Rio sunset boat party is a different animal: a wooden schooner, roughly 150 dancers, a DJ on deck and a break to jump in the water, for 4 hours from $41. Every drink there is paid for at the counter, so carry money for each round and keep an eye on the total as the night builds.
After dark, a bigger two-story boat with room for 150 guests turns into a club for 4 hours, with several bars, from $76. It goes ahead in rain, but the Navy cancels it in bad weather, and it is not wheelchair accessible. These are nightclubs that float, and they suit a group that wants to dance more than to watch the light change.
If you choose a party boat, keep the practical rules of a night out in any big city. Keep your phone and cards close, as Riotur warns of pickpocketing in crowded places, and agree how you will get home before the music starts.10 A ride app or a taxi booked from the marina is simpler than looking for one at the gate at midnight.
Drinks included
Starting cost of an inclusive evening
Pick a sail with drinks and your group size to see the starting total.
Review 4 options
Starting cost of an inclusive evening
Pick a sail with drinks and your group size to see the starting total.
- Our sunset sailCaipirinha, beer, wine · for one person from $57
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View - Open-bar sailboatUrca, open bar · for one person from $56
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View - Cruising-yacht sailBeer, soft drinks · for one person from $70
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View - Brunch and sunsetCaipirinhas, fruit · for one person from $49
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View
All amounts are from-prices on GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB reference rate. Exact prices are shown at booking.
Glass by glass
Drinks through a sunset sail
Boarding
Settle in
Reach the marina security gate 15 minutes before departure.
Under way
First round
Caipirinha, beer or sparkling wine as the boat leaves.
Swim stop
Water first
Swim before you drink more, as the CDC advises.3
Sunset
Snacks and a toast
Snacks served with the drinks as the light changes.
Ashore
Dinner nearby
Marina restaurants and bars look out over the bay.4
Drinking and swimming do not mix
Many of the sunset sails above offer a swim stop as well as drinks, so swimming and drinking meet in the middle of the evening. The CDC is blunt: avoid alcohol before or during swimming and boating, because it impairs judgment, balance and coordination.3 Swim first and drink after, and skip the swim if you have already had a couple.
The water itself asks for respect. The UK government notes that strong currents can be a danger off some beaches in Brazil and advises getting local advice before going in.11 On our sail the swim stop is at the Santa Cruz fortress, and the listing says wind, currents, rain or the captain can cancel it. Follow the crew: they know where the current runs that day.
Alcohol also makes seasickness worse. The CDC lists alcohol and smoking among the things that increase motion sickness.12 If the swell picks up near the bay mouth, switch to water or a soft drink, look at the horizon and let the feeling pass before reaching for the next glass. A queasy stomach settles faster on water than on caipirinhas.
Video
The caipirinha, the national drink of Brazil
How To Drink on YouTube · The video only starts loading on your tap.
Caipirinha is the typical drink of the Federative Republic of Brazil, with an alcohol content of 15% to 36% by volume, made with cachaça, lime and sugar.
Teenagers, children and the age rules
Brazilian law is strict on alcohol and young people, and boats are no exception. Its statute on children and adolescents defines adolescence as the years from 12 to 18, and any sale, gift or serving of alcohol to someone that young is a criminal offence.2,1 On an all-inclusive boat that applies to every glass, whoever pours it.
In practice, plan on soft drinks or water for younger guests, and expect the crew to ask ages. Sails that list soft drinks among their drinks make the choice easy for families. If you are booking for teenagers, mention their ages to the crew in advance so nobody is caught out on the day, and so the crew can stock enough soft drinks for the toast.
For the youngest travelers, think about the sun and the water more than the bar. The CDC recommends life jackets for children for all activities in and around natural water.13 Ask the crew for a child-size jacket before the swim stop, and bring snacks your children actually like, as the onboard bites are made with adults in mind.
Alcohol-free and bring-your-own options
You do not need to drink to enjoy a sail. Under Brazilian rules a drink counts as non-alcoholic below 0.5% alcohol by volume, so alcohol-free beer is an option where crews stock it.9 Ask in advance; at the least, water and soft drinks are on the sails that list them. Fresh lime with soda and sugar makes a fair stand-in for a caipirinha.
Bringing your own is mostly a private-boat matter. One private speedboat leaves the catering to you and provides coolers and a barbecue to handle it. A private sailboat built in 2024 also lets guests bring their own. On shared sails with drinks included, bringing a bottle is neither needed nor usually welcome.
Whatever you drink, end the evening well. Riotur describes the Mureta da Urca, near several sail departures, as the place where people gather with a cold beer as the sun goes down, busiest on Thursdays and Fridays from 7PM and at weekends.14 A sail followed by a beer on the wall is about as Carioca as an evening gets.
FAQ
Fast answers to common questions.
Are drinks included on the sunset sail?
Yes, with snacks.
The sail sold here pours caipirinha, beer and sparkling white wine with snacks.
Is there an open bar on Rio boat trips?
On some sails.
One Urca sailboat sells a 3-hour sunset trip with an open bar.
Is there a dinner cruise in Rio?
Not among the shared sails we compared.
A private catamaran serves a barbecue meal on board; otherwise eat at the marina afterwards.4
Can teenagers drink on the boat?
What is in a caipirinha?
Can we bring our own drinks?
On private boats, often yes.
A private speedboat asks guests to bring their own food and drinks.
Do party boats include drinks?
Usually not.
Drinks on the schooner party come from a paying counter, not an open bar.
Sources
- Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, federal legislation (camara.leg.br) · Lei 8.069/1990, Estatuto da Crianca e do Adolescente (updated text) ↩
- Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, federal legislation (camara.leg.br) · Lei 8.069/1990, Estatuto da Crianca e do Adolescente (updated text) ↩
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov) · Preventing Drowning ↩
- Riotur, Rio de Janeiro city tourism company (riotur.rio) · Marina da Gloria ↩
- Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, federal legislation (camara.leg.br) · Decreto 12.709 of 31 October 2025 (inspection of plant products, including beverages) ↩
- Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, federal legislation (camara.leg.br) · Decreto 12.709 of 31 October 2025 (inspection of plant products, including beverages) ↩
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (gov.uk) · Brazil travel advice: safety and security ↩
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (gov.uk) · Brazil travel advice: safety and security ↩
- Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, federal legislation (camara.leg.br) · Decreto 12.709 of 31 October 2025 (inspection of plant products, including beverages) ↩
- Riotur, Rio de Janeiro city tourism company (riotur.rio) · 7 Potential Hazards that could be Waiting for you in Rio de Janeiro ↩
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (gov.uk) · Brazil travel advice: safety and security ↩
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Yellow Book) · Motion Sickness ↩
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov) · Preventing Drowning ↩
- Riotur, Rio de Janeiro city tourism company (riotur.rio) · Mureta da Urca ↩