Rio's crawls are built around Lapa, and Lapa rewards the ones that skip the obvious. The Lapa District Pub Crawl starts with a free shot of cachaça and works through four venues including Rio Scenarium on Rua do Lavradio 20 and a street party stop where caipirinhas run at R$12. The Drunk Walk does something more useful: it skips the tourist-facing bars and takes you to the spots cariocas actually use before heading to clubs. Most backpackers staying at Books Hostel join one of these without realising the other exists. Both end at a club; the Drunk Walk more often at The Week on Rua Sacadura Cabral 154.
Lapa is Rio's nightlife centre: the arches at the top of Rua do Lavradio mark the starting point, and the street runs south past live samba venues and open-air bars for six or seven blocks. Rua do Lavradio holds the historic venues; the streets off it get looser and louder as the night progresses. Santa Teresa is quieter and more local, worth knowing as a late-evening alternative to Lapa's peak-hour density.
Caipirinhas at Lapa street bars run R$10 to R$15. Entry to Rio Scenarium on Rua do Lavradio is R$40 to R$60, which includes a live samba band. Open-bar club nights in Botafogo run R$60 to R$120. Beer at Carioca da Gema on Av. Mem de Sá runs R$10 to R$12. A full evening in Lapa including one live venue and four drinks costs R$80 to R$150. Prices verified April 2026.
Thursday at Rio Scenarium draws the most genuine mixed crowd across the three floors. Saturday is bigger but more crowded at the door. Friday at Carioca da Gema is worth treating as a separate event: the live samba there runs from around 9 pm and the audience is mostly local. Carnival week makes any night-of-week distinction meaningless.
This crawl takes you through Lapa’s best bars, starting with a free shot of cachaça at the first stop. You’ll visit four venues, including a samba bar and a street party spot, with live music and drink deals along the way. The night ends at a club, usually **Rio Scenarium** or **The Week**.
Check availabilityA more local-focused crawl that visits hidden bars and street parties most tourists miss. Expect caipirinhas, forró music, and a crowd of backpackers and cariocas. The crawl ends at a nightclub, often **The Week** or **Club Love**. Includes one free drink at each stop.
Check availabilityReal pub crawls with a local guide. Live prices, ratings, and availability updated weekly.
The Lapa District Pub Crawl costs R$100 (roughly £15) and runs every Thursday and Saturday from outside Motel Maracaípe on Rua do Lavradio. Entry to Rio Scenarium alone is R$40–60, so the ticket pays for itself at the first proper stop. The Drunk Walk costs R$90, runs nightly from outside Books Hostel in Lapa, and includes one free drink at each stop. Bar Bukowski's happy hour runs 6–8 PM with caipirinhas at R$12; by the time the crawl starts, that window has closed, making the included drinks worth more than they look.
Thursday at Rio Scenarium draws the most mixed crowd: tourists, expats, and locals dancing samba on all three floors. Saturday is bigger and louder. Friday at Carioca da Gema on Av. Mem de Sá 79 is worth knowing about separately: the pub crawls rarely go there, but it is the best live samba of the week.
Upcoming events worth timing your trip around.
Lapa at midnight: samba from Rua do Lavradio, caipirinhas from a street cart, and a queue forming outside Rio Scenarium that no one in the crawl group had to join.
Discovery Hostel Rio (rated 9.4, from €15) and Books Hostel (rated 9.2, from €18) are both Lapa-based and within walking distance of every crawl stop. Pura Vida Hostel (rated 9.3, from €24) is a step up in comfort. See our pick of the best party hostels in Rio De Janeiro.
