San Jose Walking Tour: Culture and Cuisine

Embark on a walking food tour in San Jose to uncover the beauty and culture of contemporary Costa Rican life. Taste local delicacies, explore historical sites, and learn about traditional remedies and exotic plants. Get a true sense of San Jose through its flavors!

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Los Presentes - The tour begins at the Monumento de los Presentes, where the enduring spirit of the city and its culture amidst numerous changes is introduced. This monument embodies the typical city dwellers, who face the threat of disappearing due to modernization. These figures stand resolute and serious, symbolizing a quiet defiance against…
What's Included
  • Enjoy local ice cream at the Central Market from a shop over 100 years old.
  • Savor Costa Rican-style tamales, wrapped in banana leaves, crafted by local families.
  • Indulge in traditional Caldosa corn chips, Green banana or pejibaye.
  • Try fresh, seasonal fruits at the Borbón Market.
  • Learn to prepare Café Chorreado with award-winning bandola coffee,…
What's Not Included
  • Transportation: if you need to quote transportation service, write to us.
  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Discover the beauty and culture of modern Costa Rican life on this San Jose walking tour. Experience the local food, history, culture, and even the herbal remedies of folk medicine up close. Delight in exotic fruits at the Borbon Market. Take a leisurely walk through the lively Central Market, where you can taste local ice cream from a shop that has…

Location
Los Presentes
Calle 4
Between Avenue one and Central Avenue on street 4, we have the Central Bank of Costa Rica, in front of the main entrance we have a Monument with several small green people, this monument is known as the Monument de los Presentes, there is where the we will be waiting to start the tour.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(1271 Ratings)
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Michelle_a
Jan 15, 2025
Great for Foodies - This a great tour for foodies who want to learn how the locals eat and shop. Toss in a few historical sites that makes it a great introduction to San Jose. I loved tasting all the local fruit, making empanadas and learning about coffee. Andrea our guide was knowledgeable with great English to explain details and answer questions. Im glad we did this tour!
Review provided by Viator
K7048hkdaisyc
Jan 14, 2025
Honest Review - Andrea and Daniel did an awesome job teaching us more about the Costa Rican food market. We were able to try different fruits native to Costs Rica and we had a chance to try some local food at the end of the tour. They provided so much information and detail about Costa Rican culture. I do recommend wearing comfy attire and shoes as you will be walking and standing for long periods of time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michelle_q
Jan 12, 2025
Great tour :) - This was a great way to see the city and the markets. The food was fantastic, our guide was sweet and informative. I would highly suggest this is you are visiting San José.
Review provided by Viator
Jodog
Jan 10, 2025
A great intro to food and culture - Daniel was a great guide! He was well versed in history of the food and culture! I would highly recommend sites and bites!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yeseniag995
Jan 10, 2025
10/10 recommend - This was a great tour. Our tour guide was funny, personable and highly knowledgable. It was a great way to see downtown San Jose and what it has to offer. Great for groups as well as solo travelers. Things to be mindful of. Wear comfortable shoes and eat a light meal before hand. The bites portion of the tour is not enough to get you through on an empty stomach to dinner. Bring a small umbrella just incase. 10/10 recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dragoon54
Jan 9, 2025
San Jose food walking tour - Excellent tour giving a lot of information. We were led by a very friendly tour guide called Andrea. Not only did we sample fruit and foods but we learned a lot about Costa Rican life. We considered just doing a similar walk on our own but we would have missed so many sights and interesting facts. I can recommend this walking tour whole heartedly and very very good value too.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ella_e
Jan 9, 2025
Andrea was such a great a... - Andrea was such a great a knowledgeable guide! Would highly recommend this tour to anyone in San Jose for the day!
Review provided by Viator
Natalia
Jan 8, 2025
San Jose - Great experience with culture, history, and food. Our tour guide was amazing and made us feel at home in San Jose. 10/10 recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rosa_l
Jan 9, 2025
Covered a variety of... - Covered a variety of activities including local market, fruits tasting, ice cream, national theatre, coffee and empanadas making. But I think it was overpriced.
Review provided by Viator
Larry_j
Jan 11, 2025
Not a foodie tour, not a food tour. - The host spoke little English and told untruths about Costa Rica. He also spent most of the tour talking with a guest who only spoke Spanish. It was an English speaking tour, supposedly. 2 hours into a 3 hour tour, we only rasted a few local fruits, some of which were not fresh and tasted fermented. We removed ourselves from the tour after 2.5 hours. This tour is not recommended by us.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
January 2025
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