3-hour Downtown San Jose Walking Tour

This tour was such a surprise treat! We had a few hours to spare in San Jose the night before our flight and decided to book this tour after previously hearing San Jose had very little to offer from other travelers. It's a shame those travelers did not take this tour and did not have Michael as a guide because this was one of the most unexpectedly insightful tours we've taken in all of our travels. If you have a few hours to spare in San Jose, I strongly recommend taking this tour - you will not regret it. Thank you Michael for a fantastic experience!

Michael was our tour-guide, I found him to be very knowlegable and enthusiastic about San Jose and Costa Rican history. The three hour tour was perfect, not tiring as he allowed the four people in the group to walk and stop when they wanted to, no pressure of being on a time frame to cover his tour internary, his internary was covered in a casual, comfortable manner. I learned a lot about Costa Rica, San Jose and Central America in general, which I would not have learned had I not taken the tour, also he knew every the history of every building and all the statues which was very educational . The city of San Jose is lovely, full of wonderful parks, a vibrant downtown with lovely architecture. The tour was absolutely fascinating, thank you so much Michael.

The tour was amazing and informative. We learned so much about Costa Rica's history and culture. Make sure you have on good walking shoes lol

Tour guide was very passionate about the history of Costa Rica and knowledgeable on the landmarks visited in downtown San Jose. Recommend.

Michael Miller knows the centre of San José like the back of his hand. He has lived there full time for a decade, visited many times before that, and even written the authoritative guide book on the city. It was an entertaining and thorough introduction to the city and its history which left me well prepared to spend the rest of the day in its various wonderful museums.

Michael Miller was a walking encyclopedia. He brought us to a realization never experienced before in downtown San Jose. We went to museums, churches, historic statues and everyday homes.

I recently took a walking tour of downtown San José with Michael Miller, and it was one of the highlights of my trip to Costa Rica! Despite friends and travel agents suggesting I skip the city, I’m so glad I trusted my gut. San José is full of history, culture, and amazing local experiences, and Michael brought it all to life. We started our tour at the Gran Hotel by Hilton, and from there, Michael shared stories about Costa Rica’s history—especially the country’s unique decision to abolish its military in 1948, which shaped Costa Rica into the progressive, peaceful nation it is today. He explained everything in a way that was easy to understand and incredibly engaging. Michael also gave me fantastic food recommendations—way better than what I found on Google or TripAdvisor. He knows where to go for great local food without breaking the bank! By the end of the tour, I was so impressed that I bought his book, “A Stroll Through the Heart and Soul of Costa Rica’s Capital City,” to bring home with me. I’m already planning to return with my family and will definitely book with Michael and his team again. If you want to truly understand San José, this tour is a must!

Mike gave us fascinating historical stories and cultural information about Costa Rica as we walked through streets and parks. He gave us helpful directions to ATMs and pointed out restaurants we might like to try. The tour was so interesting, I would repeat it!

Michael Miller did a fantastic walking tour through downtown San Jose, Costa Rica. He is very knowledgeable about Costa Rican culture and history. He answered many tourist questions regarding ATMs, restrooms, etc. which I'm sure were not on the agenda. I recommend this tour to anyone who wants a personalized tour of San Jose!

We enjoyed our walking tour with Michael, and learning about the history behind the buildings, leaders and people of Costa Rica! We took this tour halfway through our month long trip, as we traveled between the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Michael is an excellent storyteller and has vast knowledge of the WHY things are they way they are here. He also shared many tips about restaurants, other places to see, cross-cultural information, and was an invaluable resource for the second half of our trip here in Costa Rica. Money and time well spent this morning!

We are writing this review to thank a great tour guide in San Jose, Costa Rica. We had the opportunity to be guided by Michael Miller, an English-speaking tour guide. We cannot emphasize enough how knowledgeable and engaging he is. The tour, initially scheduled for up to three hours, was extended by him to ensure we fully appreciated the amazing history, culture, climate, government’s approach to growth, and, of course, the high quality of the coffee and produce of the region. We also discovered that he has written an excellent book in English about San Jose—a must-read for every tourist! Once again, we wholeheartedly thank and highly recommend Michael!

Our guide was a US expat who brought unique perspective. He has written guides and histories so had lots of stories. The tour gave us great pointers for revisiting areas of interest.

I enjoyed seeing the buildings and learning about Costa Rican history. The tour guide is an American expat with an economics degree and a passion for history.

Our tour guide Michael was wonderful. He is very knowledgeable about the area of San Jose and its history. He has a good sense of humor which was fun. We enjoyed hearing about factual history as well as rumored history (which we got to hear a lot about the factual history and little about rumored). We saw many historical buildings and beautiful parks .All in all it was very informative and a lot of fun.

Michael Miller was a great tour guide. He took us to all the tourist attractions and explained everything in great detail. I would recommend recommend him.

This walking tour of San Jose was guided by Michael Miller. He arrived and met us in front of the Grand Hotel. From there we started our adventure of the Grand Hotel and the sites within the city. Michael had a great sense of direction of the area. We visited several parks, government attractions and places such as cafe’s and restaurants. This is a walking tour so expect to walk a lot. Nevertheless, the history of this city was explained as well every detail was shown. We visited several churches along the way. A very detailed, and exciting tour of San Jose that I won’t forget!

We had the opportunity to do this tour with Michael Miller as our guide. He is very knowledgeable and you can tell he loves the San Jose History and culture! He showed us all the main tourist attractions and local parks. I would recommend him him as a guide.

This was a very good walking tour guided by Michael Miller and Nury Mora for my spouse and me. They were extremely generous with their time and knowledge. Michael does the primary guiding with some insights and general support by Nury. Assisted us finding a good shopping location and cafes. The tour ended up at almost 3.5 hours. Lots of history and architecture.

Guide never confirmed tour time never answered text or calls had tk request a refund. Do not think this is in operation anymore.