San Jose On Foot: Market Food Delights And City Sights Tour

Our tour guide and Viator worked hard to adapt to our needs. First she was able to wait for us because the traffic from our hotel was very bad in the morning. Then she was willing to change the tour order around . Mariana was very knowledgeable about the history of all the sites we visited. She also served us some typical foods from the market . The coffee was the final perfect touch ! We felt we had a complete and enjoyable introduction to San Jose and Costa Rica.

This tour was such a highlight of our trip! Not only was it incredibly fun, but it was also packed with fascinating insights about San Jose’s culture and cuisine. Our guide was amazing—he went above and beyond to tailor the experience for us, especially with my picky eaters. Thanks to their patience and encouragement, my kids actually tried everything (and both found things that the like—a huge win!). The information we learned was so valuable, and it really set the tone for the rest of our visit. If you’re coming to San Jose, do this tour early in your trip—you won’t regret it. I absolutely loved every minute and would do it again in a heartbeat!

Our guide was extremely intelligent, super kind, and very easy to be with. He explained many aspects of Costa Rica’s history and San Jose‘s development.

Excellent walking tour around San Jose Central and fun food stops at Mercado Central! Informative history about all of the historical buildings

This was a very informative and thorough tour of San Jose. We learned so much about the history of the city and country. Jorge was an excellent guide. We sampled coffee and pastries and very interesting fruits and candies.

The time in the market was the one I was looking forward to. I did 4 stars only because the tour guide is still learning the ropes. He is the nicest guy and ours was only his 8th tour so that’s understandable. It was really fun!

I wanted my family to experience San Jose taste and culture. This tour was a great cultural immersion. The tour guide was knowledgeable, friendly and eager to answer all questions. The highlight was a coffee and cacao experience at a local hideaway. Definitely would recommend.

I did expect more food on the tour for somereason and there was a bit of walking and history before getting to any food which was maybe 45-1 hour in so keep that in mind. When you see other food items on the tour besides the free stuff you taste BUY it so you don't miss the opportunity. Very good host and overall good experience.i appreciated trying things I might not have tried otherwise.

The guide had such a grasp of the history and culture of Costa Rica. He spoke English clearly with a good delivery.

This was a great tour with Inuel (not sure if the spelling). It was a great history lesson on a lot of areas, buildings, parks. Loved the hot chocolate!!! We enjoyed central market very much. There were 3 guests in our tour.

5 stars only because our guide was exceptional. Mateus-Emil, a young man who just graduated from high school, very knowledgeable, charming and who spoke fluent English. It was an easy, pleasant walk. We paid for a private tour. This is not a food tour. We did sample a couple of things but that wa it. That being said there should such a tour with a real focus on food.

5 stars because we had a great guide. Mateus-Emil, a young man who just graduated from high school was great, very knowledgeable and spoke very good English. We have learned a lot about the city and the country and a little about the local culture. It was a nice, pleasant and easy walk. I should mention that we had a private tour. I would suggest a new title for this tour as it is a bit misleading. It is not a food tour. That being said such a tour should be offered…with a real focus on food.

Our guide was very interesting and gave a great tour of San Jose. He also told history of different stops. I would recommend him to other friends

Our guide was great and was very helpful in giving us an overview of the market and downtown sights in San Jose. Loved the cafe where we were served drinks and snacks and where we got to talk w the many interesting people in the group about their part of thrworld and experiences

A very good way to see some of San Jose in a short time. Our guide tailored the tour to our wishes. The cocoa cafe and market were the highlights. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable.

Very informative tour of the city including tasting local treats in the old markets. Also helpful recommendations for where else to visit.

We met Gilbert at the market. He took us on a quick tour, we tried some local cheese & a taco. Outside we were able to try fresh tortillas right off the grill. We then walked to 3 other places where we were able to taste different authentic foods. We walked to the chocolate factory & finished up with a tequila tasting. Super fun day trying yummy food & enjoying great company!! Would highly recommend.

Was not a food tour. Spent too much time sitting in a coffee shop. Was an interesting historic tour but this was supposed to be a food tour.

We waited for an hour at the pre-determined spot and no tour guide showed. After several phone calls and several minutes on hold it was determined that something slipped thru the cracks and no guide had been arranged. Another family waited with us in vain for the same tour. Our tour had been booked 48 hours in advance and confirmed by email. A rare misfire for Viator, but they did process a refund. These things happen, but the lack of any local phone number to contact the company responsible for fulfillment added to the confusion.

My flight was delayed and I tried to get in touch with this company several times with your email and by phone to either rebook or cancel. In fairness, I was within the 24 hour cancellation but they wouldn’t even work with me to refund my money. I don’t feel that it’s right to be this circumstances out of ones control cause you to miss the tour. I wanted to get in touch to see if I could join them a little bit later, but by the time the tourguide I got in touch with me, that was not option. Beware of booking with this company. If you have any issues, they will not work with you.

We met a group of really nice fellow travelers which was fun. Also really enjoyed the traditional coffee and hot chocolate experience. Seeing the central Mercado was great and much more meaningful with our guide to explain things.

Fabulous tour with Luz, our fabulous guide who taught us so much about the history of San Jose and Costa Rica! She took us into the markets where we sampled gorgeous tropical fruits and then tamales and coffee! Would thoroughly recommend this tour. Luz was very generous with her time also as we had so many questions!

Very enjoyable as my daughter and I got an understanding of the local culture and food. Enjoyed the fruit tasting and making plaintain empanadas. We ended it with amazing Costa Rican coffee.

What a great experience! Daniel was a great tour guide polite, professional, and informative! Not too much walking just enough to get a taste of the area. The drinks were fun and tasty the restaurant was super charming and the food and service was excellent!

I was lucky to get a private tour because it was just me and my guide Venicio. His knowledge about everything at central market was just amazing. I could try fruits I have never seen before and got to taste Costa Rican specialties. He showed me important places in San Jose and could tell me a lot about their history. It was so much fun! I highly recommend this tour.

Wonderful experience. To be immersed in the Costa Rican way of things…the culture was a unforgettable experience. I would definitely do it again.

Andrew, our tour guide, was a wonderful companion for the 3 full hours we wondered around the markets of San Jose Costa Rica. He knew the history and had many interesting stories to tell us about how San Jose came to be. We met at the National Theatre. He explained how coffee was the base from which San Jose grew. We then walked to a fruit market where we ate many tropical fruits which were all delicious! My favorite was the Mormón china. A red fruit that looked crazy on the outside but once you peeled the skin there was a sweet delicate fruit that tastesed wonderful. We then walked to the Central Market and had Caldados. That is ceviche in a bag of doritos. It was wonderful. We also stopped by and had a tasty cup of coffee. All in all a wonderful experience. We are very happy we did this excursion and recommend it highly.

Malo was an amazing tour guide. His stories and knowledge made the entire day a joy with lots of fun and learning. He truly wanted us to experience San Jose and made sure that we got many different experiences.

Learned so much on this tour! The tour guide, Vini, was wonderful - it was like hanging out with a friend who just happened to be an expert on Costa Rica food & history. I was a little concerned about the rain, but the markets are indoors, so it turned out not to be an issue at all. Highly recommend!

My husband and I THOROUGHLY enjoyed our tour with Vinny. It was our first time visiting Costa Rica and this was an excellent way to be introduced to some of the cuisine and history of the country. Vinny was very knowledgable, personable and he truly felt like an old friend. He took us to Mercado Borbón where we interacted with some of the locals and sampled some native fruit and we also visited Mercado Central and had the chance to try some empanadas and some other tasty bites. We also stopped at the famous La Sorbetera De Lolo Mora - a definite must-try! After all of that incredible food, we had the chance to walk it all off with a nice and not to mention informative stroll through the city, thanks to Vinny and his insights. All in all, we would HIGHLY recommend this tour. It's the ideal way to be introduced to Costa Rican culture via food and history.

There was no food. Paid for the private experience, and, apparently, the tour guide thought private meant only them--never stopped talking, and made us wait almost an hour and an half for the cup of coffee that's supposed to happen at the beginning. Took us to the market and described the food, telling us endless anecdotes. But, and I repeat, there was no food. Not that there was much sightseeing either, as I recall.

Saw several historic buildings and monuments then a wonderful tour of the Fresh Market where we had a taste of several different fruits, juices and local foods. Learned the history of the city and the people. Fabulous day.

Our tour guide was knowledgeable, showed us exciting places to get tasty fruits and exotics items only in Costa Rica at a good price. And he looks like Roger Federer.

Great experience with a wonderful guide, the tour was exactly as described. Would recommend to anyone.

The guide (Luz was her name, I think?) was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. She did a great job. She brought the city to life for us.

Luz was great! Very fun and knowledgeable. We got to taste lots of local fruit, pastries and coffee as well as getting orientation to the markets and centre of San José.

We had a great tour of the central city. Then we hit the food markets and sampled the exotic fruit of Costa Rica! Very tasty and the guide was so knowledgeable!

My tour guide was wonderful, she knew a lot about the history and shared her knowledge with me. We tasted many different fruits and vegetables and I really enjoyed my tour with her! Highly recommend this tour !

Our guide, Luz, was very engaging and gave us a nice tour of typical Costa Rican foods and the markets. We had a really nice time, including my teenager.

Jorge was fantastic. Very knowledgeable about San Jose and Costa Rican history. Gave us a great foundation to begin our tour of the country.

excellent introduction to the history of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our guide, Jorge, was very knowledgeable about the city. Showed us around the important landmarks of the city. also took us to sample some great coffee, desserts and candies only found in Costa Rica, and a variety of different fruits.

Super awesome to get to chat with a local about everything Costa Rica, learn some history, eat lots of food with customized commentary, and ask my random questions about the surroundings

I don’t usually write reviews but Gabriel is an exceptional guide. My wife and I love to travel. During our travels we find guided tours to learn more about the history of the area and the locals. For the most part, we have enjoyed almost al of them. It’s the guide who can really make the experience memorable. We recently took a tour in Costa Rica through Intrepid Tours and our guide was Gabriel. He was sensational! He is knowledgeable about his country and we could see how passionate he is about it. He introduced us to fruit that is only grown in Costa Rica and gave us the opportunity to taste them as well. We were amazed with all of it. ¡Gracias a Gabriel e Intrepid Tours! We hope others have the opportunity to tour with Gabriel.

It was so informative and the sites we were taken to really have me a better understanding of San Jose and Costa Rica

Alec was a wonderful tour guide, very knowledgeable and fun !! I would recommend this tour to other people who travel to San Jose

I would recommend this since you get to learn more and have a chance to buy from local. i was able to see local fruits and medicine in the market

Nice walking tour of the downtown area. Stop by restaurants and tried food. Enjoyed the photo ops and the market. Definitely a great way to see downtown

Our guide, Jason Umalde Vargas, was absolutely excellent. He was extremely knowledgeable about the history of Costa Rica. He introduced us to many new fruits at the markets. His presentation made the whole tour very interesting and enjoyable.

Alex the tour guide was very knowledgeable and a pleasure to be around! Fantastic tour! The food was declicious too!