San Jose Afternoon City Tour

San Jose, Costa Rica

4 to 5 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

San Jose is filled with amazing attractions to see such as the National Theater of Costa Rica and the Metropolitan Cathedral, but if you’re not familiar with San Jose, it could take you ages to see everything on your list. Take this San Jose nighttime city tour and travel with a guide who knows their way around under the city lights. Plus, dinner and round-trip transport are both included.

See many top San Jose attractions in just a couple of hours
A guide navigates the city’s busy and narrow streets safely at nighttime
Dinner is included for a stress-free night out
Easy hotel pickup and drop-off provided for convenience

What's Included

All taxes, fees and handling charges
Driver/guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Professional guide
Bottled water
Dinner

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Hostels, guesthouses, B&B, Residential areas , central park of each city (San Jose- Alajuela and Heredia)

Itinerary

Parque Central de San Jose (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Stroller accessible

Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
Dress code is smart casual
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

3.7

based on 17 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Sort by: Most insightful

Fair

Julie_S, Feb 2026

It took 1 hour and 45 minutes to pick up all of the guests on the tour. As a result each tour stop was very rushed. 12 minutes at the Art Musuem, 30 minutes at the Central Market, 10 minutes at beautiful old Catholic Church and 10 minutes at Theater Museum. Dinner was very good. The guide was very good and conscientious.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We sincerely apologize for the long pickup time and for the rushed nature of the tour stops, as we understand this can impact the overall experience. Your comments are very valuable and will help us review our logistics and timing to improve future tours. We’re pleased to hear that you enjoyed the dinner and that you found the guide to be very good and conscientious. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to have the opportunity to provide you with a better experience in the future.

Great guide

Lisa_L, Jan 2026

Loved hanging out with our guide. Knowledge and friendly. Kind. Spoke good English. Rode in a lovely car.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed spending time with your guide and that his knowledge, friendliness, and English skills made your experience even better. We’re also glad you were comfortable during the ride. We truly hope to welcome you again in Costa Rica!

Sort of lame

Tricia_M, Jul 2025

Arturo was awesome, kind, helpful, and had good information. Having said that, nowhere does it say in the tour description that we'd be forced to stop at 2 different stores to go shopping. That's not cool at all. We felt pressured to buy something at each one. Yes, some of us said no. The point was that a tour of the city should not include this unless you are warned ahead of time. The tour itself was pretty meh as you really only get glimpses of different buildings. Wouldn't recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Thank you for your honest feedback. We’re truly sorry to hear that parts of the experience did not meet your expectations. While we’re glad Arturo provided helpful and kind service, we understand your frustration about the unplanned store stops and the overall tour experience. Your comments are very valuable and will help us improve. We’ll review the tour description to ensure it accurately reflects the itinerary, and we’ll share your concerns with our team.

Great private tour with...

Shaune_H, Jun 2025

Great private tour with knowledgeable local guide. We toured all areas of San Jose and had a local meal.

Response from Host, Jun 2025

thank you very much for your comments. We are glad to know the tour was to your satisfaction. Pura vida

Ourselves and fellow...

Jennie_L, Feb 2025

Ourselves and fellow travelers thought itinerary would be different from what we actually had. Guide and driver were very good despite difference in the itinerary. Terrific restaurant for our meal stop!

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Thank you for your feedback! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the guide, driver, and the restaurant stop. We apologize for any confusion regarding the itinerary we’ll work to ensure better communication in the future. We hope you still had a memorable experience!

Interesting tour, with a...

Antnio_A, Sep 2023

Interesting tour, with a very helpful guide. It was a shame that it rained constantly during the journey.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

thank you for your feedback and it is a shame it rained during the journey. However , it is good to know you had a good time. Pura vida

Do not utliize

Mario_A, Sep 2022

Overpriced and not worth the money. The tour driver had a very bad productive cough (really? In this age of covid). We rolled down the windows incase it WAS Covid.

Great tour of San Jose

Kylynn_G, Mar 2022

Filander was an excellent guide! We wanted to see some of San Jose, but didn't leave much time for it. He had so much knowledge to share about the city. After so many days spent hiking in beautiful Costa Rica, it was a very relaxing tour, hitting all of the highlights of the city. A perfect end to our trip!

Response from Host, Mar 2022

We are glad to know that I enjoy the tour and that the guide Fila did a good job. Thank you for sharing your impressions

San José like a local!

Zoe_H, Dec 2021

We were the only ones on the tour therefore it was private which was so nice. We went on a Sunday night during a big soccer game and we were able to see San José like a local! The car was great, our guide was so personable and we got to walk many of the famous spots. We always felt safe and had such a great time. We learned a lot & would recommend!

Response from Host, Dec 2021

Hi Zoe, we are glad to hear that the service was to your liking and that you enjoyed the tour. Thank you for sharing your comments

Not impressed

Bianca_J, Dec 2021

I’m writing this review because I spent quite a bit of money and I don’t think it was worth it. The reason for the 3 stars is because of the other people that I met on the tour that made it more enjoyable. The tour was set to start at 5:30pm then I received a message stating that I would be picked up at 6:15pm. At 6:15pm I rode around with a driver because I was advised that they were waiting on others to arrive. The tour didn’t “start” until 7:05pm which is 1 hour and 30 minutes past the purchased start time. The guide was nice but much was not seen and others agreed as we joked about it. I don’t believe the tour is worth the cost.

Response from Host, Dec 2021

We are sorry to hear that your tour was delayed. Normally it always leaves on time, but just that day when we came to pick up other passengers of the same tour, the airport highway was closed due to the mobilization of a bridge, which caused a delay in the departure of you and other passengers. We appreciate your comments, which we value and take into account to improve the quality of our services.

Terrible Company

Heidi_A, Apr 2021

Terrible company. Couldn’t make the tour because long wait at customs and traffic. Would not work with me and reschedule. Pretty much just gave the company 300. Plus dollars.

Response from Host, Apr 2021

Dear Heidi , I am sorry to hear about it I understand that you were not able to do the tour becuase your flight arrived in Costa Rica later than expected , however our Operations Dept offered you the option to re schedule the excursion and you told us you would be taking it this Friday 4/23/21. So, your money hasn't been lost. Hope you will be able to finally take and enjoy the tour.. Thank you !!!

education

JP_D, Jan 2021

My tour guides was very knowledgeable of San Jose. I got to learn more about the country's and city's history. It was a pleasant experience to see the see city. They took me to a "no frill" restaurant that specializes in authentic Costa Rican cuisine. It better than food from the restaurant in the hotel I stayed at.

Response from Host, Jan 2021

Hello J.P, Thank you very much for sharing your experience. We are happy to know that the tour and service provided met your expectations and that you enjoyed the real Costa Rican cuisine at the Resturant. Once again, Thank you for sharing your comments with others

Great tour with friendly and knowledgeable guide

Shayne_M, Oct 2020

Great tour with knowledgeable and friendly guide. Made it a very personalized experience. The restaurant wasn’t fancy, but it was some of the best food I had in Costa Rica. Highly recommended.

Response from Host, Oct 2020

Hello Shayne, Thank you very much for sharing your experience. We are happy to know that the tour and service provided met your expectations and that like the real Costa Rican food at the Resturant. Once again, thank you for sharing your comments that will help others travelers

Great way to find out about San Jose

Monica_D, Feb 2020

This tour was excellent. I ended up being the only tourist on the tour which was fine with me. Oscar was the tour guide and he was great! He was very professional and accommodating. He offered to take me to the grocery store if I needed anything. He knew a lot about the city. I was able to get great pictures even at night. Dinner was wonderful and delicious! I highly recommend this tour to find out about San Jose.

Response from Host, Feb 2020

Hello Monica We are very happy to know you had a very nice time during this tour with Oscar. Thank you for sharing your comments with others and for letting us be part of your experience, pura vida !!!