San Jose on Foot: Market Food Delights and City Sights Tour

Recommended by 95% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

San Jose, Costa Rica

3 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Get a taste of San Jose’s culture and cuisine on this walking tour that includes snacks. Explore Costa Rica’s capital alongside a guide who alleviates the hassle of navigating, and learn about the city’s history, architecture as you taste. Explore the produce stalls of two traditional markets and discover what makes Costa Rican coffee so delicious as you sample some local brews.

Group numbers are capped for a personalized small-group experience
Explore the city on foot with a local guide who shares insider knowledge
Your guide leads the way, so you don't have to navigate
Stop frequently to snap photos on foot without the hassle of parking

What's Included

See a side of San Jose known only by locals with a Local English speaking guide
Savor several tasty seasonal samplings and sample local drink (Fresco)
Enjoy artisan ice cream
Discover colourful markets: Mercado El Registro and Central Market
Take a hands-on lesson on exotic plants, fruits, vegetables
Get tips on what else to see, do and eat during your stay

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

National Theatre of Costa Rica
Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Catedral, Costa Rica
Front entrance of the National Theatre, Avenida 2, calle1, Catedral, San José, Costa Rica

End point

Plaza de la Cultura
San José Province, San José, Quesada Durán, Costa Rica
Plaza de la Cultura, Av. Central, San José, Catedral, Costa Rica

Operating hours
.8:30 am

Itinerary

Awaken your taste buds on this flavorful walking tour of San Jose. Start the morning off right with an aromatic cup of Costa Rican coffee when you meet your local guide at the local Mercado El Registro. Explore the stalls of this traditional market and discover the agricultural history of the produce and medicinal products you see. Sample fresh tropical fruit and see a side of San Jose known only by locals and not found in guidebook.

Your next stop is the historic Central Market, which has been providing fresh produce and local goods to San Jose residents since 1882. Wander through the maze of vendor stalls and sample from the incredible variety of fresh produce and other Costa Rican kitchen specialties while your guide discusses the history of the market.

Finish your tour with a visit to a local cantina to taste traditional snacks and drinks another cup of rich Costa Rican coffee. You can then continue to explore the market and shop for tasty treasures on your own.

National Theater of Costa Rica

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Teatro Popular Melico Salazar (Pass By)

Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Joseph of Costa Rica (Pass By)

Old Registry Market

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Central Market (Mercado Central)

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Correos de Costa Rica (Pass By)

Edificio Steinvorth (Pass By)

Plaza de la Cultura (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Most travelers can participate
This is a child friendly Tour.
This Tour can accommodate vegetarians and other dietary restrictions. Please notify us in advance if you have any dietary requests.
Small Group or private option available.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

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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

4.8

based on 231 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Walking and taste tour of San Jose

Virginia_B, Jun 2025

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.

A Must-Do in San Jose—Fun, Delicious & Great for Picky Eaters!

Rhea_G, May 2025

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!

Great trip

Barb_W, Feb 2025

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.

Highly Recommend

Harry_S, Feb 2025

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

Nice guy and merkado experience

DinoRafael_d, Aug 2024

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!

A little taste of Costa Rica

Johna_E, Mar 2024

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...

DONALD_M, Feb 2024

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

Fun city walk and Intro to Central Market

Heather_R, Jan 2024

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.

Very good walking tour

Daniel_D, Jan 2024

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.

Short tour.

Deborah_C, Aug 2023

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.

Historical but not a good tour

Heather_M, Apr 2023

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.

A fun & informative morning

Anne_J, Feb 2023

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.

History and food come alive in San Jose!

Angela_T, Jan 2023

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!

Amazing experience

Manuela_H, Nov 2022

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.

Pura Vida

Vernitra_S, Aug 2022

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

Don’t miss this tour!

Matti_S, Aug 2022

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...

Elizabeth_G, Jul 2022

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!

A Perfect Introduction to Costa Rican Culture

Avandi_C, Jun 2022

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.

Great tour of a beautiful city

STEVEN_L, May 2022

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.

Perfect!

O_M, Apr 2022

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

The guide (Luz was her...

Christopher_S, Apr 2022

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.

Great orientation to the city & food

John_S, Apr 2022

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.

Amazing tour of San Jose !

Cynara_D, Mar 2022

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 !

great introduction to history of San Jose, Costa Rica.

CHIWHEI_L, Feb 2022

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.

It was so informative and...

mac_g, Nov 2021

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

Excellent tour by Alex

Pamela_L, Oct 2021

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

Good intro into Costa Rica!!

Jamie_L, Aug 2021

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

Great way to see the city!

Rebecca_L, Jun 2021

Had a great time on this walking tour! Alex was a fantastic guide and showed me all around the city. This is a great way to get your bearings when you arrive to Costa Rica!