Explore the culture and history of Costa Rica with this tour of historical sites in San José. The tour features the National Theater Lobby, an art and architectural landmark completed in 1897. You will also visit the Museum of Gold (an archaeological site) and the Central Market, a hub of Costa Rican cultural heritage where local crafts are available. The Metropolitan Cathedral is included, and the tour will highlight important city buildings like the Costa Rica University, the Old Train Station, the National Liquor Factory, the National Supreme Election Bureau, the Legislative Assembly, and the Metallic Building, along with parks and other points of interest. This overview will cover the capital city's economy, culture, politics, religion, and current affairs. The tour includes a stop at an Art Gallery for souvenir purchases.
Departure from San José hotel is estimated between 11:30 AM and 12:00 PM, with an estimated return between 5:00 and 5:30 PM.
The tour includes transportation, a bilingual (English-Spanish) guide, admission to the Museum of Gold, and a guided tour of the city.
It is recommended to bring a camera, comfortable walking shoes, a hat, sunscreen, and an umbrella.
Camera
The San Jose City Tour is available from Alajuela, Alajuela suburbs, Escazu, Heredia, and San Jose
3 and up
Latitude: N 9° 55' 41.05"
Longitude: W 84° 5' 26.62"
05/15/2025
Excellent tour guide! Learned so much, and he went out of his way to make the experience enjoyable for us!!
05/13/2025
This was the only tour we took where the guide did not introduce himself or explain what the tour would include. This tour was provided by the same company as the La Paz Waterfall Gardens tour but we did not have a great experience. Instead of a shuttle tour, we walked around San Jose for over 3 hours. The history of the city was, however, interesting. Not sure that the central market is a necessary stop on this tour - given the lack of info that was provided. The guide called a shuttle to take us to the Costa Rican museum of art, but it was closing when we arrived. We didn't understand why the guide didn't know this ahead of time. We were then taken to a home, which was actually an art/jewelry shop. The expectation seemed to be that we would purchase something. Felt rather pressured to do so.
Would not recommend this tour as we experienced it.
05/02/2025
Pedro was an excellent guide, and managed the schedule around a massive thunderstorm to keep us all dry.
07/01/2021
exceptional guide
03/03/2019
This was great because our tour guide was very much a local of San Jose. She very knowledgeable with San Jose and very down to earth. I would recommend this tour for any age group.
06/02/2017
Some of the stops were strange. It seems it was just for us to buy things. I was hoping for more.
10/27/2016
Very knowledgeable and funny! Great stops
12/14/2015
Max, our guide was so much fun.
The theater and the museum we visited were both really nice and we got a lot of good cultural history about Costa Rica.
12/06/2015
not my choice but spouse wanted to go so wasnt expecting much
06/26/2015
Bit boring. The group was too large