San Jose: Bites and Sights Walking Food Tour including Markets

Overview

Available languages

English

Spanish

3 hours 30 minutes

Mobile ticket

Unmask the beauty and culture of contemporary Costa Rican life on this San Jose walking tour. You'll get up close and personal, through local food, history, culture even the herbal remedies of folk medicine. Enjoy exotic, fruits, in the Borbon Market. We’ll take a stroll through the vibrant Central Market, tasting local ice cream, this ice cream shop is over 100 years old. Seeing diverse sites the Cathedral, National Theater, the beautiful Central and Morazan parks will help you get to know the country and its rich history and from this experience, you'll have another sense taste to get more in tune with San Jose. For the end visit Mr. Sloth Coffee Shop where you will find gourmet coffees and chocolates, in this special place tasting and learn to prepare Cafe Chorreado, enjoy coffee tasting, tradicional caldosa, tamal cooked by local families and wrapped in a banana leaf, make your own plantain empanadas with cheese, try our famous Agua de Sapo make with ginger, sugar cane and lemon.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Safety Tips, San Jose is a big city like any other, it is a preventive measure to dont wear flashy jewelry.

Dont eat before the tour.

The groups are 12 people with a guide.

We can accommodate vegetarians and other dietary restrictions. Please notify us in advance if you have any dietary requests.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Enjoy local ice cream at the Central Market from a shop over 100 years old.

Savor Costa Rican-style tamales, wrapped in banana leaves, crafted by local families

Indulge the traditional Caldosa corn chips, Green banana or pejibaye

Try fresh, seasonal fruits at the Borbón Market.

The tour is capped at 12 people for a personalized small-group experience.

Plantain empanadas classes with artisanal chocolate are delicious and unique treat

Learn to prepare Café Chorreado with award-winning vandola coffee, and Agua de Sapo infused .

Transportation: if you need to quote transportation service, write to us.

Alcoholic Beverages

What To Expect

We begin at the Monumento de los Presentes, where we'll introduce the tour by discussing how the city and its culture have endured through many changes. The monument itself personifies the typical inhabitants of the city, who are at risk of disappearing due to modernization. These figures stand firm, serious, and represent a silent rebellion against the sweeping changes around them, symbolizing resilience and the preservation of identity in the face of transformation.

10 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Correos de Costa Rica

This is the best to understand, why is hard to find an address on here.

10 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Bites and Sights - Walking Food Tour in San Jose Small Group or Private

Sunday December

Day Sunday on December

Reviews

4.85

1,591 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

1436

107

Food and views of Chepe
simonhM5621NV,
Nov 21, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Really fun few hours taking in the sights, sounds and food of San Jose. We ate a lot more than I expected and had the best guide in Duri
San Jose Walking Tour
Ricardo L,
Nov 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Very educational, a good mix of learning about San Jose history and learning about the various Costa Rica foods. Andrea was very friendly and she did an excellent job answering everyone’s questions throughout the tour.
The combination of delicious food and insightful cultural stops made for a perfect day
812anethaw,
Nov 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Our guide was knowledgeable and personable, sharing great stories about the city and its history. The markets were vibrant, and the food tastings were diverse and flavorful, giving a real taste of local life. I highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting to explore San Jose’s food scene in an immersive and fun way!
You won't want to miss this!
Owen M,
Nov 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Easily digestible, coherent tour. An experience of the heart of the pulse of Costa Rica, you won't want to miss it - you'll dive right into the action. You'll see a little bit of everything in the center of San Jose. Delightful people, guides, and safe. Go hungry!!
Angel was awesome. MUST DO!
Yuliya B,
Nov 18, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Angel was AMAAAAZING! So helpful and friendly. He taught me a lot! I been to Costa Rica 3 times and this is at the top of best things I did.
Highly recommend
87megank,
Nov 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I really loved this experience. We had Andrea as our guide and she was so lovely, helpful, and knowledgeable. It was so nice to experience San Jose through food, from fruit, to tamales, to empanadas. I would definitely recommend this experience.
Sights and tastes of San Jose
Louise P,
Nov 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Excellent tour round the sights and tastes of San Jose. Oscar gave detailed information and was only too happy to answer questions and explain what we were eating. Enjoyed the opportunity to make empanadas and drink coffee at the end! Would highly recommend
Good food tour
Vincent O,
Nov 16, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
The San jose bites and food tour was good. We started off with a brief history of San Jose and walked to a few monuments before heading to central market to try various kinds of fruits. After that, we then made our way to a restaurant where we made our own empandas.
Delicious fruits tasting
Lorenz G,
Nov 16, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Interesting and informative tour through San José. My highlight was the tasting of fresh tropical fruits.
Solo Traveler
Tyson D,
Nov 15, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Andrea was a blast to be with and very knowledgeable i really enjoyed the trip. The tour is fast but you don't fill rushed