5 hour(s)
English
Included
Explore Borbon and San Jose Central Market with a knowledgeable guide
See handicrafts, herbal remedies, and fresh produce with their cultural stories
Enjoy an introduction to San Jose’s history and culture through food and local life
Visit the National Museum to learn about the city’s early history
€ 54.01
€ 49.69
Free cancellation and unlimited rescheduling leads to total flexibility while you plan your travels
Lowest Price Guarantee — no other provider offers this tour for less
Visiting San Jose’s markets with a knowledgeable guide transforms an everyday stroll into an enriching cultural journey. As you walk through Borbon and the Central Market, your guide reveals the fascinating stories behind the handicrafts, herbal remedies, and fresh produce on display. Instead of guessing what to try, you’ll be introduced to authentic flavors and experiences, turning your visit into a true taste of local life. Along the way, enjoy plenty of tastings such as fresh fruits, empanadas, ceviche, and local coffee, giving you a deeper appreciation of Costa Rican cuisine.
After the market exploration, the experience continues with a visit to the National Museum, where you’ll learn more about San Jose’s early history and cultural roots. This combination of food and history offers the perfect introduction for first-time visitors, allowing you to not only taste the flavors of the city but also understand the stories and traditions that shape it. It’s a well-rounded way to immerse yourself in San Jose’s culture in just one tour.
Visit the Central Market
Visit Borbon Market
Entrance fee to National Museum
Taste fruits, tamal, plantain empanada, caldosa, and agua de sapo
Coffee Tasting
Visit Central Park, Morazan Park, and National Park
Additional food and drinks
Souvenirs and personal shopping
Gratuities for your guide
Wear comfortable shoes
Casual clothing
Public transportation nearby
Not wheelchair accessible
Participants must be at least 10 years old
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Type in your hotel/accommodation to see how far the attraction or departure point is.
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Bites and Sights Walking Food Tour : Great tour for solo travellers in San Jose. Andrea was a very knowledgeable guide and explained many aspects of Costa Rican culture. The tour itinerary was well crafted to see many different sights, 2 markets where we sampled unique local fruits and ice cream, and a traditional meal at a café (tamale, banana ceviche). To end the tour, we made our own empanadas and had coffee prepared the local way. This is not a boring walking tour, it is an introduction to Costa Rican food, culture and history! I recommend this tour to people who have never been to San Jose because you will miss many of the most interesting places without a local guide to take you there and explain their significance.
It was a great experience as a single person learning more about the city and walking around the markets. I enjoyed eating quite a lot of the food and it was easy for me as a gluten-free individual to enjoy many traditional dishes of Costa Rica. Oscar was well versed in his city history as well as history of Costa Rica and San José. I would recommend this tour early on your stay in San José so you get an idea of what the city is like and can feel more confident exploring on your own.
Really good local food tour, very professional and excellent value. We had a great 3 hour tour discovering all the best “sights and bites” highlights that San Jose has to offer, all from a local perspective. There was a total of 6 in our tour group. Our guide was very knowledgeable and told us all about the local history and the food culture. We went to the two big markets where all the locals eat Street Food at “Sodas”. We got to try a local favourite “Picaritas Caldosas” which is fresh ceviche on top of Dorito corn chips. We also visited the fruit & veg market where we got to taste a wide selection of local fruits, and enjoy a fresh whole coconut water. We then visited the main cathedral and the beautiful national theatre, and also visited a few landmarks along the way. We ended the tour at the Sloth Cafe where we had a tamale, and got to prepare a traditional cheese & bean empanada made with plantains. Very different and interesting, and surprisingly delicious ! The last 20 minutes is a coffee tasting- unfortunately we had to skip that part as we had prior arrangements. Overall a great day- highly recommended.
We did the Bites and Sites tour in San Jose. Highly recommend this tour if you need something to do in San Jose. We booked through trip advisor. Our hotel was about a mile from the start point and we were able to walk to and from our hotel to tour. We did the tour on a holiday weekend Saturday so the city was very busy. Angel was our guide and he was great. Highlights for me were trying all the fruit in the fruit market and the fresh made tamale at the end. You get to try lots of different things and it’s quite a bit of food in 3 hours. Really enjoyable experience.
Eric and his team are phenomenal! If you have a day or two in SAn Jose stop , definitely reach out to him. He will be able to give you a great tour of the city. He is a local and knows so many places and people that your experience in the city will be outstanding !! We had a great tour of the city and closed it out with some coffee tasting in his cafe.
