• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Welcome to San Jose! Want to know the best places to eat? Cool events in town? Which places to go to and which to avoid? Or simply get some help to navigate the city? Book this private tour with a local and get the perfect introduction to San Jose to start your city trip on the right foot.

Destination

San Jose, Costa Rica

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

2 horas

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Português, Español

Included

• Private Guide
• Local Tips & Tricks
• City Orientation
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Entrance to attractions

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 2 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Meet at the entrance of the National Theatre of Costa Rica - San Jose to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Puntos destacados de la ciudad

   Vea el Parque Central de San José, la Catedral Metropolitana y más puntos de referencia y visitas obligadas de la ciudad. Su anfitrión local lo llevará a los lugares principales de la ciudad para que pueda obtener la introducción perfecta a lo que hace que San José sea tan especial.

4. Puntos calientes locales

   En el camino, su anfitrión le indicará lugares de reunión y gemas ocultas que solo los lugareños conocen y lo ayudará a familiarizarse con la ciudad de la manera más local posible.

5. Recomendaciones de alimentos

   Reciba recomendaciones personalizadas de acuerdo a su gusto ya dónde ir y qué comer durante su visita a San José. ¡Evita las trampas para turistas gracias a tu anfitrión local!

6. Orientación de la ciudad

   Aprenda a navegar por la ciudad y obtenga las respuestas a sus preguntas sobre San José que lo ayudarán en los próximos días para que su tiempo en la ciudad sea mucho más fácil.

7. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Diana

(About local María José)

8 marzo 2025

We struck gold with Maria. She was friendly, knowledgeable and gave us a wonderful taste of San Jose, its landmarks, its culture and history.She’s also a talented muralist and showed us a number of murals around the city. And when we asked if we could see some of hers, she obliged! So impressive and I would recommend her highly to anyone visiting the city. We LOVED Maria as our guide!

Marilyn🇺🇸 United States

(About local Alberto)

4 febrero 2025

Alberto was very personal. Asked us about ourselves and told us some of his background. He was very knowledgeable about San Jose and showed a real love and passion for his city. He showed us all the highlights as noted in the tour.Fun and fabulous walking tour

Jen

(About local María José)

26 enero 2025

Maria did an excellent job with our tour. We had only 2 hours one afternoon and had two kids with us. She somehow managed to tell us about history, current events, taught us some cultural tips, and showed us some beautiful spots. She balanced the needs of our children (start with ice cream, stop to run around a park, get balloon animals from a clown) and grown ups (historical, political, geographic questions). We even saw two parakeets and a bobo! Finally, Maria showed us two of her murals. She is such a talented artist!Great tour!

Debbie🇺🇸 United States

(About local Alberto)

24 enero 2024

Alberto did a wonderful job on our tour; he was careful to gauge our interest and accommodate them in real time. He assisted in finding our meeting spot and was on time. Getting a personalized tour from a local resident provides a unique perspective; we asked political questions, history questions, art questions ... Alberto was well informed and careful to couch his personal answers as "his opinion" when appropriate. We even contacted him later in our trip to ask for directions to a place he'd take us and he was quick to respond. Highly recommended. Special insight

Chris🇺🇸 United States

(About local María José)

1 septiembre 2025

I have three criteria for a great food tour. It should take me places I wouldn't have found via Google reviews, it should give me a window to the city's culture, and the guide should bring an interesting personality. This tour, while a bit pricey, absolutely delivered on all three. Maria was excellent company throughout the day, her intimate knowledge of the local art scene greatly enhanced the tour, and she picked great bites that felt very authentic and true to city's culture. The food selections focused on what every day Costa Ricans eat rather than high end culinary one-offs. We very much enjoyed this approach and left feeling like we had been given the chance to connect with the city through its food.Great host, great tour

Daymon

(About local Alberto)

4 agosto 2025

Alberto was great!!! He was very welcoming and knowledgeable about the history of San Jose and Costa Rica. He took care of everything for us! He escorted us to a soccer match between Sporting San Jose and LDA! We were late getting to Alberto, but he patiently waited for us, we had a great time and will book Alberto again when we get back to Costa Rica!Our Day and Night in San Jose

Henry🇨🇳 China

(About local María José)

19 junio 2025

María José was amazing, and she made sure to answer all our questions. She is a wonderful human being and a pleasure to learn from. We walked away happy to have learned so much about San José and Costa Rica in general, and sad that our tour had ended. If you are lucky to have her as your guide, we have no doubt you will have a fun and meaningful experience too.A wonderful experience!

Jennifer

(About local María José)

16 junio 2025

MaríaJosé y Alberto were such gracious hosts! They did not give up on us despite the communication within the app not working. They took us to some of their favorite spots. We saw many highlights of Tican history and culture (including some of MariaJosé’s incredible murals) and learned more than one could read in a book. We would never have been able to experience the depth and breadth of San José without their expertise and entusiasmó. Muchicimas gracias por todo. ¡Pura Vida!The secret life of San José

Wendy🇦🇺 Australia

(About local María José)

15 mayo 2025

We had a wonderful morning with Maria, enjoying the interesting flavours of Costa Rica as well as seeing some of the sites of the city. The ice cream flavoured with interesting spices was a highlight. The tour was made all the more special by Maria and her engaging personality. There was also plenty of food, so make sure you start the tour hungry!Fun food tour in San Jose.

Taylor🇺🇸 United States

(About local Alberto)

12 marzo 2025

Our walking tour with Alberto and Maria Jose, both exceptionally talented artists (Alberto a musician and Maria Jose a painter), was a highlight of our 9-day trip to Costa Rica. We spent only one evening in San Jose but thoroughly enjoyed seeing the important sites and learning about the city and Costa Rican culture. Anyone visiting San Jose should take advantage of this tour and specifically request Alberto and Maria Jose. An Unforgettable Experience in San Jose

Jolanda🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Alberto)

2 marzo 2025

Alberto is een leuke gids, hij vraagt regelmatig wat wil je zien of doen, zodat de tour echt persoonlijk is. Heerlijke cevice in een zakje tortillachips en empanades gegeten. Dit zou je zelf niet vinden. Leuke weetjes over bv national museum en haunted house. Goede manier in vakantie te starten.Wandeling met persoonlijke touch

Brenda🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Alberto)

11 febrero 2025

We had a great time with Alberto. He is kind and engaging, a pleasure to talk to. He chose well for the 10 tastings. Great variety of food and locations, and at a casual pace. We were introduced to many new tastes even though we had been in Costa Rica for two weeks! Highly recommend.Fun evening with Alberto

Susan

(About local María José)

10 febrero 2025

First of all, come hungry! The 10 food items advertised in this tour are no joke. This is a food tour of delicious "comida tipica" (traditional Costa Rican dishes) led by local muralist María José. Her knowledge of contemporary CR culture, arts, and politics adds depth to the tour. María Josés English is excellent AND she was happy to let us work on our Spanish by talking with us in both English and Spanish. We were lucky to be able to see several of her murals and to talk with her extensively about her obra and her methods of making art. María José is a very engaging and knowledgeable tour guide. Her flexibility, depth of knowledge, and engaging personality made It worth the cost of taking this private tour. Do it! And don't forget to come hungry!Fabulous Food Tour with Local Artist

Heike

(About local María José)

28 enero 2025

Thank you for everything! We can recommend María as a tour guide. The exchange before and after the tour was great! Thank you for the possibility giving us a first impression of San José and asking for our wishes!Perfect!

Susan🇺🇸 United States

(About local María José)

19 enero 2025

We’ve done lots of food walking tours in all kinds of cities. We got to try a variety of delicious local dishes while learning about the cooking traditions, the people of San Jose and seeing some of the beautiful murals which Maria has painting. Don’t eat before and you will be very full by the end. Fabulous afternoon with Maria

Richard

(About local María José)

7 enero 2025

We had a nice 3-hour tour in San José, with Maria as our guide who truly brought the city to life. From the moment we met, it was clear we were in good hands. Our guide's knowledge of the culture, and hidden gems made the experience feel personalized and authentic. We got to explore local markets and taste traditional foods, everything we looked for. We even had the chance to visit the National Museum. The stories shared along the way added a unique, local flavor to the tour. I recommend this experience for anyone looking to get a local approach of San José!Just as expected

Lynn🇺🇸 United States

(About local María José)

16 noviembre 2024

Three friends and I went on the walking food tour in San Jose with Maria as host. We couldn’t have been more pleased in the choices for all local dishes at various eateries. We had a lot of fun and I would recommend Maria wholeheartedly for this tour.Awesome San Jose Food Tour

Erin🇺🇸 United States

(About local María José)

21 mayo 2024

María is incredible. I cannot say enough good things about this incredible woman. She is a local artist with murals all over town. Her art is breathtaking/ stunning. She is quiet and kind. She took me to all the local restaurants she eats at and that accommodated my vegan diet. I would pay 5 times what I paid to go spend a day with this inspirational woman who is making the city beautiful one mural at a time! María is a rare gem. Local celebrity arist

Kathy🇺🇸 United States

(About local María José)

11 mayo 2024

We had such an amazing tour of San Jose with Maria! We met her near the National Museum then started our beautiful stroll through the city. Maria took us through the downtown area and pointed out the important buildings and gave us a brief history of the area. We stopped at a restaurant in a beautiful old home where Maria suggested some local foods and drinks. Everything was so good and it was fun trying new foods and eating like the locals. We continued our walk through beautiful parks and stopped at another restaurant for some more tastings. One thing we really enjoyed was finding out that Maria is a local artist and has done several murals in San Jose. We asked her to take us to see the murals and they were fantastic. I got a picture of her and I in front of one of the murals. We would definitely recommend this tour as a safe, fun way to see the city.Spectacular Introduction To San Jose!

Sabrina🇺🇸 United States

(About local Alberto)

15 abril 2024

Alberto was amazing. Very knowledgeable and courteous. He showed us beautiful places of San José and the history. Answered all of our questions. Highly recommend. A must when visiting San José