San Jose

San Jose trip ideas

San Jose Sightseeing City Tour

San Jose, Costa Rica

4 to 5 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Explore San Jose on this guided half-day sightseeing tour. Great for first-time visitors to the city, the tour includes stops at historic and cultural sites such as the Costa Rican Art Museum in La Sabana, the city center, the National Theater, the University of Costa Rica, and the arts and crafts market. Plus, enjoy lunch at a local Costa Rican restaurant.

See the city from the comfort of an air-conditioned vehicle
Choose between a morning and afternoon departure time
The tour allows time for souvenir shopping
Hotel pickup and drop-off is included

What's Included

All taxes, fees and handling charges
Bottled water
Lunch
Driver/guide
Professional guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

We will pick up all travellers at the different Hotels, Hostels, guesthouses, B&B, Residential areas , central park of each city (San Jose- Alajuela and Heredia)

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Dress code is smart casual
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 35 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.0

31 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 31 reviews

This was a small group,...

PATRICIA_B, Apr 2024

This was a small group, which was great. However, all we really did was ride around the city. Even the one "museum" that we stopped at was really just a place to buy high end souvenirs/art/jewelry. Lunch was really good though.

Response from Host, May 2024

Thanks for sharing your impressions. Your comments greatly help us to improve any detail that helps provide better service to our customers.

Good way to start the Trip

Cheryl_F, Mar 2024

Oscar was great. We did the evening tour and saw a lot of the city. We went during Easter weekend so a number of stores and businesses were closed. Oscar did a good job of showing us things and explaining some history behind some locations. Good dinner and nice kick off tour to our stay in Costa Rica.

Response from Host, May 2024

Thank you for your comments, we are glad to know that the service and the excursion were to your satisfaction. Thank you for allowing us to serve you.

We love San Jose!

David_B, Mar 2024

Our guide, Oscar, knew everything about San Jose and Costa Rica’s history and after 5 hours and 200 photos ( and a fabulous local lunch), we fell in love with the city and everyone who lives here, ❤️

Response from Host, May 2024

Thank you for your comments, we are glad to know that the service and the excursion were to your satisfaction. Thank you for allowing us to serve you.

First time Costa Rica visit

Karen_C, Mar 2024

Oscar was awesome! Very informative. Just the right tour for me being my first time here in Costa Rica. If you want to have overview of the life here in Costa Rica and learn about them book this tour and ask for Oscar.

Response from Host, May 2024

Thank you for your comments, we are glad to know that the service and the excursion were to your satisfaction. Thank you for allowing us to serve you.

Excellent and caring guide & driver

Connie_H, Feb 2024

We enjoyed our tour very much! Our guide, Oscar, provided very informative details and interesting comments in both English and Spanish. The driver (Marvin) was also excellent, and the traffic here is very difficult! Both men were friendly and concerned for our safety and comfort. They worked hard to ensure we had a great experience. The restaurant, where we had a traditional lunch, was small, quaint and wonderful. The van was new, clean and comfortable. We got our money's worth.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Hello Connie, we are happy to know the tour was to your satisfaction and that you enjoyed every part of it. Thank you very much for sharing your experience.

Learned SO much!

Maria_C, Feb 2024

Oscar is a very lovely man, and super knowledgeable. The meal was amazing and the highlight for us!!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Hi Maria, we are happy to know that Oscar did a great job and that you were able to enjoy the tour of San Jose.. Pura vida

Oscar was AWESOME! Great tour!

Elize_B, Feb 2024

Oscar was an AMAZING tour guide!! He showed us places and shared information with us that we never would have experienced on our own!! We really got to see how and where Costa Ricans live and ate a FABULOUS Costa Rican seafood meal! We saw all of the key places and sites. His English was perfect and his personality was delightful. While the trip was a bit pricey, overall it was worth it for such a customized tour for just my husband and me. Again, we cannot stress enough the importance of having Oscar as our personal guide for the success of this outstanding tour!!

Response from Host, May 2024

Thank you for your comments, we are glad to know that the service and the excursion were to your satisfaction. Thank you for allowing us to serve you.

A wonderful San Jose city tour

Howard_T, Jan 2024

Our tour guide Arturo was very friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable. We had a great sampling of the city, a lot of information about Costa Rica and an enjoyable lunch. One improvement might be to allow more stops for photo taking. Thank you.

Response from Host, May 2024

Thank you for your comments, we are glad to know that the service and the excursion were to your satisfaction. Thank you for allowing us to serve you.

Awesome San Jose city snapshot

Joyce_P, Jan 2024

Oscar was my driver and guide. He lives his city and his job. Extreme enthusiasm. He showed me an overview of the city in about 3-4 hrs. Then took me to a local authentic Costa Rican place for lunch. Simply magnificent. There was a lot of traffic due to xmas holiday weekend. Weather was pleasant and clear skies. Oscar was so engaging and knowledgeable. Enjoyed every minute with Oscar. THANK YOU FOR SHOWING ME A SNAP SHOT OF THE CITY SAN JOSE.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Hi Joyce, we are happy to know you enjoyed the tour and that oscar did a great job. Thank you for sharing. Gracias

San Jose city tour

Debra_V, Nov 2023

Our tour guide was Oscar. He gave us very explicitly detailed information. Oscar was very friendly,polite and knowledgeable.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

We are happy to know that you enjoyed the tour and that Oscar was a great guide.. THANK YOU for sharing your comments.

The tour guide Mario was...

Lynnette_C, Nov 2023

The tour guide Mario was very knowledgeable and friendly. Every stop was more exciting than the last and the food was amazing.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

We are glad to know that the tour was of your satisfaction and that Mario did a great job. Thank you for sharing

Great afternoon

Lukas_H, Mar 2023

Had Oskar all to myself for this 4 hour tour. Showed me all the important places and different barrios in San José. Very nice and knowledgable. At the end Great costa rican Food at yoguis. All options nicely explained and was able to choose exactly what i craved.

A Disappointment

Thomas_M, Nov 2022

This tour was totally misrepresented to me as a tour of museums, and sites. We were taken to a villa where lots of things were being sold, held there. Got out of the van once for 5 minutes at theatre, and that was it, driven around and things were pointed out.. then lunch where the tour guide stood over us while we filled our a written evaluation. What was explained to me on the phone in the US was entirely different than the tour here. My husband and I have booked Viator tours in the past and have been pleased, however this was the exception. $ 130.00 for this trip was not worth it at all.

Only way to see San Jose

Joel_E, Oct 2022

We enjoyed the whole experience, Jordan was a great guide. Of the many stops. We enjoyed the historical theater quite a bit.

Customized tour

Upasna_P, May 2022

We were able to customize the trip and spend time based on our preferences. The food was also amazing.

Response from Host, May 2022

Thank you for sharing your experience. We are pleased to know that everything was the best.

Great tour! Memorable and special!

Saule_N, Nov 2021

This tour was operated by Destiny Travel and guided by Señor Oscar. Oscar performed an excellent job as he provided me with both substantive and exciting information about the city, country, region, architectural, cultural, historical, sports and other aspects of life in Costa Rica. Oscar is a very experienced tourism specialist and is able to tune the tour according to the customer’s needs and interests — in my case I wanted to combine both guided ride and walking around historical/cultural places on my own and I got plenty of both. Also, I hoped to get a chance to see more art related places, and I was able to do that too. On top of it, Oscar was very attentive to my lunch tastes and preferences, and without expecting it I had a chance to choose from many tempting lunch options and select an exquisite traditional lunch. The tour was just half a day but very memorable and allowed me to discover many new and interesting places and things, while at the same time feeling like a welcomed friend. In the end, my tour guide and I agreed to watch the upcoming soccer home game (on live TV in my case) happening in San Jose and support Costa Rican team in its strife to get to the World Cup. Gracias por todo Señor Oscar y Destiny Travel ¡y buena suerte!

Response from Host, Nov 2021

We are so pleased to read your comments about the tour and the guide Oscar. Certainly he is always very accomodating and loves his job. Our main objective is that each tourist feels at home and enjoys every detail of the excursion in the best way. Thank you for sharing your experience with other travelers. Pura vida !!

Absolutely Amazing Tour Company and Best Tour Guides

lorrainegilbert, Oct 2021

Oscar and Destiny Tours are the absolute best. If Costa Rica is on your bucket list just do it!! Book your adventures with Destiny tours though. The absolute best in Costa Rica. Professional, personable and caring tour guide. Also webt on Cartago and Irazu tour with this same company...Sandra our driver was 10 star amazing driver.

Response from Host, Oct 2021

Our main objective is the satisfaction of our customers. Your comment urges us to continue with this service policy. Thanks a lot

I was very disappointed by this...

Shu_Y, Aug 2018

I was very disappointed by this tour. I was informed very late the night before that the tour was going to be an hour later than the originally scheduled time. As a result, we were waiting for a while before we realized they were coming 1 hour later. The tour was supposed to stop at 5 places and only stopped at 2. The rest we drove by which is not what is described in the tour information. The one place we really wanted to stop was the arts and crafts market. We were not told it was going to close at 4 until it was too late to do anything about it. We never got to go to the one place we really wanted to see. This tour was supposed to be 4-5 hours and it was only 3 hours. Bottled water was supposed to be provided and it was not. For 60/person, this was not worth the cost. I would not recommend this tour to anyone without significant changes.

Visite intéressante de San José

Anton_R, Jun 2023

Oscar est un bon guide avec un bon niveau d'anglais qui facilite la compréhension pour les non-hispanophone. Arrangeant sur le temps, il vous faire une première visite en voiture puis vous laisse visiter à votre convenance le centre ville où se trouve les magasins, bâtiments et musées. Un guide sérieux en qui on peut faire confiance. Je précise que dans mon cas, il s'agissait d'une visite privée.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Nous sommes heureux de savoir que l'excursion s'est déroulée à votre entière satisfaction et qu'Oscar le guide a fait du bon travail. Merci d'avoir partagé vos commentaires.

Restaurant veel te ver

Didier_T, Apr 2023

Er waren geen andere klanten, we hadden het geluk slechts met ons tweetjes te zijn en werden vervoerd in een middenklasse personenauto. De rondrit in het centrum was interessant en de uitleg ook. Fotostops waren op verzoek mogelijk. Geen enkel gebouw werd binnen bezocht, e kel buitenkant getoond. Dan reden we naar een buitenwijk naar een privéhuis met "authentieke kunst" (souvenirs). We kochten onder zachte druk iets van 25 USD maar met ongunstige omzetting in lokale munt werd onze creditcard voor iets meer dan 35 USD bezwaard. Oplichting dus. Nadien reden we anderhalf uur naar een restaurant in een verre buitenwijk waar we een hoofdschotel + drankje kregen met tegenwaarde samen ongeveer 8 USD. Geen gastronomisch hoogstandje maar mooie portie. Mooi zicht op de stad van bovenaf. Dan weer anderhalf uur terug rijden. Een mooie wandeling met gids in het centrum en zelfstandig gaan eten zou een beter en goedkoper alternatief zijn.