🏨 San Jose Walking Food Tour and Pre-Columbian Gold Museum Visit Activity

San Jose Walking Food Tour and Pre-Columbian Gold Museum Visit

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From $59.00

9 reviews (4.56)

Price varies by group size

Lowest Price Guarantee

Pricing Info: Per Person

Duration: 5 hours

Departs: San Jose, San Jose

Ticket Type: Mobile or paper ticket accepted

Free cancellation

Up to 24 hours in advance.

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Overview

Visiting San Jose’s markets with a guide turns an everyday scene into a rich cultural experience as your guide tells you the stories behind the markets’ offerings and takes the guesswork out of deciding what’s worth a try. After visiting top San Jose markets, head to the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum to take a look at the city’s early history.

Highlights:
Discover the secrets behind handicrafts, herbal remedies, and fresh produce at Borbon and San Jose Central Market
Visit top markets to learn about local culture through food
Lots of fruits, empanada, ceviche and coffee tastings included, plus museum entrance
Good way for first-time visitors to learn about San Jose history and culture

What's Included

Entrance fee Gold Museum

Entrance fee to Pre-Columbian Gold Museum

Food and drink samples

Local Guide

Lunch is included

Visit Borbon Market

Visit the Central Market

What's Not Included

Additional food and drinks

Souvenirs and personal shopping

Tips/gratuities for your guide

Traveler Information

ADULT: Age: 10 - 75

Additional Info

Face masks required for travellers in public areas
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised

Face masks required for guides in public areas
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Temperature checks for travellers upon arrival

Cancellation Policy

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

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.

This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

What To Expect

Central Market (Mercado Central)

The San Jose Central Market is an important cultural site in Costa Rica as it is one of the oldest and most representative places of San Jose, the capital city of the country. The market opened in 1880, making it one of the oldest landmarks in Costa Rica as the country declared independence in 1821.

60 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Borbon Market, is a true sensory experience of sights and smells, and you might catch the daily hand-truck race among the workers. The focus is on produce, though it sells a bit of everything. is an old building with a basement, known where local people buy their vegetables and fruits,We will have the opportunity to share and interact with people who have worked in the market for generations, and we will try all kinds of fruits of the time, it is a unique experience, they are fruits very much from the market itself.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Metropolitan Church (Catedral Metropolitana)

The Metropolitan Cathedral is the main church in San Jose Costa Rica. This Catholic cathedral stands superbly with neoclassical posture overlooking Central Park and the crowded streets and avenues of the capital city.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Teatro Nacional Costa Rica

Is include a visit to the entrance hall of Costa Rica’s National Theater. In the heart of San Jose, the National Theatre (Teatro Nacional) remains one of the capital city’s most popular tourist attractions.” The ornate Neo-Classical theatre is considered the finest historic building in San Jose, and is known for its exquisite interior decorated with lavish furnishings and beautiful murals.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Pre-Columbian Gold Museum

After lunch, we’ll visit a museum that’s home to some 1,600 pieces of gold artifacts, dating back to 500 CE. In Costa Rican history, gold was considered a symbol of authority, and the items in the museum display the craftsmanship of the pre-Columbian period.

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Reviews

Great sampling of the tastes, culture,and a hit of history!

Stefani V, 02-09-2022

Our tour guide Angel was very friendly and accommodating, and patiently answered all of our questions. We were a group of two and were joined by one more person. We visited several markets, and sampled many local fruits and treats. Tour goes by the Theatre Nacional, the cathedral, and finishes at the gold museum - all recommended! We also went by the office for a small lunch of a traditional
tamale and we made our own empanada. It was a perfect blend of a bit if history, culture, and experiencing the hustle and bustle of the city. Highly recommend as an introduction to Costa Rica if you some time in Sam Jose!

A must do tour of San Jose!

pckrusk, 21-04-2022

Gladys took us to the market in San Jose and that was awesome. She really knows her way around and introduced us to some interesting local items. She was awsome!

Fun and informative

BC_C, 03-03-2022

Our guide, Ernesto, was really good. We began at a local outdoor market that features fresh meat and produce and an assortment of CR foods prepared for consumption at the market. We then moved on to a general merchandise mart on the street. There was a wide assortment of goods including tee shirts, sun glasses and the usual as well as many hand crafted items. Then we stopped at the National Theatre, which is a stunning edifice where some of the furnishings in the cafe are original -- more than one hundred years old. Finally, it was off to the Gold Museum, which offers far more than gold. Although there are many precious artifacts displayed at the museum, there is also a history of Central America going back to when indigenous peoples occupied the land. All in all, it was a very nice experience and well worth the money.

Better than Imagined

drtrish333, 28-11-2021

This walking tour is one of the best I have ever been on. We ate so much and it was all fantastic! Angel is incredibly gifted as a story teller and with his depth of knowledge of history. He also Continually made sure everyone was taken care of. I learned so much about Costa Rica which will help me notice things I may have missed. We came here for a surgery.

Nicht tour

Leonhard_S, 08-11-2021

Nice guide Ernesto, knows a lot. Very interesting and informative. The entry fee for the Gold museum is included.

Time well spent!

Vacation186788, 09-10-2022

Ernesto, our guide, was very knowledgeable and a gracious host. He was punctual, courteous, and eager to provide us with an authentic experience of Costa Rican cuisine and its abundant variety of fruits and flavors.

The Mercado part of the trip brought alive the foods, flavors and vibrant culture of Costa Rica. The Gold Museum was a wonderful introduction to pre-Colombian life and the indigenous people of Costa Rica. The colonial history behind the architectural sites was also very interesting.

I would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in history and the ethos of a country and its people!

Many thanks for a memorable experience!

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