Free walking tours in San José

The walk with Jules was very enjoyable, he’s an enthousiastic, knowledgeable guy with an unlimited amount of fun facts to tell you. Our tour included a nice spontaneous picknick and we tasted some fruits and chocolate. I entered San José thinking it was an uninspiring city and left thinking differently.

Welcome to Costa Rica!! Historical and Cultural Walking Tour

Our tour of San Jose with Jules was such a delight! He was so personable and full of interesting facts about Costa Rica. He shared so much with us, including some delicious treats. We enjoyed our afternoon so much!!!

Welcome to Costa Rica!! Historical and Cultural Walking Tour

Hyelin

1 Review

It was a great introduction to Costa Rica's history and culture from a local perspective. I learned many interesting details that I would have missed on my own. The snacks were also delicious! The guide was professional, friendly, and well prepared, with umbrellas in case of rain and helpful visual materials. I really enjoyed exploring downtown San José and highly recommend this tour. Fue una excelente introducción a la historia y la cultura de Costa Rica desde la perspectiva de un costarricense. Aprendí muchos detalles que no habría conocido por mi cuenta. Además, los snacks estaban deliciosos. El guía fue muy profesional, amable y bien preparado; incluso llevaba paraguas por si llovía y utilizó material visual para explicar todo. Disfruté mucho el recorrido por el centro de San José y lo recomiendo totalmente.

Welcome to Costa Rica!! Historical and Cultural Walking Tour

Excelente...super RECOMENDADO...

Unbeatable Free Tour of San José with the City Striders

The tour with Jules was amazing! He is incredibly knowledgeable and made the entire experience so much fun. He genuinely puts so much effort into making sure everyone has a great time, and it absolutely shows. His enthusiasm, expertise, and attention to detail made the tour unforgettable. I highly recommend booking a tour with Jules—you won't be disappointed!

Welcome to Costa Rica!! Historical and Cultural Walking Tour

Great generosity and information

Welcome to Costa Rica!! Historical and Cultural Walking Tour

Muito bom o roteiro e a qualificação profissional do guia! Gostei de tudo! Mesmo com a chuva, nada que tenha atrapalhado o roteiro

Unbeatable Free Tour of San José with the City Striders

Juan Pablo fue un excelente guía, nos llevó a lugares muy buenos, nos explicó cosas de la historia y vida cotidiana, fue muy amable, divertido e informado.

Unbeatable Free Tour of San José with the City Striders

Philip

6 Reviews

Wir können eine Teilnahme an der Tour uneingeschränkt empfehlen. Jeder der nicht teilnimmt, hat in San José etwas verpasst.

The only free tour in German in San José!

Our guide, Amaral, is a wonderful speaker with a highly entertaining style, interesting information and welcoming in fielding questions. The downtown tour highlighted key historical facts with corresponding buildings and statues, including fun cultural facts making everything more relevant. I’d highly recommend this tour.

Unbeatable Free Tour of San José with the City Striders

joni

1 Review

When you find yourself in San José, Costa Rica, be sure to sign up for the walking tour with Jules! Jules was enthusiastic, incredibly knowledgeable, and genuinely excited to share his love for Costa Rica. His passion for his country was contagious and made the experience so much more than just a history lesson. What really stood out to me was how warmly he was welcomed everywhere we went. Shop owners greeted him with smiles, and it was obvious they appreciated that he brings visitors into their businesses and supports the local community. It felt less like a scripted tour and more like exploring the city with a proud local who knows everyone. We visited places we never would have discovered on our own—from the beautiful National Theatre and vibrant Central Market to family-run food stalls where we sampled authentic Costa Rican specialties and fresh tropical fruits. Every stop had a story, and every story helped us understand the people, culture, and history of Costa Rica a little better. If you’re looking for an authentic introduction to San José, I can’t recommend Jules enough. His pride in his country, his energy, and his genuine kindness made this one of the highlights of our visit. Muchas gracias, Jules, for sharing your beautiful country with us! 🇨🇷

Welcome to Costa Rica!! Historical and Cultural Walking Tour

Die Tour mit Juan war der absolute Wahnsinn! Wir haben viel über die Stadt und ihre Geschichte erfahren, waren abseits von den anderen Touristen unterwegs und hatten eine richtig gute Zeit. Juan hat sich sehr viel Zeit für uns genommen, konnte alle unsere Fragen beantworten und ist sogar auf unsere Wünsche eingegangen, welche Orte wir besuchen wollen. 10/10

The only free tour in German in San José!

Andres

1 Review

Excelente el tour! Amaral el mejor guro lejos, un (como se dice en Argentina) LOCO LINDO, con mucha historia y una personalidad genial que atrapa desde el primer paso del tour. Gracias genio!

Unbeatable Free Tour of San José with the City Striders

Rashad

3 Reviews

Exceptional. This was, without a doubt, the highlight of my time in San Jose. I kept hearing people say, "Don't visit San Jose." I am so glad that I was so wrong. Jules was an outstanding guide. He truly embodied the 'Pura Vida' spirit; warm, genuine, and full of positive energy. He went above and beyond to make sure everyone had a memorable experience. I have done many free walking tours around the world, and this one stands out as my favourite. Not because San Jose has grand monuments like the Colosseum or dramatic landscapes like the Swiss Alps - it doesn't try or need to be those places. Its charm lies in something much more meaningful: its culture, its people, its coffee, its tropical fruits, its local food, and its relaxed way of life. This tour reminded me that what makes a place unforgettable isn't always its landmarks, it's the people who bring it to life. Jules did exactly that. If you are visiting Costa Rica, don't skip San Jose, and definitely don't miss this tour. Pura Vida!

Welcome to Costa Rica!! Historical and Cultural Walking Tour

Mateja

2 Reviews

Jules was an excellent guide. He included refreshments as part of the tour, introduced us to the local cuisine, and gave us some fantastic local tips. The tour even lasted a bit longer because we decided to visit the National Museum, and everyone was happy with that. It was the best walking tour I've ever been on.

Welcome to Costa Rica!! Historical and Cultural Walking Tour

Jules took us on a really nice tour of the centre of San José, showing us different neighbours and taking us to some places you might not know of/think of visiting. We also stopped along the way for snacks, including a little picnic in the park - all compliments of the guide! A really nice touch that I haven't experienced before on a walking tour! He answered any questions that we had. I would highly recommend! Muchas gracias, Jules!

Welcome to Costa Rica!! Historical and Cultural Walking Tour

Excelente tour, Amaral es el mejor, muy amable, atento y conocedor de San José, recomiendo ampliamente.

Unbeatable Free Tour of San José with the City Striders

This tour was excellent in every way. It exceeded my expectations. Jules gave us so much information and shared stories and bits of trivia. The pacing was perfect with bathroom stops and treats he provided for us to share. I’ve been on many Guru walks and this one was the best. Jules wanted us to see the beauty of San Jose that most people never see.

Welcome to Costa Rica!! Historical and Cultural Walking Tour

Amazing walking tour, Jules is a great guide and always attentive at everybody of the group! I definitely recommend, we learnt a lot of info and fun facts and got amazing tips on restaurants, shops and how to enjoy Costa Rica at the best ❤️

Welcome to Costa Rica!! Historical and Cultural Walking Tour

Jules was the best guide we could have hoped for. He took a lot of time and great care to give us an interesting, fun and overall enjoyable tour. Our experience was not just a walk through San José’s and Costa Rica’s history, but also full of tasting local foods, getting insights into local life, even a spontaneous visit to the national museum because there was free entry on that day! We could ask him countless questions and he patiently took the time to give us as many insights and help as possible. He was even so kind as to send us further information even after the tour. Many thanks for giving us a great start into our first experience of Costa Rica!

Welcome to Costa Rica!! Historical and Cultural Walking Tour

Randall nos enseñó los lugares más importantes de San José y su sistema político desde la perspectiva de un humilde trabajador. Un tour muy enriquecedor. También nos ayudó a encontrar una tarjeta telefónica y cambiar la moneda. Lo recomiendo 100%

Fall in love with San José with a local

pablo

1 Review

La pasamos excelente, el.guia un 10!!!

Unbeatable Free Tour of San José with the City Striders

Oyhama

1 Review

Adorei fazer o tour com Randall. Foi incrível e trouxe muita informação sobre a história da Costa Rica, cheia de detalhes. Passamos por museus, igrejas, marcados municipais, praças, prédios históricos, etc, vale a muito a pena. Fiquei umas 3 horas caminhando e Randall foi capaz de apresentar toda sua cultura e tradição. Super recomendo.

Fall in love with San José with a local

Muy bueno el tour. Tenemos dos sugerencias de mejora. La primera es que al momento de quedarnos tanto en el mercado como el local del café/chocolate nos hubiese gustado que se quede ahí con nosotros para poder seguir charlando. Puntualmente en el mercado, que no teníamos interés en comprar nada, quedamos en un lugar con calor y sin ningún lugar para poder sentarnos. Teniendo ganas de querer irnos antes, estuvimos ahí “incómodos” varios minutos esperando a su regreso La segunda sugerencia es que cuando paramos a que nos cuente parte de la historia si hay sombra mejor parar a la sombra y cuando hay mucho viento buscar un lugar que esté más al reparo para que el tiempo de escucha sea más agradable

Unbeatable Free Tour of San José with the City Striders

Juan is very knowledgable not just about San Jose but Costa Rica too and every aspect of travel with lots of great tips. His historical and political commentary is fascinating and he can answer any question even about bees! Highly recommended.

The only free tour in German in San José!