Most tourists that come to Costa Rica want to see the beaches and National Parks, the whole idea of taking a tour through downtown San José may not sound all that appealing, but although the capital city of Costa Rica is not all great, (I don’t think any capital of any country in the world is), it does has beautiful areas, many of them with a historic value that are worth knowing from a cultural point of view.

If you are interested in knowing the main attractions in San Jose but you don’t want to venture into doing so on your own, consider taking a tour, you have several options:

The VIP City Bus: Tours leave at 11 a.m. from the National Stadium in La Sabana. This is a double-decker bus, comfortable, with tour guides that will tell you about the history of the different buildings and areas. Usually the tour involves stops at places such as the National Theater, the Cathedral, a stop for a typical Costa Rican lunch, the National Monument, the Calderon Guardia Museum and the Central Market. Making the reservation online is possible. The total duration of the tour is 5 hours, it’s very informative and professional.

Chepecletas: This is a group of citizens that organizes bike tours in San Jose, if you don’t have your bike here you don’t have to worry as they provide the bikes in good condition. The tour includes a bilingual guide and a bottle of water, it’s an easy trail to ride, so your age doesn’t matter anyone can participate as long as they can ride a bike and are in good enough shape to do it. It’s available any day of the week and it begins at Parque España. This can be a private tour, so you can go with your family and/or a group of friends to make it more fun.

Walking Tours: There are several options to choose from; the regular tour extends for about 2 hours, it can be done any day of the week, it starts at the National Park. There’s the Gastronomic tour of the Central Market, this is an option for those that enjoy getting familiar with the food traditions of the country they’re visiting, if you are open minded to trying new things in an iconic place for Costa Rican’s like the Mercado Central, then this is for you. Another alternative is the Coffee Tour, not only will you be drinking some of the best Costa Rican coffee but you will visit the towns where Costa Rica’s coffee oligarchy used to live, antique houses and emblematic buildings. There’s also the Liquor Tour which starts out at the Old Liquor Factory where you can learn about the history of liquor in Costa Rica, you’ll visit some famous Costa Rican bars, and try traditional drinks. This last rout has a duration of 3.5 hours. All walking tours can be private too.

Museums, landmark buildings, theaters, impressive architecture and history, lots of history is what San José City has to offer.

Take the chance to experience San José through different eyes, you’ll learn a lot about this wonderful country.