Best Season | Shoulder Season | Low Season | Not Available
Discover the authentic spirit of Costa Rica’s capital with this short and enriching San José experience, designed for travelers who want to connect with the country’s culture, history, and local traditions.
Begin your journey with an evening city tour through San José’s historic center, where illuminated landmarks, traditional markets, elegant neighborhoods, and local cuisine come together to offer a memorable introduction to the city.
Continue with a visit to a renowned coffee plantation, where you will learn about Costa Rica’s world-famous coffee culture, from cultivation and harvesting to roasting and tasting.
With free time to relax, explore, or enjoy the city at your own pace, this program is the perfect way to experience San José’s warmth, flavor, and unmistakable Pura Vida spirit.
Meals included: Dinner
Upon arrival at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), one of our representatives will be waiting for you outside the arrivals terminal to welcome you to Costa Rica, provide all the necessary information for your trip, and escort you to your shared tourist transportation to your selected hotel in the San José area, where you will stay for the next 3 nights.
Towards the end of the afternoon, you will enjoy a guided walking tour along the pedestrian boulevards of downtown San José. The experience begins at the iconic Central Market, where you will discover traditional local products commonly used to prepare Costa Rican dishes.
You will then continue walking along Central Boulevard toward some of the city’s most emblematic landmarks, including Plaza de la Cultura and the historic National Theatre. The route will also pass through the elegant neighborhoods of Amón and Otoya.
To end the evening, you will enjoy a special dinner in an elegant neoclassical house, where you will taste the exquisite flavors of traditional Costa Rican cuisine.
Note: If the international flight arrival time does not allow for connection with this excursion, it will be offered on Day 2 of the itinerary instead.
Meals included: Breakfast
In the morning, comfortable tourist transportation will pick you up from your hotel in the San José metropolitan area for a short transfer of approximately 20 minutes to the Café Britt Plantation. Upon arrival, the friendly staff will welcome you for the Classic Coffee Tour.
During this 1 hour and 30 minute walking tour, you will learn how Costa Rica’s unique climate, fertile soils, and varied altitudes create the perfect conditions for growing gourmet coffee beans. Your expert guide will introduce you to the life cycle of gourmet coffee along a short trail of approximately 350 meters. Starting at the nursery, you will follow the cultivation process through to the harvest and the selection of the finest beans.
Let yourself be carried away by the unmistakable aroma of roasted coffee as you learn how different roasting temperatures affect the beans and the final preparation. This process allows Café Britt to deliver the best Costa Rican coffee from the plantation to your cup, anywhere in the world.
The final part of the tour is highly interactive. You will visit a small theater where baristas will reveal the best techniques for tasting and identifying premium gourmet coffee — and you may even have the chance to try “breaking the cup” yourself.
Meals included: Breakfast
Enjoy a free day to relax at the hotel, visit a shopping center, or choose from one of the optional excursions available in the area at an additional cost.
After enjoying an unforgettable visit to Costa Rica, your transfer will be scheduled from your selected hotel in San José to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) for your return flight home.
Please note that Costa Rican immigration authorities recommend passengers arrive at the airport 3 hours before their flight departure in order to complete airline check-in and immigration procedures.
The departure transfer operates on a fixed schedule as a shared service. If a special departure time is required, please consult us for the supplement for a private transfer.
