San Jose, Costa Rica Travel Guide

Founded in 1737, San José today is a sprawling metropolis. Costa Rica’s capital and the largest city in the country is considered to be among the most cosmopolitan cities in Latin America. Here, you can find not only good accommodations and hotels but many wonderful museums, bars, restaurants, shopping centers, colorful markets, and fast-paced nightlife.

Another attractive characteristic of San José is its temperate weather, which can be quite a relief, particularly during the summer months. Because of its relatively high elevation of 1,170 m (3,839 feet) the city, like the rest of the Central Valley, is always a pleasant temperature year-round, with very limited showers. 

San José is the heart of Costa Rica and home to roughly half the country’s 5 million citizens. It’s one of those cities that doesn’t wow you from afar, but once your feet are on the ground it’s easy to appreciate its humble blend of tradition, grit, and culture. San Jose Costa Rica is home to solid history and culture, outstanding architecture, friendly locals, and bustling nightlife. It is considered a traditional Central American city and a cosmopolitan urban city; San Jose provides its visitors with an amazing collection of activities and attractions while vacationing in the country.

This city is the cultural center of Costa Rica, thus there are plenty of art galleries, museums, parks, and dining alternatives for visitors to choose from. Although the city is reasonably modern as far as Latin American cities, it is unusual to see buildings that are older than 100 years.

Some of the most common attractions in San Jose include the Jade Museum, Democracy Plaza, Central Park, Spanish Park, Morazan Park, and the National Park. The Jade Museum is one of the country’s most exceptional museums and it is home to the largest collection of American jade in the world. San Jose sits in the middle of the country in the Central Valley and it is surrounded by superb untouched cloud forests. The city serves as a hub to the rest of the country and it is not only the perfect place to use as a base to tour around Costa Rica but also serves as the gate for the first and last night during a vacation. Downtown San Jose is the busiest part of the city, with a network of streets and avenues where you can find city museums, different hotels for all needs, restaurants, bars, and plazas.

The downtown area is somewhat small and it is one of the most visited parts of the city by locals and visitors, thus do keep in mind that you might come across some heavy traffic with lots of congestion and noise. It is the heart of San Jose though and you may want to look at it. Streets and avenues are usually bustling with traffic and pedestrians, so walking might be the best way to explore this area.