Welcome to a manual to sudden San Jose! Costa Rica is, of the route, a paradise for nature fanatics. consequently, it makes the experience that many human beings only want to spend a minimum amount of time within the capital of San Jose earlier than heading to the beaches and tropical rainforests.

moreover, it must be stated that San Jose doesn't have first-rate recognition and is understood for crime and gang war. nevertheless, at some stage in the day the metropolis is exceptionally safe for tourists and most of the people of site visitors, as we did, enjoy problem unfastened visits to the town.



Statues out of doors the National Museum

situated in the critical valley, San Jose is the capital and largest town in Costa Rica and is surrounded by volcanoes, coffee plantations and cloud forests. in case you are travelling independently in Costa Rica, you'll in all likelihood locate yourself returning to the capital on at least one event as a way to take onwards transportation. for the duration of our Costa Rican journey, we observed ourselves inside the city 3 times in all – on arrival, departure, and while catching a connecting bus.

the best information is that San Jose isn't any such bad region as you can have heard. no longer handiest is San Jose domestic to a few terrific avenue art and numerous thrilling museums, but it has a beautiful countrywide theatre. Admittedly, San Jose isn't always one of the great towns of the sector, however, it truly is not with the out hobby. Exploring its downtown streets and coming across the city's colorful avenue art honestly saved us satisfied on our visits there. with out further ado, here's a guide to unexpected San Jose!




colourful building of San Jose

want to recognize

safety

it's far safe to explore vital San Jose at some stage in the day. The most common crime is pickpocketing, so maintain your valuables at ease and out of sight and it'll substantially reduce your hazard of an incident. avoid the subsequent areas at night time: 10 avenues, The Coca-Cola marketplace and Barrio Los Angeles California. moreover, live clear of the parks, which might be recognized to be dangerous outdoor of sunlight hours. if you do an assignment out at night time, ensure you are taking a taxi. it's always a great concept to test with your inn or hostel in case you aren't sure which neighbourhoods are risky to stroll around in.

ingesting

To be sincere, we located it was tough to find respectable places to eat in San Jose. there was a little center eastern café close to our lodge which made extraordinary (and cheap!) falafel wraps and chook shawarmas. consequently, it has become our move-to place. but, other than that little joint, nowhere else we attempted impressed us. There are, of course, a few true eating places inside the metropolis, however, we just failed to find them!

here are a few that we have heard about too late!

l. a. Oreja Negra places a clean spin on tapas inspired dishes and additionally serves local artisan beers. there's a cute courtyard to enjoy al fresco eating.
eating place Silvestre has a high-quality reputation and serves traditional dishes with a twist in stylish surroundings.

We want we had made it to El Buho Vegetariano, which by means of all debts, is the high-quality veggie/vegan restaurant within the town. apparently, the food isn't always the handiest seasonal and natural, however delicious and reasonably priced.

accommodation

one of the top-rated hostels within the city is Capital Hostel de Ciudad in which dorms and private rooms are available. inside the dorms, each visitor has their very own pod, entire with curtain, shelves, plug socket, and light. there's a BBQ/yoga location within the backyard as well as a living room and working area.

We stayed at Hotel Santo Tomas, that's a boutique inn within on foot distance to all the principal attractions. it's a mid-variety option with breakfast covered in the fee and changed into secure and pleasant. It even has a small swimming pool and some out of doors regions to loosen up in. It became additionally very at ease.



inn Santo Thomas

in case you are searching out a hint of luxury, you can not beat the Marriott, which is a twenty-minute pressure from downtown. it's miles built on a 30-acre former espresso plantation with views of the mountains and town skyline. It offers the whole lot which you could expect from a luxury hotel which includes two eating places, a bar, a swimming pool, and a health room.

how to get to Downtown San Jose from the Airport

We took a bus to and from the airport – it became cheap and only took approximately 35 mins. On arrival, we took a taxi to our inn. although it became close by, it was getting darkish and we couldn't get our bearings, so we determined to play it secure.

Leaving San Jose for different destinations in Costa Rica

We discovered the bus network true in Costa Rica. but, we did discover ourselves having to alternate buses in San Jose that allows you to go from the Pacific coast to the Caribbean coast. Confusingly, there's no fundamental bus terminal in San Jose, however, terminals are scattered through the capital. The buses from every one of them head to special destinations through u . s . a . and added to other main crucial American cities.

What to do and notice in San Jose

Plaza de Cultura

at the coronary heart of the metropolis lies Plaza de Cultura. apart from the splendor of the National Theatre, the structure at the plaza isn't especially exciting. however, it is an area in which vendors congregate, road performers, entertain the crowds and families stroll along consuming ice cream. At weekends it comes alive with concerts, performances and is also every now and then the scene of political demonstrations. the surrounding streets are brimming with stores that consist of the entirety from global manufacturers to tacky memento stores.



Plaza de Cultura

The countrywide Theatre

With an outdoors in neo-classical style, this outstanding theatre changed into built between 1891 and 1897 and turned into stimulated by the Palais Garnier in Paris. The ornate lobby is home to statues via Pietro Bulgarelli and it's feasible to pop internal and catch a glimpse of it. The theatre's maximum extraordinary characteristic is a mural at the ceiling through Aleardo Villa, which depicts rural lifestyles in Costa Rica at the flip of the 20 th century. The countrywide Symphony Orchestra performs regularly further to a full program of ballet, plays, operas and concert events. Guided excursions are available in the course of the day.



The foyer of the country wide Theatre

The Museums

depending on your pursuits, there are a few museums in San Jose worth of a visit. here's our pick of 4 of the excellent:

The Pre-Columbian Gold Museum

placed in a subterranean constructing on Plaza de Cultura, this museum is domestic to over 3,000 gold, ceramic, and stone Pre-Columbian artifacts. spread out over several floors, the museum examines the position of gold for the duration of Pre-Columbian instances. Signage is in Spanish and English.

The Jade Museum

You cannot pass over the hanging sight of this museum, which is built to resemble a block of uncooked jade stone. Over 7,000 portions of jade collectively with Pre-Columbian artwork and pottery are on show on 5 floors. The layout is well-presented and the records are in Spanish and English.

The Museum of modern-day artwork and design

when you have an appreciation for cutting-edge art, that is the most effective place to move to in San Jose. reveals are ever-changing and encompass experimental, audio, and visible presentations. The museum is small, however the front price is only a few bucks.



exhibit on the Museum of current art and layout

The countrywide Museum

Housed in a former citadel (which still has bullet holes seen at the construction), The National Museum strains the natural records collectively with the anthropology, archaeology, and records of Costa Rica. 

The superstar of the show is the Butterfly garden at the doorway of the museum wherein you may see an array of the USA's most fantastic butterflies. (N.B. The butterflies do not get any extra awesome than the ones in Costa Rica!)



The countrywide Museum

The central market

This bustling market on the valuable streets includes a maze of lanes and alleyways wherein providers promote the entirety from digital items to Costa Rican espresso. additionally, it is a brilliant area to pick out up a souvenir or two and the prices are normally decreased than stores. There are tiny eateries in which you could sit and sample the freshly cooked local cuisine. A marketplace is usually an excellent way to gain a glimpse of neighborhood lifestyles and this one is not any exception.

street artwork

one of the highlights of our time in San Jose became coming from the metropolis's avenue art. vibrant city art can be visible all around the metropolis, but one of the high-quality locations to locate it is Avenida three among Calles 15/17. The colorful and revolutionary road art in this area is ample and captivating.



Street Art of San Jose