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San Jose

Costa Rica’s capital city, San José is not the best place on earth. It’s gritty, grimy, and good for a few days. There are a number of good things to do here though. From the glistening Gold and Jade museums to the forward thinking National Center of Art & Culture, the city is perfect for wanting a historical overview of the country. Food and accommodation in San José is reasonably prices and the city is so compact it’s usually possible to walk to wherever you need to go. There are a lot of good day trips from the city. Overall, it’s a good place to orient yourself for a few days.

Costs in San Jose

• Hostel Prices: Expect to pay between 4,000-7,600 Colones per night for a dorm and 11,200 Colones or more for a single.
• Budget Hotel Prices: There are plenty of budget hotels in San José with prices starting at 13,000 Colones, but 23,000 Colones is more realistic for a nice place in the city center.
• Average Cost of Food: Meals in restaurants typically cost between 3,000-5,600 Colones but by eating at ‘sodas’ (family run small restaurants) you can get a meal and drink for 1,520-3,000 Colones. Fast food has become very widespread in recent years and if you need your McDonald’s, you’ll spend about 3,000 Colones for it.
• Cost of Internet: Most accommodation offers free internet access, otherwise 500 Colones per hour is the normal rate.
• Transportation Costs: Taxi fares begin at 510 Colones and increase by 90 Colones per kilometer, it will rarely cost more than 2500 Colones to get around the city center. However, if you want to go to the outskirts, be prepared to pay around 7,00 Colones. A trip to the airport is about 12,000 Colones. Buses around San José are cheap with fares usually costing somewhere around 10 Colones to 45 Colones.

Things to do in San Jose

• National Center of Art & Culture. This sprawling museum occupies an entire block and houses the offices of the Cultural Ministry, several performing-arts centers, and the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design where you can see the work of cutting edge Costa Rican and Central American artists. This is the place to see contemporary dance and theatre in San José.
• The Gold Museum. The ‘Museo del Oro’ is part of a three story basement complex just off the Plaza de la Cultura. The museum has an extensive display of the uses of Pre-Columbian gold as viewed by the indigenous societies and there are hundreds of exquisite glittering pieces to admire. Also included in your admission price is a numismatic museum featuring rare coins and bills, as well as an art gallery.
• Costa Rican Art Museum. This art deco museum houses a permanent display of 3,200 national treasures spanning over the last two centuries with travelling exhibits filling the remaining side galleries. There is a garden of sculptures with works from Francisco Zuniga, Jorge Jimenez and others. Many visitors also combine a day of walking round the lush grounds of Sabana Park with their trip to the Art Museum.
• La Paz Waterfall Gardens. La Paz is the most popular tour you can take from San José and aside from the waterfalls, there’s also an aviary, hummingbird garden, butterfly garden, reptiles, big cats and more. Unfortunately the area was damaged by a 6.4 earthquake in January 2009 and a couple of trails were lost to landslides, but the Gardens are back to their magnificent selves now after a lengthy repair program.
• Jade Museum. The Jade Museum is located on the 11th floor of the largest building in Central America, the National Insurance Building. The museum has the world’s largest collection of Pre-Columbian jade with pieces dating from 500 BC to 800 AD and thanks to recent upgrades to the lighting fixtures, you’ll see them in all their glory. The museum also offers an excellent view over San José and the Central Valley.
• Doka Coffee tour. Doka is a huge (1600 Hectare) working coffee plantation and offers visitors the chance to experience every step of the coffee making process. The gift shop is huge too! Many people combine a trip to the plantation with a day trip to the Poas Volcano.
• Canopy Tours. Like most other Central American countries, Costa Rica is covered in dense rainforest terrain. A canopy tour involves gliding over the tree canopies on a zip wire and is an exhilarating experience which offers you the rare chance to see the most active part of the rainforest – the top 10% of the trees.
• Mercado Central. The Central Market in San José is found in a bright yellow building on the Avenue Central – you can’t miss it. Buy your souvenirs or check out local foods amongst the hundreds of colorful stalls. Try your luck with bargaining, it always helps if you know a little bit of Spanish!
• Poas Volcano The best day trip out of the city, this volcano isn’t active anymore but instead features a sulfur water filled caldera. The water is so still and aqua marine, you almost think it’s fake and been painted on. The area has some good hiking trails and will get you pictures that make your friends jaws drop.

Budget Tips for San Jose

• Student cards. Many attractions offer reduced admission rates for students with a valid student card. If you are a student, make sure you bring your card around.
• Skip the Taxis. Downtown San Jose is very walkable. Even the parts on the edge aren’t more than a nice 30 minute walk. Skip taking taxis. They will eat into your budget very, very fast.
• Eat at the Mercado Central If you want to save money on food, eat at the central market. The food is cheaper than most other places in the city center and very delicious. You can find meals starting at 1,500 Colones.

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