El Pueblo Tourist Center, 1 minute walk
El Pueblo Tourist Center offer shoppping facilities,
restaurants, bars and discotheque.
Enjoy the narrow streets just like in the old days,
nice architecture ...
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Butterfly Garden, 2 minutes
walk
"In a quiet but exuberant botanical garden enjoy a living
collection of plants, butterflies and hummingbirds of
Costa Rica. The perfect introduction to the natural
history of these wonderful beings !"
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Children Museum, 5 Minutes
walking
The museum is in the old penitentiary. The displays
allow children to learn and experience science, music,
geography and other subjects.
4 Street, 9 Ave. North, San Jose
Opening hours: Wed-Fri 10:00-12:00
/ 14:00-17:00 Sat-Sun 10:00-13:00 / 14:00-17:00
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National Theater, 10 minutes
walking
Built in 1890, a national treasure and nation's most
impressive architectural showpiece. There are regular
performances in the theater and this is maybe the best
way to see the splendid public areas inside of the building.
Plaza La Cultura, San Jose
Phone: 221-1329
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00 &
Sat 9:00-12:00, 13:00-17:00
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Gold Museum, 10 minutes walk
This museum houses a collection of more than 2,000 pre-Columbian
gold pieces. There is also a collection of old coins,
a small numismatic museum and a display of Costa Rican
art.
5th Street, Central & 2nd Ave.
Plaza La Cultura, San Jose
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10:00-16:30
Admission: US$6 approximately, per person
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The San José Central Post Office
(10 Minutes walking)
The Central Post Office building of San José is one
of the most beautiful buildings of the city.
It was declared Historical and Arquitectonic Reliquary
Value, in 1980.
The construction started in 1914 and finished in 1917.
A.L. Moreno and the English Construction Co. Ltd did
the construction at the cost was 27.114 English Pound.
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National Museum, 10 Minutes
walking
 The
"Museum National" is housed in the Bellavista Fortress,
the old army headquarters. Display Costa Rican archaeology,
some jade and gold, colonial furniture and costume,
colonial and religious art, and historical exhibits.
Central Ave. 15&17 Street, San Jose
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 8:30-16:30, Sun 9:00-14:30
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The Cathedral (10 minutes walking)
In 1813 the status of San Jose, was elevated from a
small town (Villa), to a city: it was then necessary
to have a temple. Nevertheless, the construction of
the church started in 1820, and not until 1878 the cathedral
could be considered definitively concluded.
In 1824 the principal façade was erected; closed during
the years of 1871 to 1878 for the changing of the wild
cane roof and the building of stonewalls.
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Fanal Museum, 10 Minutes walking
CENAC: National Culture Center of San José.
The most complete Cultural Center of Central America.
Located at the former National Liquors Factory building.
The building dates from 1853.
The National Culture Center has two public squares and
one amphitheater surrounded by beautiful gardens. It
also shelters the museum of Arts and Contemporaneous
Designs; the house of Iberoamerican Culture; the Costa
Rica College; National Dance Company; the Theater 1887,
(Dancing Group); The Fanal Theater, branch of the National
Theater Company; The Magon Cultural Prize Gallery, one
of the most important cultural price of Costa Rica.
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Jade Museum, 10 minutes walking
Displays panoply of pre-Columbian artifacts (mostly
carved adzes and pendants) and reconstructions. The
museum also displays a archaeological exhibits of ceramics,
stonework and gold.
9 Street, 7 Ave., INS Building, 11 Floor, San Jose
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9:00-16:30
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Art Museum, Between 5 and 10
Minutes driving
 Founded
in 1977, the museum, houses a permanent collection of
some of the most important works in the history of the
fine arts in Costa Rica (contains a collection of local
paintings and sculpture from the 19th and 20th centuries).
There are also changing shows of local artist.
La Sabana Park, San Jose
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10:00-16:00
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INBio Parque, Between 10 and
15 Minutes driving
 Only
by understanding biodiversity can we protect it, manage
it, and help society use it without destroying it. Today
we understand only a minute fraction of Costa Rica’s
species and how they interact. What do they eat? What
do they produce? Where are they? How fast do they replace
themselves? On whom do they depend? How can we grow
them? How tolerant are they of perturbation? Where else
can they grow? These and many more questions require
a very focused, on-site, day-in and day-out examination
of the biodiversity in a country’s conserved wild lands.
And the people of the nation where this biodiversity
lives will only carry that examination forth with care,
enthusiasm, dedication and perseverance.
At INBio, visitors will experience in its 20 acres,
living samples of Costa Rica's native ecosystems: Tropical
rain forest, tropical dry forest, the Central Valley
native forest, and a beautiful pond with aquatic plants
and insects.
INBio is a sensory experience combining interpreted
nature trails with the most advanced multimedia technology
in its bio-exhibits. Visitors will learn about Costa
Rica's biodiversity, as well as a series of important
activities developed in the fields of its conservation
scientific research, and sustainable use. INBio also
shows Costa Rica's efforts to conserve its biodiversity
through the establishment of protected areas.
Santo
Domingo, Heredia
Opening hours: Daily, from 7:30 to 16:00
Admission: Approx. US$18 per person (special rates for
children)
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Braulio Carrillo National Park,
about 20 Minutes driving
 Less
than 30 minutes drive from San Jose, the main highway
to Limon cuts through this magnificent park, too often
admired only from the comfort of a vehicle. The Braulio
Carrillo National Park (named after Costa Rica’s third
chief of state) was established in 1978 in order to
support and protect a great and varied number of plant
and animal species.
Rugged mountain peaks, primary forest, dormant volcanoes,
thundering waterfalls, deep canyons and semi permanent
cloud and/or rain combine to create a unique environment
of 44,099ha
Part of the reason why there is such a huge variety
of plant and animal life in Braulio Carrillo is that
it encompasses a wide spread of altitudinal zones. Elevations
within the park range from the top of the Barva Volcano
(2906m) to less than 50m in the Caribbean lowlands.
Five different life zones are represented and their
differences in elevation create many different habitats.
A visit to the park can consists of anything from a
brief stop to see just one habitat to an adventurous
trip of several days, climbing Barva and perhaps the
nearby volcano Cacho Negro (2150m) before descending
down to the lowlands on foot. The observant naturalist
may see Costa Rica’s national bird, the resplendent
Quetzal, as well as umbrella birds, toucans, trogons,
guans, eagles and a host of other avifauna. Mammals
living in the park include cats such as the jaguar,
puma or ocelot, tapirs and sloths, all of which are
difficult to see. More likely sightings include peccaries
or one of the three species of monkeys present in the
park.
30 km north of San Jose, Heredia
Opening hours: From 8:00 to 16:00
Admission: Approx. US$6 per person
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Poas Volcano, about 40 minutes
driving
 This
6500Ha park is one of the oldest and best known national
parks in Costa Rica. The centerpiece of the park is
the Poas Volcano (2704m), which has been active since
well before records started in 1828. There have been
three major periods of activity, 1888 to 1895, 1903
to 1912 and 1952 to 1954 occasionally geyser eruptions
continue, and from 1989 to 1991 gas emissions led to
acid rain. At the present time, the spectacular crater
is a bubbling and steaming cauldron but doesn’t pose
an imminent threat. The mountain is composed by composite
basalt. The huge crater is 1.3km wide and 300m deep.
Because of toxic sulphuric acid fumes, visitors are
prohibited from descending into the crater, but the
view down from the top is very impressive. Poas’ second
crater lake, Laguna Botos, is located a short trail
to the south.
37 km north of Alajuela
Opening hours: From 8:00 to 16:00
Admission: Approx. US$6 per person
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