San Jose Costa Rica

San Jose Costa Rica - San Jose is the Capital of Costa Rica and only sizeable city is not an established city-break destination, more usually a stopping-off point en route to the natural attraction of the countryside.

San Jose Costa Rica is the modern capital that welcomes visitors with its cosmopolitan charm. Founded in 1737, the City was a small quiet town until around the 1890's when El Teatro Nacional was built. Considered Central America’s grandest theatre, Teatro Nacional was built to emulate the Paris Opera with funding raised by a tax on coffee. The city is dotted with grand plazas and parks it also boasts many museums. The Gold Museum offers a rare look at the different gold artefacts of ancient Latin American civilizations.

San Jose is the place where money flows, it's where the start-ups of the amazing Internet, also big online companies like; Google, Ebay and Adobe.

Downtown San Jose Costa Rica features the city’s top places of interest. The dazzling Teatro Neoclassical architecture, is the city’s most remarkable building. The nearby Museo del Opo Precolombino, as well as the Museo de Jade Fidel Tristan Castro and the Museo Nacional in the east – all of which display pre-Columbian artifacts – are also major attractions.

Even though the International airport in Liberia, the country has greatly expanded its capacity in the last year, Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, is still where most people arrive in Costa Rica. So, before departing on your Costa Rican beach vacation trip, you might want to sample some of the colour that Capital has to offer. If you are a business traveller, take time to enjoy the entertainment, culture and great restaurants that are springing up in the City.

The roads in San Jose Costa Rica are easy to navigate, as they are numbered in logical grid systems. San Jose city centre’s walk takes you past some of the most interesting cultural attractions, providing a varied introduction to the sights of San Jose.

You can visit the following in the City:

Parque Central, Teatro Melico Salazar. This is a more a meeting point than a park.

Plaza de la Cultura and Teatro Nacional. The theatre is an architectural attraction as well as the most important performance space in the country.

Museo del Oro Precolombino. This museum is a hidden treasure tucked away inconspicuously underneath the plaza de la Cultural in a cellar-like building.

Mercado Artesanal. This small arts-and-crafts market is a good place to pick up bargain souvenirs.

Museo Nacional de Costa Rica. The Country's most important historical museum is housed in a former army barracks that was the scene of fighting during the civil war of 1948. As you approach the building, or walk around it, you can still see hundreds of bullet holes on the turrets at its corners.

Parque Nacional. This peaceful green park shaded by tall trees, makes for a restful break.

Museo de Arte y Diseno Contemporaneo. The contemporary Art and Design Museum, which mainly showcase the work of modern artists from across Central America, is another example of a cultural attraction incorporated into an historic building.

Museo del Jade. The Jade Museum is famous for displaying the largest collection of American Jade in the world.

The above places in the capital are best explored on foot.

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