Interesting Places To Visit In San Jose, Costa Rica

By Author: Smartkathy Green
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San Jose, Costa Rica is located in the country’s Central Valley, which is first colonized in the 1500s. The city became Costa Rica’s capital in 1823. San Jose is one of the youngest cities in Latin America by the year of conception. Today, this beautiful city is a modern city with bustling commerce, brisk expression of art and architecture and spurred by the country’s improved tourism industry; it is a significant destination and a stopover for foreign visitors.

The best way to experience Costa Rica’s urban culture in San Jose is by taking a car hire. Speckled with beautiful public parks, markets and courtyards, the city has much to offer. These public places act as meeting places for the city’s friendly locals.

The city is packed with office towers, shopping malls and fast-food restaurants, though booming capitalism has left a large portion of the city’s residents disenfranchised. With each passing year, the city is becoming quite modern.

For most travelers, a stopover in San Jose is regarded as a necessity before heading to the ‘real’ Costa Rica. ...
... However, to josefinos, as inhabitants of San Jose are called, San Jose might not be a thing of beauty, but it is the center of it all.

A few days in San Jose can offer a perspective on the true face of the nation and indeed there is truth to the concept of ‘beauty on your doorstep.’ The markets are vibrant and the nightlife is as sophisticated. San Jose is home for historical museums and some monuments where colonial styling still radiate.

The main attractions in San Jose:

Mercado Central:
The bustling central market is the perfect place to fill your backpack or suitcase’s empty places.

Avenida Central:
At the end of Mercado central, starts Central Avenue, which is the pedestrian friendly epicenter of shops and restaurants.

El Pueblo:
San Jose’s famous all night entertainment and nightlife hub. El Pueblo provides night full of joy and fun to tourists and locals both with restaurants, discos, galleries and more.

The Simon Bolivar Zoo:
Being the biggest zoo of Costa Rica, this zoo showcases a whole host of Costa Rica’s endemic animal species.

Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica:
This is San Jose’s National Theater and one of Costa Rica’s grandest architectural attractions.

Apart from these attractions, San Jose is also famous for its beautiful beaches. Popular beaches in San Jose are Jaco beach, and Manuel Antonio. Car hire in San Jose is the best option to reach these beaches.

Costa Rica’s International Airport is about twenty minutes from San Jose. Rental cars are available immediately outside the airport and help you reach your destination. If you prefer to tour the city independently, you can hire a car at the airport.

San Jose remains relatively warm and humid year-round. But, the most cool and pleasant time of the year is in the December holiday season, which draws hordes of locals and travelers. By most accounts, the festivals and other celebrations are worth the hike in accommodation prices. On even years, San Jose holds the Festival de Arte, a conflagration of film, music, theatre, and other art forms, in March.