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Most people who are visiting Costa Rica internationally will either fly into the airport in Liberia or the airport in San Jose. Liberia is a great choice for those looking to take advantage of some of Costa Rica’s nicer All Inclusive resorts, but for everyone else, San Jose is usually the way to go!
I myself flew into San Jose last summer prior to my tour through the country. Having learned my lesson about travel delays, I ensured that I’d arrive to the city a day before my tour. If you’re not early, you’re late- especially when it comes to travel!
This extra day begged the question: what the heck is there to do in San Jose?
Check Out The Museums!
San Jose has a variety of interesting museums to visit during your stay.
The National Museum of Costa Rica is one of the more popular museums in San Jose and only $11 for foreign visitors. This museum offers displays covering the cultural and natural history of Costa Rica, and it even has a pretty butterfly garden.
The Jade Museum is a five story building that houses the world’s largest collection of American jade. Tickets are a little more expensive at $16 for foreign visitors.
If that wasn’t enough precious material for you, check out the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum! The museum houses over 1,500 gold pieces, some of which date back to 400BC! Tickets for this museum will run you just under $17.
Explore The Mercado Central
As the largest market in San Jose, this is a great place to get some souvenir shopping done! The building hosts 200 vendors selling everything from stuffed animals to knock off bags to food and drinks! This market is almost entirely enclosed inside the building which makes it a great place to get lost in on a rainy day- and I do mean lost! Those narrow winding alley ways between vendors can confuse even the most seasoned of travelers- though luckily it’s easy enough to find the exit and reorient yourself. All that is to say- if you see something you like, buy it immediately because you may never find that stall again!
Go On A Food Tour
If you’re looking for a more structured way to visit the city, check out this super reasonably priced food tour! This 3hr30min tour will not only guide you through Mercado Central, but also several of the top tourist sights in the city, all while sampling some of the best food in the city. Food is included on this tour so it’s best not to eat beforehand!
Check Out The Bars
As a final goodbye, my tour group and I decided to go out to Costa Rica Beer Factory. It’s perhaps a little touristy, but was huge and had a great selection of food and beer plus a giant Jenga set that captured our attention for nearly an hour.
The Beer Factory is in a great location so we walked down the street to another bar that served enormous 48oz frozen margaritas (best enjoyed with a friend). We did our best and still had to take huge cups of margaritas to go!
If neither of these options appeal to you, feel free to explore the area to find a bar more your style- there were plenty of options to choose from!
Go On A Day Trip
Now if you really have some time to kill in San Jose, go on a day trip and see more of the country! I put together this list of tour options that’ll really give you a great sampling of the beautiful country.
Personally I wouldn’t plan to spend too much time in San Jose itself, but its a great option as a launching point for further explorations in Costa Rica!
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