San José Costa Rica

General Information | what you need to know

San José is the capital city of Costa Rica, it is located in the Central Valley at an altitude of 3840 ft. above sea level; its population is around 350,000 to 400,000 citizens.

San José is a modern city with a mixture of novel buildings and old colonial constructions. It’s the largest city of the country and the center for all kinds of business, including entertainment, industry, and cultural activities.

Established in 1736, San José became the capital city in 1823, after a series of events in which it was supposed that a different city would take the designation of capital during a given period of time. However, due to the inconvenience of those changes San José was elected to be officially the capital city.

San José is the heart of the country, here you can find everything, from stores to museums, hotels, parks, theaters, malls, hospitals, casinos, restaurants, and we could go on and on. Indeed, downtown San José offers a wide variety of places to visit such as The National Theater, the National Museum, the Gold Museum, the Jade Museum, the Plaza de la Democracia and the Plaza de la Cultura among others. The central avenue, which has become a boulevard, is one of the main ways to go shopping and walk freely to visit all the stores located on both sides of the street.

The National Theater

The National Theater is San José’s primary landmark; it was built in 1897 with a style similar to a European opera house. It is located next to the Plaza de la Cultura in downtown San José. This theater is the pride of Costa Ricans since it represents the effort people made at the end of the 19th century to have a place where culture and arts would join to delight of the society in that period. This wonderful architectonic jewel was built with money from coffee exports, and today is an authentic attraction for locals and tourists.

National Museum

Among the main museums in Costa Rica, the National Museum takes an important role for the history and culture of the country. Located next to the Plaza de la Democracia, just a few blocks east from the National Theater, it holds a small collection of Costa Rican Pre-Columbian Artifacts as well as post-conquest works of art. It was a colonial fort which was transformed into a museum in 1949 - a year after the abolition of Costa Rica’s army. The museum is entered through a gateway to a courtyard surrounded by the wings of the building; on the opposite side of the structure there is a big balcony that has a view over a big section of the capital city.

Other attractions

If you are interested in arts and culture there are many other places for you to visit:

• Melico Salazar Theater (In front of Metropolitan Park)
• Costa Rican Art Museum (East side of La Sabana Park)
• Gold Museum (Below Plaza de la Cultura)
• Coin Museum, History of Costa Rica money from the Conquest toward this days (Below Plaza de la Cultura)
• Jade Museum pre-Columbian artifacts (11th floor of the Instituto Nacional de Seguros- INS)

Living in San José

As it is the center of action for Costa Ricans, the capital city is one of the preferred destinations for new comers to settle in .Fortunately, there are many options for you to choose where to live. Among the most wanted destinations for foreign residents are Rohrmoser and Pavas, located to the west of La Sabana Park. Also, going beyond west of San José, you can find the city of Escazú, with a North American lifestyle, which includes vast supermarkets, splendid restaurants and huge shopping centers. But not everything has American style; there are other areas of the capital, which have nice and respectful neighborhoods that offer a good environment for your new life in Costa Rica. On the other side of the city, for example, San Pedro presents a university atmosphere and more to the east side of the city you can find the area of Curridabat, characterized by its luxurious housing.

Shopping in San José

The capital has experienced a radical but positive change concerning shopping centers. During the last two decades mega supermarkets, big malls and stores have been opened to the costumers, offering many services and products specially imported from Europe and the US. The advantage of these superstores is that they are located in accessible places. In the west part of the city there is Multiplaza, which is one of the biggest shopping centers of the country, next to it there is an Office Depot and a PriceSmart store. In the east part of San José there is the Mall San Pedro, the Outlet mall, and another Office Depot, and in Curridabat you can find another PriceSmart and Multiplaza del Este, which has been recently opened.

There are also the traditional shops for souvenirs and the popular stores like the Mercado Central and other markets where you can find more of the authentic products and goods that Costa Rican produce.

Night Life in the Capital City

San José at night can be a pleasant experience; early in the evening you can visit fantastic restaurants ranging from typical food to European or Mexican cuisine, or if you prefer you can enjoy one of the many plays presented in popular theaters. For those nighthawks there are many options too, such as bars, discotheques and nightclubs where you can listen to live music, dance, eat, enjoy and meet new people. Finally, those with good luck may try many of the casinos in downtown San José, where you are always welcome. As you can see there are many activities for you to do in San José, during the day or at night, just relax and enjoy the capital city of Costa Rica.