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Pro
A lot of culture to see
Con
A lot of people in a small space
In a nutshell
The capital of Costa Rica is not an overhwhelming city, with friendly people and a lot of places to shop
Teatro Nacional - Beautiful Little Theatre
Jase1177 Says: If you are in San Jose for at least a few hours, you are bound and should go to see the Teatro Nacional in the center of downtown (I walked around downtown for about 5 hours the night before I was to fly out). Built in 1897, it attempts to be reminiscent of the ornate grand...
nphau1016 Says:
Historical Places in Costa Rica
nphau1016 Says:
sery Says: San Jose` has a variety of things to see and do and experience. I of course didn't get to do them all, but I enjoyed the food, the culture, the night life and of course the shopping. The restaurant where I showed pics of the food was excellent, as was the one on the...
Hostel Pangea: Horrid service and terrible management
kentrankin Says: When you go to a hostel, you might expect that it would contain a lot of 20-ish young adults that might be experimenting a lot in life and might have not yet figured out a lot of things fully. That's fine, and half the joy of being there. However, you certainly wouldn't...
Hotel Aeropuerto: Hotel Aeropuerto - Nearby with Lower Rates
Jase1177 Says: In most discussions or readings, most people visiting Costa Rica spend very little time in San Jose. Many use San Jose simply because of the airport to arrive & depart, and often just need a place to stay for a night or two. This was my case; I needed a place to stay the...
El Grano de Oro: Golden Grain: a piece of France in CR
wesbri Says: European cuisine with the best French cook in town in an environment of flowers, tropical trees and singing birds...it is like Paris in the Tropics... Continental cusine with local savour...Steak with a black bean sauce...incredible..a lot of tropical fruits...wine...
The News Cafe: Too Touristy & Poor Food
Jase1177 Says: Okay, I had a lapse of "gotta eat where the food is like home". I read a review of this place in my guidebook and thought it would be nice place to sit and read while I grabbed food. It is definitely a place where unadventurous tourist go to eat. The location is good if you...
jlanza29 Says: By having cousins that lived in Costa Rica for years, they knew all the in's and out's and this is an "IN" place.......It is a place that the upperclass comes and gathers after partying all night long in Escazu.....the theme is Mexican, with Mariachhi's standing outside...
Escazu: The city that never sleeps...
nphau1016 Says: When you get to San Jose and are ready to go out and have a great time, start asking around and find out where the really big club scene is in town. Away from the direct downtown, I think that we had headed north and east a bit, only like a 10 minute drive. This party club...
Escazu neighborhood: Cheap party lots of fun
jlanza29 Says: San Jose upscale neighborhood offers various night spots and bars.....Come early go home late......Spent all night drinking Heinken beer (Heinken has a production plant in Costa Rica) and had the time of my life only spent $30 US.....relatively safe, but you must go at night...
nphau1016 Says: When getting into a taxi, always amke sure that they tell you how much their rate is, because we were misled one time when getting a ride across town to one of the central club areas and were very overcharged.
7th Street Books: Good English Books on Costa Rica & Travel
Jase1177 Says: This bookstore is nothing elaborate but has a good selection in its open setting. The majority of the books here are in English. Although not the megabookstores of the US, it has a fair selection for a small location. If you want some reading material on or regarding Costa...
Cow's tongue at Mercado Central: Have you ever seen tongue?
AnjoLuci Says: Inside Mercado Central they sell everything...Any kind of meet, spices, seafood, herbs, clothes... well, go there see for yourself You don't have to buy tongue. Many restaurants in San Jose have tongue in their menu. No clue!
Mercado Central: Taste the fresh and pure
AnjoLuci Says: Spices for sale .
Mercado Central: A Hidden Treasure Easy to Find
AnjoLuci Says: Mercado Central is a place to go when visiting San Jose. It is an experience that you must go through.The hallway, isle throughout Mercado Central is no larger than 1,5 meters or about 1,5 yards.At first when I saw the outside I was afraid to go in... Spices, Cheese,...
Part_Native Says: The customs in San Jose is a bit backwards & will assign the term "Computer Equipmrnt" to any item that they think uses electricity. If you are bringing 2 or more computers per person they will try to put a tax on it or make you leave a deposit on it. In some cases, your...
Jase1177 Says: The Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose charges a $26 departure tax to leave Costa Rica. This is totally separate from the taxes included in your airline ticket.There are two (that I saw) locations in the ticketing area where you queue to pay the tax. You have...
jlanza29 Says: When arriving in San Jose....the currency exchange will change your US $, but your US dollars must not have any marks on them, no pen stains, no corners missing. Same as banks, bring passports in order to exchange your dollars. Avoid people wanting to give you change as you...
jlanza29 Says: For those who have traveled in a third world country one would agree with me that Downtown San Jose is OK during the day but extremely dangerous to be around in at night.......There is a Casino in the downtown region, but other than that there is nothing there to do and...
Plan a San José vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and San José locals
Spices for sale .
3 members live in San José
Q: My husband and I will be arriving in San Jose in February. We're only staying 2 nights there and will be staying the rest of the...
A: hi there, I'm Costa Rican and I know San Jose pretty well. It depends on where you guys are staying. San Jose downtown is very safe now cause there are police...
Read 3 Replies
1
Like most people that travel to Costa Rica, we didn't spend much time in San Jose. We fly into and out of San Jose and pretty much used it as our starting point.
2
San Jose was a tightly packed city with a lof of people and a lot of action. There were street vendors everywhere, and stores all around you that offered you choices of food, shoes, fresh bread,...
3
Many tourist fly into San Jose and head straight to the beach resorts. Many don't expericence the nightlife this city has to offer. Wonderful, cheap and safe for the most part. San Jose is ideal for...
5
Very Inexpensive place to live
Costa Rica, San Jose. Quite an experience. I stayed with some friends in a huge house on a mountain at the side of San Jose`. It was nestled down below so the views I got were fantastic. I used to...
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