Museo Nacional-National Museum, San José

The National Museum of Costa Rica has a great exhibition of history, archeology, geology, and Colonial life. Also some object of pre-Columbian art.
Closed on Mondays. Open from 8.30 to 5.00 Tuesday to Sunday.

If you are interested in pre-Columbian art, also go to see the Gold Museum! But, do this first.

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The National Museum is on the grounds of the old Army headquarters. It was converted into a museum after the Army was abolished. The museum is as interesting for its architecture as it is its collection of artifacts

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The National Museum is in an old military fort, symbolizing Costa Rica's peaceful tradition. The museum features pre-Columbian art with displays of gold, jade, stone and pottery. There are other pre-Columbian artifacts from indigenous cultures dating back more than 12,000 years.

Among the most interesting artifacts we saw were mysterious intricate carvings thought to have been made by peoples who occupied this part of Central America before the Mayans.

The museum encloses an open courtyard from which there are beautiful views overlooking downtown San Jose and the mountains beyond.

Hours:
Tue-Sat 8:30-16:30
Sun 9:00-14:30

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This is an interesting way to spend a few hours while in downtown San Jose. It is easily reachable by bus from downtown or San Pedro or by taxi. Entrance fee is 1200 colones per person and gives you access to the various rooms including non-permanent exhibitions, information on Costa Rica's contemporary history, gold exhibition, jade exhibition, Butterfly Garden and the historical and cultural development of the geography and landscape of Costa Rica from the time of evolution. It also affords beautiful views of the downtown area of San Jose.

There is a small street market directly below the National Museum but prices tend to be quite inflated due to the amount of tourists that pass through.

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As my backpack decided to take sightseeing tour to Houston I was forced to stay one day in San José. I didn't want to buy sun screen there knowing I had enough with me though not to be used at that moment. It was very hot and the sun was shining brightly so I decided to spend the day indoors. My choice was the National Museum - Museo Nacional. I am not by any means a person who likes to spend a lot of time in museums and trying to see as many of them as possible and I was not expecting anything from my visit to this museum, but it turned out to be very interesting and there was so much to see. At the time they had an exhibition, if you can call it that, of exotic butterflies, which I enjoyed very much. There was also an exhibition of African costumes, another interesting one for me. I also found other exhibitions most interesting. Pre-Columbian artifacts, colonial objects, religious art, minerals, fossils, gold, .....Not a bad way to spend a day after all.

Entrance fee $4

The National Museum is housed in a fortress that was the battle site of a civil war decades ago. The bullet holes are still visible on the thick wall as you walk along Avenida Central.

I didn't have time to visit the museum. But for those who are interested in the history of Costa Rica, this is certainly a great place to explore for a small admission.

This castle-like structure is actually an old fortress that housed soldiers. The museum is mainly a tribute or a history of Costa Rica's colonization. Colonization, despite the myths, is always a ghastly business. And many people suffered in Costa Rica, as elsewhere, to contribute to the fortunes of imperialist Europe (in this case Spain).

This is a really cheap museum (about 100 colones) and it has lots of Costa Rican history and interesting artifacts. It's not fancy, but you can definitely spend an hour or two during one of the drizzly afternoons here. It also has the market right outside which sells lots of touristy items. Bartering there doesn't always work (usually frowned on), but if you're getting more than one of something, it helps.