Costa Rica Things to Do

 
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Most Viewed Things to Do in Costa Rica

1.

National Theater   San José

National Theater, San José

 19 Reviews  Gorgeous building--when we visited they were having a young ballet troup practicing on the main stage when we peeked inside---we had lunch at the cafe on the left (great people watching of Central... 

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2.

Mercado Central - Central market   San José

Mercado Central - Central market, San José

 6 Reviews  Consists of about 3 blocks and storefronts of market things, fruits, t-shirts, veggies, bakery, etc…. Supposed to be many pick-pockets working the area, but it wasn’t all that crowded and didn’t seem... 

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3.

Museo Nacional-National Museum   San José

Museo Nacional-National Museum, San José

 12 Reviews  Although not its most modern museum, this is San Jose's best musuem. It houses a substational collection of pre-columbian artifacts along with colonial and national treasures. The museum is housed in... 

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4.

Jade Museum   San José

Jade Museum, San José

 7 Reviews  The museum is located on the 11th floor of the Institute for National Security (INS). The building is easy to locate but the museum entrance is off to the left side as you approach the main entrance.... 

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5.

Pedestrian Mall - Avenida Central   San José

Pedestrian Mall - Avenida Central, San José

 4 Reviews  There is a very nice car & bus-free walk down the main street, Central Calle. It’s about 8 blocks long, no cars and no buses mean the diesel exhaust is a away from you. There are a couple plazas, the... 

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6.

Plaza de la Cultura - Square of Culture   San José

Plaza de la Cultura - Square of Culture, San José

 4 Reviews  Under the not very exciting park you find the Gold Museum, a vast collection of pre-Columbian gold figures. A must see in San Jose! The museum opens from 9:00 to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday,... 

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7.

Catedral Metropolitana - Metropolitan Cathedral   San José

Catedral Metropolitana - Metropolitan Cathedral, San José

 4 Reviews  The Metro Catedral is close to Parque Central and lovely on the outside and the inside. There was a service at the time we walked past, and we stopped inside for a peek---the congregation was singing... 

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8.

Museo de Oro, Banco Central - Central Bank's Gold Museum   San José

Museo de Oro, Banco Central - Central Bank's Gold Museum, San José

 4 Reviews  The entrance to the Museum is close to Central Park----There was a crowd of school kids so we just followed them to the Museo del Oro, which also includes exhibits about coins and archeological sites... 

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9.

Parque Francisco Morazán   San José

Parque Francisco Morazán, San José

 3 Reviews  Surrounding the park is an iron fence with ornate gates. The park itself contains and assortment of greenery, statues and busts. Central to the park is the Temple of Music, a pavilion that serves as a... 

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10.

Correo Central - Post Office   San José

Correo Central - Post Office, San José

 3 Reviews  Constructed in 1917, the main post office is still functioning today. On the first floor is the Museum of Stamps with free admission. A small park parallels the building across the Calle 2 pedestrian... 

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11.

Parque España – Park of Spain   San José

Parque España – Park of Spain, San José

 2 Reviews  The closest you can get to the jungle and still be in San Jose, this park holds tropical trees transplanted from around the country. The entrance to the park features a fountain and a statue of... 

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12.

Carnival   San José

Carnival, San José

 2 Reviews  Around christmas time there is a festival in San Jose with a big parade, rodeo and market. I dont remember the name, but they have one every year. I have never seen so many horses in my life! There... 

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13.

Spanish Classes   San José

Spanish Classes, San José

 2 Reviews  Spanish lessons at the Montana Linda Spanish School Montaña Linda is a low budget backpacker's youth hostel and a Spanish Language School, with probably the cheapest Spanish Classes around Costa Rica. 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Suggested Itinerary

by Winkie

While I have not stayed in Jaco I've driven through a couple of times and they are more known for surfing, not swimming; the beach was not that attractive. Nicoya Peninsula has gorgeous beaches, close to Alajuela but takes a little work to get to. Again, the surf can be rough but it can be fairly quiet depending on where you are (I love Brasilito and Samara). There are some lively surfing towns there, too. Quepos/Manuel Antonio is the best swimming with lovely beaches and some nice trails, though more expensive to stay. La Fortuna is also a great choice.

Lankester Gardens

by monica71

We really enjoyed our visit to the Lankester Gardens even though it was pouring at times during our visit. The gardens are easily reached from Alajuela or San Jose and they are a nice way to learn about the country's lush vegetation. The gardens are well know for their orchid collections, but personally I think that everything here is special, so it would be really hard to pick a favorite. The gardens were established by Charles Lankester West in 1917. He loved orchids and he started the gardens with his orchid collection. The gardens are huge (about 27 acres). After his death in 1973, his family donated the gardens to the University of Costa Rica. There is really never a bad time to visit the gardens, but I truly think that during a nice and sunny day they are just breathtaking!

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Horseback Riding to Arenal Volcano

by monica71

This is one of the tours I wanted to take and I am not sorry for it. We booked it with Aventures Arenal while staying in La Fortuna and we paid $50 per person. The tour takes about 4 hours and it includes transfer from your hotel to the stables and back. The tour is run by the people who work at Arenal Paraiso. We decided to take the tour on a Sunday afternoon (we were walking around the town in the morning and booked this tour around 11:30am the same day). My husband and I were the only people taking this 1:30pm tour and we felt special. We had 2 great guides, Eric and Manuel. We never rode a horse before and I can say that they did pair us up with great and gentle horses. Peggy, my horse, was a darling! I gave her a big hug and a kiss at the end of the trip and I gave Eric money to buy some sugar for the horses. He laughed when he saw the money and told me that I was the first tourist...

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NIght life and fun at "The Lounge" Manuel Antonio

by DorisEberhardt

I had the most wonderful time visiting Costa Rica and staying in Manuel Antonio near the most beautiful and lush rain forest you could ever imagine. The people in Costa Rica are very friendly and warm and the food and accomodations are very nice to excellent. The scenery is breath taking as you bask on a local beach or dine in a great restaurant in or around the state park. I would most certainly recommend a night or two of fun, food and music at "The Lounge" in Manuel Antonio. It was started by two beautiful California girls who left the comforts of home to adventure and start a great and very "hip" night spot... where the gentle breezes blow and beautiiful lush palms and banana trees surround you as you dine and dance the night away. Don't miss the tour of the Manuel Antonio National Park.. where the local wild life are so friendly they come right by your towels as you rest by the...

Monteverde Canopy Tour

by mad4travel

If you only do 1 mad thing in Costa Rica do this!You travel on a zip wire between 20 platforms and over 2 miles of cables attached by a top security harness and a support pulleyThere are guides that will assist you on the techniques of starting and stopping(and will rescue you if you get stuck - see photo!) and you can be your own Tarzan as you zip from tree to tree.Cost is $40 per person

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Jungle Crocodile Safari

by BEETLE_VERTE

Jaco A sunset cruise on the Rio Grande Tarcoles. An amazing encounter with the avifauna and large crocodile population of this impressive but calm river. The sunset sets the mood for the gorgeous colors and animation of the mangrove and banks. Really something to see and experience.2 hours boat ride (one guide, one driver, about 20 seated places, covered boat), 30 minutes from Jaco. They can pick you up at your hotel. 40$ per person including transport. They also give you a precious identification guide.We saw crocodiles by the dozen. At some point, the captain even got out to feed one of their resident with a dead chicken. It was the occasion for some nice pictures!But we also saw numerous birds: Pelicans, herons, egrets, ducks, stilts, whimbrels, sandpipers, vultures, hawks, ara macao, parrots, kingfishers, motmots, kingbirds, wrens, orioles, tanagers and so on!And got an amazing view...

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The Hot Springs in La Fortuna

by puravida21404

If there's anything to look forward to about going to Costa Rica, it's the beautiful, lava warmed hot springs in the Alajuela region. There are several locations to visit in Fortuna, so you really can't go wrong, but which one you go to would depend on the experience that you want. If you want something a little more luxurious try the Baldi Springs, but if you want something thats dead smack in the rainforest I'd ask around to find the one that is along the Rio Celeste (wish I knew the exact location) The water is literally piping hot from the Arenal Volcano, and is barricaded into different pools that flow into eachother and get cooler as the descend down the river (see picture). There's also a little shack-like sauna present and a bar down at the end of it all. Now don't get the wrong impression here, it's no resort. It's very natural and runs right next to a cold river.

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One of the must do rafting trips

by smyturn

Seems like many rivers are getting dams to create electricity or for irrigation. How it effects the environment, or [selfishly] tourism is an oft debated issue. If you want to raft some of these rivers, why delay? The pacuare is a naturalists delight and an adventurers dream. See it, raft it and I know you'll love it!

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Parque nacional Marino las Baulas

by a005116

I had the luck to be working in this park for some time. Working by night and drinking coffee by the (sleeping was not really possible due to the tiny muscitos terrorizing me).The national park 'las Baulas' is one of the major spots (the largest of the pacific) for the impressive leatherback turtles. Every night (season peak in November-January) the turtles come to lay their eggs in the sand. Because of their weight it takes up to 1,5 hour to finish the job and go back in the sea. In march the little ones come out and start their race to the water, terrorized by hungry birds, iguanas, ... and the sun. Not so many make it, but those who do still have a hard live before them. When you look to the statistics you'll see that the number of leatherbacks are decreasing extremely fast. I worked together with the other park rangers and the biologists to make sure there is no single problem for...

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Hike in the Reserva Santa Elena

by Paul2001

The Reserva Santa Elena so near to Monteverde gets no where near the tourist that the other more famous bioreserve does. This is a shame because it is a splendid park. However because there are fewer tourists here, Santa Elena is a much more peaceful place.It is not as large as Monterverde but it is much more rugged. As the reserve can be especially muddy on certain trails, it is recommended that you rent rubber boots. During my hike through the park I was hip deep in mud in places. There is apparently a large variety mammals, lizards and birds in the reserve. I was actually more amazed by the interesting insects that I came across.

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Fun things to do in Costa Rica

Top 3 Hotels in Costa Rica

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Grano De Oro Hotel  San José

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Things to Do: Cities in Costa Rica
  1. San José Things to Do
  2. Quepos Things to Do
  3. Tamarindo Things to Do
  4. Jacó Things to Do
  5. Fortuna Things to Do
  6. Puerto Viejo Things to Do
  7. Liberia Things to Do
  8. Puntarenas Things to Do
  9. Monteverde Things to Do
  10. Arenal Things to Do
  11. Montezuma Things to Do
  12. Cahuita Things to Do
  13. Alajuela Things to Do
  14. Arenal Things to Do
  15. Tortuguero Things to Do
  16. Mal País Things to Do
  17. Puerto Jiménez Things to Do
  18. Playa Hermosa Things to Do
  19. Heredia Things to Do
  20. Santa Lucía Things to Do
  21. Nosara Things to Do
  22. Sámara Things to Do
  23. Corcovado National Park Things to Do
  24. Sarchí Things to Do
  25. Turrialba Things to Do
  26. Puerto Manzanillo Things to Do
  27. Tárcoles Things to Do
  28. Escazù Things to Do
  29. Cartago Things to Do
  30. Puerto Limón Things to Do
  31. Uvita Things to Do
  32. Sarapiquí Things to Do
  33. Orosí Things to Do
  34. Dominical Things to Do
  35. Santa Teresa Things to Do
  36. Chirripó Things to Do
  37. San Carlos Things to Do
  38. Brasilito Things to Do
  39. Carate Things to Do
  40. Santa Elena Things to Do
  41. San José Things to Do
  42. Birrí Things to Do
  43. Matapalo Things to Do
  44. Poás Things to Do
  45. Zarcero Things to Do

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Provincia de Puntarenas Things to Do  Provincia de Guanacaste Things to Do  Provincia de San José Things to Do  Provincia de Limón Things to Do  Provincia de Alajuela Things to Do  Provincia de Cartago Things to Do  Provincia de Heredia Things to Do 

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Questions and Answers

lojoblais profile photo

Q:  Can anyone recommend something, moderately priced, w/ pool & a/c? 

Catalina_Cuervo profile photo

A: Banana Azul is wonderful. You should wait until September and October for the best weather there. Samasati is also very nice, a wellness center. 

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