Skip Navigation

San Jose (Costa Rica)

Travel Guide > Central America > Costa Rica > San Jose

In this Article

Help contribute to this article to share the ad revenue.

[edit]

Introduction

Mercado Central - San Jose

Mercado Central - San Jose

© All Rights Reserved Cyprian

San José is the capital and largest city in Costa Rica. It has a total population of about 1,7 million inhabitants living in the metropolitan area, although the city itself is much smaller with around 400,000 people. It is located in the central part of the country in the Central Valley at an elevation of about 1200 meters above sea level. San José is the administrative, political and economic centre of the country and functions as the main transportation hub of Costa Rica. The city was founded in the 18th century and became the capital in 1823. It has seen massive growth during the last decades and now is a sprawling urban area full of attractions for travellers. A visit to San José before travelling onwards to explore the great nature is highly recommended.

Top

[edit]

Neighbourhoods

Top

[edit]

Sights and Activities

  • Plaza de la Cultura
  • Central Plaza
  • Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica
  • Cathedral
  • El Pueblo nightlife
  • Lankester Botanical Gardens

Top

[edit]

Events and Festivals

Top

[edit]

Weather

Because of its elevation, San José enjoys a climate which is much milder than its lower counterparts towards the Pacific and Caribbean sea. Average day temperatures are around 26 °C, but from February to May it is slightly warmer, around 28 °C. Night temperatures are around 18 °C year round. From May to October is the rainy season with 300 mm of rain a month on average. From November to April is the best time to visit, and January to March sea barely any rain at all. Humidity is high year round, but higher during the rainy season, and the relatively low temperatures compared to lower parts of the country make it more bearable as well.

Top

[edit]

Getting There

By Plane

Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) near San José receives a growing number of international flights, for example with the national airline Lacsa which is part of the Grupo TACA. Services are with a number of Lacsa/TACA flights to destinations mainly in Central America and several cities in the United States and South America. Destinations further away include Madrid with Iberia, Amsterdam with Martinair and flights to and from Frankfurt. Toronto, Guadeloupe and Martinique are other destinations.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Top

[edit]

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Top

[edit]

Eat

Top

[edit]

Drink

Top

[edit]

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Top

[edit]

Work

Top

[edit]

Learn

Top

[edit]

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

Post

This is version 2. Last edited at 2:53 on Apr 26, 08 by Hien (-13). 2 articles link to this page.

Creative Commons License
Except where otherwise noted, content of this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License