About San Jose - presentation, information, photos and recommendations
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. It is on a plateau in the Central Valley at 1200 m elevation. It is ringed by lush green mountains and valleys. The population of this city is probably half of the whole country. It contains the primary airport, the University of Costa Rica, the US' and other embassies and many museums, cultural venues, hotels, markets, etc. It is the hub of the country.
Today it is a modern city with bustling commerce, brisk expressions of art and architecture, and spurred by the country's improved tourism industry, it is a significant destination and stopover for foreign visitors.
The main downtown area is a bustling collection of well-laid out streets filled with vehicles and lined with plain architecture of commercial buildings. Visitors may be initially put off by this. But look inside and enjoy the friendly people, and your impression will quickly change.
There are a lot of tours and local events and doings in and from San José. Buses are well marked, pretty reliable and crowded.
Mercado Central is a very old, interesting and bustling food market, which also contains a number of small restaurants and quick-serve counters for the locals. You will find fresh cooked fish and shellfish, corn based dishes, sopa de pescado (fish soup) and such exotics as "squid in his ink", ceviche (small bits of raw fish "cooked" in lime juice), helado de sorbetera (artesanal local cinnamon ice-cream) and more.
There are also many museums and other attractions offering alternative ways of exploring the city. One of these is the Gold Museum, which offers an unusual view of various gold artifacts of the ancient Latin American civilizations. An interesting attraction is the Lankester Botanical Garden at the outskirts of San José.
San Jose | San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. It is on a plateau in the Central Valley at 1200 m elevation. It is ringed by lush green mountains and valleys. The population of this city is probably half of the whole country
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