A far cry from the bustling touristic surfing towns of the Pacific coast or the energetic streets of San Jose, Alajuela is the ideal destination for any traveller eager to catch a glimpse of authentic and local Costa Rican life. It’s a place where farmers still come to tout their vegetables at bustling food markets and tanned geriatrics smoke cheroots between the old Spanish Cathedral, the charming baroque faces of the Iglesia de la Agonía, and the hallowed old home of the national hero, Juan Santamaria.

What’s more, this charming provincial town also forms the gateway to the greater Alajuela region, where visitors are invited to wander between rolling fields of coffee plantations, seek out the company of sloths in the Juan Castro Blanco National Park, or gawp at the sulphurous and mist-clad calderas of the Poas Volcano. Elsewhere, Alajuela tour guides also recommend trips to the hot springs of Tabacon, or the magnificent cataracts of La Fortuna to the north and the breath-taking hiking trails around the Rio Celeste.