San Jose is a city built on coffee. In the early 1800s it shouldered its way to the fore of Costa Rica as one of the agricultural and industrial hubs of the national trade, and without question the kingpin bean picker of the Central Valley. Consequently it’s largely void in the ubiquitous ‘must see’ colonial architecture of other major South American capitals, preferring to concentrate instead on its own wholly unique and more forward-thinking character.
Ask your San Jose tour guide for some walking routes around the city, encompassing all the major metropolitan sites from the Plaza de la Cultura to the Parque Nacional, home to a myriad of monumental statues and points of interest related to Costa Rica’s national history.
Away from the cultural pursuits, San Jose is also known for its energetic and hedonistic nightlife, a time when the unassuming districts around downtown transform into hotspots of Latin jazz and folk music, bustling with locals and Costa Rican party goers until the early hours. There’s also a burgeoning gastronomic scene; head to the restaurants at La Sabana and Paseo Colon for menus as colourful and varied as the exotic fruit and veg that goes into the dishes themselves.