One day in San José

Day by day

1. Day 1: Teatro Nacional and Museo Nacional de Costa Rica

   Teatro Nacional, Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, Pre-Columbian Gold Museum and Museo del Jade, then Barrio Escalante food street in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Teatro Nacional

      Take the guided tour to see the auditorium and the upper foyers, then have coffee in the theatre's café off the main lobby. Allow 1 hour.

   2. Late morning

      Museo Nacional de Costa Rica

      Begin in the butterfly garden, then look for the bullet holes on the outer towers before going inside. Allow 1.5–2 hours.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Gallo pinto

      Any soda or hotel breakfast; the sodas in the Mercado Central serve it from early morning.

   4. Afternoon

      Pre-Columbian Gold Museum

      Start with the gold collection on the lowest level, where the lighting is designed to show off the metalwork. Allow 1.5 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      Museo del Jade

      Combine it with the Museo Nacional across the plaza; together they give a complete picture of pre-Columbian Costa Rica. Allow 1.5 hours.

   6. Evening

      Barrio Escalante food street

      Walk the area early in the evening, choose a restaurant, and finish with a local craft beer in one of the taprooms.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in Mercado Central (Centro): Eat a casado at one of the busy counters at lunchtime, and keep a close eye on your bag in the crowded aisles.
• Swap in Centro Nacional de la Cultura (CENAC) (Barrio Amón): Check what is on at the contemporary art museum, and look into the courtyards of the old factory buildings.
• Swap in Museo de los Niños (Barrio Amón): Allow a few hours with younger children, and take a taxi or ride-hailing car from the centre rather than walking.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 8–9 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.

Getting between stops: Walking. The Teatro Nacional, Gold Museum, Mercado Central, Museo Nacional and Barrio Amón are all within about 20 minutes' walk of each other.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in San José
• 3 days in San José

Questions travellers ask