Alajuela, Costa Rica

La Iglesia Central church in Alajuela, Costa Rica
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La_Iglesia_Central_de_Alajuela.jpg
Author: Richie D.


Alajuela is the second largest city in Costa Rica. It is located in the Central Valley, 19 km to the northwest of the capital San José. The city limits cover only 8.88 sq km (3.4 sq mi), although the urban area today spills over the surrounding districts. Alajuela has a population of 52,000 people (2011 estimate).

The area around Alajuela has been inhabited since pre-Columbian times. The first Spanish to settle here arrived around 1650. A parish was set up in 1777 for the religious use of the growing population. Alajuela received its town hall in 1813. Later that same year the settlement, then known as La Lajuela, was given a town title. It was subsequently renamed Villa Hermosa, and finally San Juan Nepomuceno de Alajuela, from which is derived the present name. Alajuela received city status on 20 November, 1824.

Today the economy of Alajuela is supported by agriculture. Primary commodities include coffee, sugar cane, corn, beans and tobacco. The are also has other commercial enterprises including poultry farming, beekeeping and pig husbandry.

Police station in Alajuela
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Policia_Alajuela_Costa_Rica_2013.jpg
Author: Richie D.

Visiting Alajuela

Alajuela is just 3km from the Juan Santamaría International Airport. You can reach it by taxi for just US$5. If you are going there from San José, the taxi ride will cost you US$20.

The city is small enough for you to navigate on foot. There are a few historic buildings in the city center that you can visit.

Places of Interest in Alajuela

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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