San José, Costa Rica
Go Back
San José, Costa RicaSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:4-_Vue_San_Jose.jpg
Author: Wikipedro
San José is the capital and biggest city in Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley of the country, it serves as the political, transportation and economic hub of the country. San José covers 44.62 sq km (17.2 sq mi) and has a population of 366,000 people (2011 estimate), within a metropolitan area of 1.7 million people.
San José experiences a tropical rainforest climate. However its altitude of 1,170 m (3,839 ft) provides for a slightly cooler climate than the lowlands. Coldest months are December and January, when the average low temperature drops to 15°C (59°F). Hottest months are April and May, when the average high rises to 30°C (86°F). San José receives the most rain in September, at 305 mm (12 in).
Street in San Jose, Costa RicaSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Jose,_C._R..JPG
Author: Milei.vencel
The city of San José was founded by Cabildo de León in 1738, making it one of the youngest capital cities in Latin America by year of establishment. It doesn't became a national capital until 1823. Since then it has grown and developed rapidly, becoming the main gateway for travelers into the country.
Visiting San José
The Juan Santamaría International Airpoort, located 20 km (12 mi) from downtown San José, is the main gateway to Costa Rica. The airport receives regular flights from Bogotá, Caracas, Dallas/Fort Worth, David, Frankfurt, Guayaquil, Havana, Houston, Lima, Los Angeles, Managua, Medellín, Mexico City, Miami, New York-JFK, Panama City, Quito, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador, Santo Domingo, Tegucigalpa and Toronto, among others.Arriving at the airport, you have the option of taking the local bus or the taxi. If taking the bus, be sure you have small change, as the drive might not accept big notes. The taxi to downtown San José costs US$25, and taxi drivers usually accept payment in US dollars.
Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica, San JoséSource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Costa_Rica-Teatro_Nacional.JPG
Author: Andres Alvarez
Places of Interest in San José
- Edificio Correos
The General Post Office building, an excellent example of early 20th century architecture, today houses the Philatelic Museum on the second floor. - Lankester Botanical Garden
Established as a private garden by British orchid enthusiast Charles H Lankester, it is now preserved and open to the public. - Pre-Columbian Gold Museum (Museo del Oro Precolombino)
The place to admire a treasure trove of gold artifacts from the Pre-Columbian era, going back to AD 500. - Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica
Historic theater in the heart of San José. It was opened in 1897 with a performance of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust. - Teatro Variedades
The oldest movie theater in San José and the first place where movies were screened in Costa Rica.
Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips
About this website
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.
While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.
Copyright © 2003-2025 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.