The San José City Guides answer the questions every first-timer in Costa Rica’s capital has: which sodas serve the best casado at lunch, how to see the museums around the Teatro Nacional in one morning, where Barrio Escalante goes out at night and which volcano to reach before the clouds roll in. Each guide is a short, opinionated list with the reason to go, what to look out for and one practical tip per place, and it opens in your browser as soon as you pay.
About the San José City Guides
- 145 places
- 6 guides
- 13 languages
- Works offline
- Print or PDF
- Instant access
- Free updates
The six San José guides
Food guide
25 places
Market counters and family sodas, old-school dining rooms, new Costa Rican cooking in Los Yoses and Amón, plus sweets and coffee worth seeking out.
Things to do guide
24 places
Museums of gold, jade and national art, theatres and squares in the centre, walks through Barrio Amón and the markets locals use.
Family guide
25 places
Butterflies and shady gardens, museums that keep children busy, an amusement park, rainy-day backups, easy day trips and food kids will actually eat.
Nightlife guide
25 places
Craft beer in Barrio Escalante and Otoya, speakeasies and wine bars, jazz basements and dance floors, and somewhere to eat late.
Day trips guide
23 places
Pacific beaches, the craters of Poás and Irazú, Cartago and the Orosí valley, coffee farms and rainforest, all within a day of the capital.
Budget guide
23 places
Free parks and plazas, museums that cost little or nothing, filling lunches at market sodas and cheap trains and buses out of town.
Why an interactive guide beats a list
Tick places off
Mark each place as done and watch your progress, so you always know what is left.
Your own notes
Write notes on any place and add your own finds. They stay on your phone.
One tap to Maps
Every place opens in Google Maps, and the day route puts your picks in a sensible order.
Open now, near me
Filter by what is open right now or what is closest to you.
Works offline
Open the guide once with a connection and it keeps working without data.
Print it or save as PDF
On a computer, print any guide or save it as a PDF to take with you.
Three places from the guides
La Esquina de Buenos Aires
Calle 11, behind La Soledad church
An Argentine grill that has set the standard for steak in San José for three decades: good cuts, warm bread, chimichurri and a much-loved lomito with Roquefort. Save it for your first evening in town. From the food guide.
Templo de la Música
Parque Morazán, Calle 7
A domed bandstand from 1920, modelled on a pavilion at Versailles and set in the middle of a city park. Afternoons bring free music and jugglers rehearsing, and a bench here is a fine spot to watch San José go by. From the things to do guide.
Parque Nacional Volcán Irazú
Cartago province, 1 hour 15 min by car
The country’s highest active volcano, with a road that climbs almost to the edge of a vast grey crater. On a clear morning you can look out towards both the Pacific and the Caribbean, so book your ticket online and set off early. From the day trips guide.
Plan your days in San José
Day one: start at the Plaza de la Cultura with the Gold Museum and a tour of the Teatro Nacional, eat a casado in the Mercado Central, stroll through Barrio Amón and finish with a drink in Barrio Escalante. Day two: leave early for Irazú or Poás before the clouds close in, then stop at the basilica in Cartago or a coffee farm on the way back. For a rainy or slow day, pair the Museo Nacional with the children’s museum in the old prison, take a long lunch at a soda and end with a concert at the Teatro Melico Salazar.
Questions about the San José guides
What do the San José City Guides include?
Six guides with 145 places in all: food, things to do, family, nightlife, day trips and budget. Each place comes with the reason to go, the neighbourhood, notes on opening days and one practical tip.
How do I open the guides once I have paid?
The links show up on your order page straight after payment and in the confirmation email. They run in any browser on a phone, tablet or laptop, with no app and no account.
Can I use the guides offline in Costa Rica?
Yes. Open each guide once while connected and it keeps working without a signal, ticks and notes included. Only the map links need data, which helps on volcano days when coverage is weak.
Which languages are the guides available in?
The guides open in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic. You can switch the language inside the guide at any time.
How much do the San José guides cost?
One guide is €4.99, two are €8.99, four are €15.99 and all six together are €19.99.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.