San Jose is the bustling capital city of Costa Rica. Here, you will find a cosmopolitan city set amongst the rainforest, which makes San Jose a perfect spot to base yourself for your Costa Rican adventures. After you have explored the city’s offerings of museums, quaint plazas, and lively cafes and bars, go out past the city limits to discover cloud forests, volcanoes, hot springs and waterfalls. Make sure you also check out the Manuel Antonio National Park, where you can spend your days sunbathing and spotting sloths in the wild.

Packing for San Jose can be tricky! Bring all the gear you need to enjoy some downtime at the beach (swimwear, sunnies, hat and sunscreen), smart casual clothes and comfortable shoes for wandering around town, long-sleeved clothing and hiking shoes for visits to the cloud forest, and a light jacket for when temperatures drop in the mountains or in the evenings. You also want to make sure you have some decent insect repellent handy, particularly when visiting the mountains.

San Jose is a convenient base from which to explore some of Costa Rica’s best sights, with the added bonus of having a wide range of accommodation options to suit all travellers and budgets. Downtown San Jose is popular with tourists, with lots of options for hotels, restaurants and amenities close by.

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San Jose hits the Costa Rican high points in one convenient location. You can experience Costa Rica’s pristine beaches and be in the cloud forest by afternoon. Being the capital, San Jose is accessible to visitors and is a great place to take the pulse of this central American gem.

December to April is generally the best time to visit Costa Rica – it is both the dry season and high season here.

Take the pulse of Costa Rica in San Jose, wandering the streets of the nation’s capital and soaking in the culture. Hit up the museums and art galleries to learn about Costa Rica, then head to the beach or the mountains to discover some untouched natural wonders, like cloud forests and volcanoes and beautiful beaches.

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