San Jose is the capital city of Costa Rica, lying at 1, 161 meters above sea level in the central valley of Costa Rica. The central valley holds 3 other major cities: Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago. These are all situated in the center of Costa Rica and are surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. The local temperatures vary between 17 and 30 degrees, with the city being situated around 1000m above sea level.

San Jose has an ever increasing evening entertainment scene, with great bars and restaurants for you to enjoy, springing up all over the city. Also, there are a number of very informative museums to visit during your stay including The Museum of Precolumbian gold, The Jade Museum, The National Museum and The Museum of Costa Rican Art. Other than these there are not a huge amount of places to visit within San Jose, however as mentioned below, the surrounding areas more than make up for this.

When shopping in San Jose you will find many local goods, such as Silver and Gold jewelry, Farmer’s Markets and detailed woodworks to name just a few. You will also find a number of malls to look around. However these malls mean higher prices, due mainly to still existing import taxes.

It is popular with students as the large university there was established in 1843. As the capital is served by Juan Santamaría Airport, situated 23km downtown near Alajuela it is a great place to spend either the first or last couple of days of your trip.

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