2 days in Costa Rica’s capital city
Costa Rica, one of the smallest but bio-diverse countries in the world, is one of the oldest democracies and also a very popular destination among travelers from all over. Proud of its health-care system, schools and having no army, Costa Rica happens to be the country with the happiest people in the world.
San José, its capital city, is a very cosmopolitan place where fine restaurants, theaters, museums, clubs and hotels can be found.
Check out what you can do in the city of San José in two days.
Day 1.
Supposing you are already in the city of San José make it to the Central Avenue, this is where the National Theater is located among other attractions. The Avenida Central is a 10 blocks boulevard with shops, restaurants, banks, a market, museums and hotels. There is always lots of people walking around. It will probably take you 2 or 3 hours to walk the avenue plus the time you plan to stay in the market or museums. You can easily spend one whole day there.
The city has several accommodations options but the most representatives are: Hotel Presidente, Gran Hotel Costa Rica and Hotel Balmoral. If you can afford a $100 more less for fine accommodations check availability in this places; if not ask for any of the B&B and hostels around the area.
During the evening check the typical food restaurants such as Nuestra Tierra. But during the night time, specially on the weekends tell your taxi driver to take you to El Puelo, this is an entertainment center with clubs, restaurants and bars where people party until very late; or should I say very early?
Day 2.
The city of San José is surrounded by mountains and National Parks, this is why a day activity to any of this natural habitats is very common. The one activity you cannot miss is the hike in the Poas Volcano National Park. This is one of the few places in the world where you can walk all the way up to the crater of an active volcano. It takes around 1.5 hours to get there and the hike is short. But you can also take the long trail to make it more adventurous. The weather is humid and sometimes cold so a rain jacket or poncho is always recommended. There are other 2 attractions in the area you may want to visit, one of them is La Paz Waterfall Gardens and the other is Doka Estate Coffee Tour. If you decide to do this 3 activities the same day you may want to leave your hotel very early in the morning an expect to come back during the evening, but the tour is totally worth while. Have lunch at Doka Estate, their buffet is delicious.
Teatro Nacional http://www.teatronacional.go.cr/
Museo Nacional y Museo de Oro http://www.museosdecostarica.com/museos.htm
Hotel Presidente http://www.hotel-presidente.com/main.cfm
Hotel Balmoral http://www.balmoral.co.cr/
Gran Hotel Costa Rica http://www.granhotelcostarica.com/home.htm
Restaurane Nuestra Tierra http://www.restaurantenuestratierra.com
Centro Turístico El Pueblo http://www.centrocomercialelpueblo.com/index_es.php
Parque Nacional Volcan Poas http://www.sinac.go.cr/accvc_volcanpoas.php
La Paz Waterfall Gardens http://www.waterfallgardens.com/
Doka Estate Coffee Tour http://www.dokaestate.com/