Local Guides World
Best Tourist attractions in Costa Rica
Top Rated Tourist attractions
Top Reviewed Tourist attractions
Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio
Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio
Parque Diversiones
La Sabana Park
La Sabana Park
Plaza de la Cultura
Plaza de la Cultura
La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park
Parque de la Paz
La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park
National Museum of Costa Rica
National Museum of Costa Rica
Parque Nacional
Refugio Animal de Costa Rica
Valle Escondido Nature Reserve
National Theater of Costa Rica
National Museum of Costa Rica
La Sabana Park
Pre-Columbian Gold Museum
Museo del Jade
Plaza de la Cultura
La Paz Waterfall
Museum of Costa Rican Art
Poas Volcano National Park
Reviews
One of the best museums in Costa Rica! Relatively new museum with a good collection. on Sundays 2 tickets for the price of 1.
It's surprising to see a natural environment with butterflies as soon you enter.
It's located in an old barrack that is part of Costa Rica's history.
They have some stone pieces of pre- Columbian times and have a small, but interesting collection from colonial times to XX century.
It's located in an old barrack that is part of Costa Rica's history.
They have some stone pieces of pre- Columbian times and have a small, but interesting collection from colonial times to XX century.
Great park! Lots of space to hang out, exercise, and people watch! Great view of the mountains!
Without a doubt one of the best museums in Latin America (trust me I’ve been to almost all of them). The national museum beautifully captures in modern exhibits and a state of the art museum the history and culture of the country. If you only have time for 1 museum this is it. It’s worth every dollar and includes a butterfly sanctuary (those with Lepidopterophobia beware!). The museum should take you about 1.5 hours to see it all.
Tiene varios restaurantes alrededor, el teatro y otras cosas más.
Such a beautiful park to walk or run in the mornings. There are some police in place in some parts of the park. There are also some occasional trash you would see around.
8800 CRC well spent. Lots of fascinating history about the people who used to live in the region of what's now Costa Rica, many centuries ago. There's also some beautiful art on display by Faba, as well as the history of the Costa Rican currency, which predates what is currently in place.
The toilet facilities are clean and staff are friendly.
The toilet facilities are clean and staff are friendly.
5 floors of cool terracotta sculptures. Loved it.
Fun and interesting museum, and best of all, it’s free! They also have free parking. This is worth a visit in San José for all art lovers. We especially enjoyed the gold room.
With the visit! Very well done exhibits.
Nice museum, worth a visit while you're in San Jose.
Wonderful stay for two nights, with a lightning storm one night and a sunset the second! Helpful staff, good breakfast and clean large rooms. Comfy beds! Night tour will not get you a sloth, or any mammals, but the guide was knowledgeable.
I read about this theater in the Lonely Planet guide which promised it would be an excellent tour, and it was! The theater is grand and gives a glimpse into the culture and history of the area. The knowledgeable tour guide and the clever surprise made it fun and fascinating. Please note that English tours are given at 1 and 4 o’clock while Spanish tours are given at 2 and 3 o’clock. We had people in our group from Algeria, France, China, and California, so it was extra fun. This was well worth the time and the money.
A very attractive museum with five floors of exhibits. Although I enjoyed my visit, I felt that 1) the price for foreigners was very steep, 2) much of the pottery lacked labels to give background information about the objects, and 3) the name of the museum is a bit misleading, as only one room out of the five floors contained jade. Most of the museum is dedicated to pottery. Still worth a visit, if you know what to expect.
Due to the rain we only did the straight and short walk to the viewpoint. Great scenery and young staff all around the entrance area. There are emergency shelters at the view point in case you have to protect yourself during an eruption which is great, but of course they are turned away from the view. I don't understand why there is not a single place with a roof to watch the crater and being protected from the rain. Especially at a place with a high likelihood for rain.
Nice quiet park with plenty of seating options.
The park's natural beauty and lush greenery offer a peaceful escape from the city's hustle and bustle.
It's a great place for a leisurely stroll or a picnic.
Giving it four stars because, while beautiful, the park can get crowded, and some areas need a bit more maintenance. Nonetheless, a lovely spot to connect with nature in the heart of the city.
The park's natural beauty and lush greenery offer a peaceful escape from the city's hustle and bustle.
It's a great place for a leisurely stroll or a picnic.
Giving it four stars because, while beautiful, the park can get crowded, and some areas need a bit more maintenance. Nonetheless, a lovely spot to connect with nature in the heart of the city.
Amazing! Beautiful. Want to see a show there now.
Excellent museum. They offer English and Spanish descriptions. Highly recommend
You will also see some animals and waterfalls. Lots of stairs to the waterfall. People with heart problems should take caution. Strongly recommend. Nice all you can eat restaurant inside a park.
Tiene cosas históricas y bonitas, pero a la vez es arruinado por los piedreros y gente chusma que abunda en la capital Josefina. Es una lástima, porque San José cuenta con lugares icónicos como la Plaza de la Cultura, que desafortunadamente es opacada por los malos olores, la gente fea que hay, y la falta de promoción a visita de estos lugares históricos.
Historical journey thru the beginning of metallurgy in Costa Rica. Beautiful exhibits. The entire museum is underground with state of the art security.
Lugares históricos en el Centro el cual puedes visitar de Día mejor que de noche ya que se vuelve inseguro e incómodo el área del centro de San José.
I really enjoyed the museum. The building has a very interesting history and there's a lot of respect for the story of the indigenous peoples of Costa Rica and the conquest by the conquistadors. Lots to learn and see, and really knowledgeable and friendly staff. The butterfly garden was a nice surprise as well.
If you like to read about the exhibits, you should plan to spend more than 2 hours!
Great national park with views over the volcano and the valley. We came at 8 and the weather was good (cold but good ao bring jacket) and we saw the crater perfectly.
There's a hike of 1.5km to the old crater. The hile is a little bit hard since it's steep vut totally worth it.
There's cafeteria and a souvenir shop. There's also a visitor centre with explanations about the volcanic activity and general information about Costa Rica.
There's a 6$ fee for the parking.
There's a hike of 1.5km to the old crater. The hile is a little bit hard since it's steep vut totally worth it.
There's cafeteria and a souvenir shop. There's also a visitor centre with explanations about the volcanic activity and general information about Costa Rica.
There's a 6$ fee for the parking.
A high quality national museum representative of the various time periods of Costa Rican history including a great display of Pre-Colonization artifacts of stone and gold. A great place to spend a few hours with your family or even traveling solo. Added bonus was the Mariposa room / Butterfly enclosure. Disfrute todo!
Even if you don't have time to do the tour pop into the foyer and have a look round or grab a coffee in the lovely cafe. Definitely worth it
A very, very small rehabilitation center for animals, reptiles, bids, wild animals. Well maintained even though they survive through donations.
Sería bonito y educativo aprovechar la plaza para micro exposiciones de cultura con diferentes temáticas. El lugar no refleja tanta cultura como la que nos gustaría que cada costarricense tuviese.
Beautiful Art, love the room where the history of Costa Rica is carved out of wood walls, very Beautiful
This waterfall is located right off the main road. You can see if as you pass or you may stop on either side of the bridge for a closer look. There is a fair amount of parking available. There is a small trail that allows you to walk behind the waterfall.
I wouldn’t go out of your way to visit this waterfall but if you happen to be in the area it is definitely worth a stop.
There are tourist police on site as well, so you don’t need to worry about anyone breaking into your car while you visit the waterfall if you have luggage in your car.
I wouldn’t go out of your way to visit this waterfall but if you happen to be in the area it is definitely worth a stop.
There are tourist police on site as well, so you don’t need to worry about anyone breaking into your car while you visit the waterfall if you have luggage in your car.
A big thank you to everyone who works/volunteers here! I’m happy I was able to visit. Our guide was amazing and I really learned so much. It made me upset to hear some of the stories, especially the one about sweet Pancho. I’m so grateful to the staff here for giving these guys a second chance. Please continue to do this amazing work!
This place is so amazing and we learned so much about Costa Rican history. Little did we know Spaniards were so cruel towards the indigenous people back in the days. The museum also has butterfly garden with probably thousands of butterflies flying all over. Highly recommend it if you have children.
It might be a bit touristy but still worth visiting for its sheer beauty. The animal sanctuary is kind of like a zoo. But the toucans, hummingbirds and frogs were fun to see. Be prepared to climb some stairs if you want to fully enjoy the waterfalls- it's well-worth it.
Park dedicated to depiction of unity of the five countries of the Central America and specially ours women folks that forced the mighty William Walker to run
Costa Rica has several volcanos to visit, but I am glad we chose this one. The parking lot was big, there is a wonderful souvenir shop where you can also buy a postcard that can be mailed out from there. They have a good selection of coffee to buy, and they have a restaurant. There is also a small exhibit that gives you information about the volcano and the animals there. The walk to the crater is an easy walk, plus it's peaceful. The crater itself was amazing to see in person. There were a lot of clouds, but when it cleared up, it was beautiful. The price is adequate and we highly recommend the experience.
Great park to visit but few things to watch for: buy your tickets the day before as the tickets are not sold at the gate ( even though they will charge for parking at the gate). To purchase tickets, you will need cell connection which is not available but the rangers were kind enough to allow us to use the Wi-Fi.
The next piece is that they take lunch break which means entrance to the park is not possible during that time, so plan to arrive before 11.30.
The hike was short and lovely with various shade of green however due to air condition, be cautious as one can feel light headed easily.
The next piece is that they take lunch break which means entrance to the park is not possible during that time, so plan to arrive before 11.30.
The hike was short and lovely with various shade of green however due to air condition, be cautious as one can feel light headed easily.
What an amazing spot to visit! Only an hour away from San Jose airport, this beautiful place was a great activity before heading home. The animals were great to see, but the waterfalls are certainly the star of the show! The hike through the jungle to all of the viewing points was well maintained and got us up close and personal with the waterfalls. This is a must do activity for all! I was so impressed with how beautiful the grounds and buildings were. They have done a fantastic job creating a great space.
It is a great museum, with the best display of jade and history of a country that I have attended. Definitely a must visit when you come to Costa Rica
What a beautiful museum. Plenty of parking. Attendants are courteous. Great history in the upstairs display. What an amazing piece of history and beautiful art pieces. I would recommend someone to guide you thru and tell its history.
It was ok. We did find it more interesting than the jade museum.
I learned so much about the indigenous people trying to hangon to their culture.
Beautiful building. The tour is inexpensive, the guides do an amazing job and the interior is amazing. Definitely worth it.
Interesting museum to visit, particularly explaining the rich history behind Costa Rica. Would recommend visiting for at least a couple of hours to really get a good time to see everything.
Went here for a quick visit. The crater lake is an otherworldly sight - alien yet beautiful. The old crater is definitly worth the walk as it is stunning if one has never been to the rainforest or a volcano.
More than enough parking spaces.
Remember to purchase National Park admission tickets before starting the drive to the park - our cell signal disappeared quite a while before passing a reminder sign. We had to turn back until coverage got better to buy tickets.
More than enough parking spaces.
Remember to purchase National Park admission tickets before starting the drive to the park - our cell signal disappeared quite a while before passing a reminder sign. We had to turn back until coverage got better to buy tickets.
Great park to wander through. Lots of people and activity
Lots of historical information
Lots of historical information
A must see! It's gorgeous and has so much history. We were fortunate enough to have a couple of actors as our guides. They were hilarious and informative. I got so many beautiful pictures
Not cheap, but a great place to spend 4-5 hours our more. Beautiful setting and amazing animals. Buffet lunch was abundant as well. Plenty of people on a Saturday, but didn't feel crowded. Waterfalls were a highlight. Trails are steep but well maintained and there is a shuttle at the bottom.
This is a fun place to visit set in a gorgeous rainforest area.
The foliage, wildlife and falls are great to see! There are a lot of stairs, especially to the falls, so those who have trouble with such be warned.
The restaurant that has the buffet is very good with options for picky eaters.
The foliage, wildlife and falls are great to see! There are a lot of stairs, especially to the falls, so those who have trouble with such be warned.
The restaurant that has the buffet is very good with options for picky eaters.
Great museum. A lot about the indigenous people but the gold work was exceptional. Felt the lighting could have been better, lots of reflections in the pics which I found annoying.
Wonderful free museum with excellent art. Indoor galleries and a sculpture garden. Shaded seating inside and out and clean restrooms. Just outside of LA Sabana Park.
This is a wonderful place to visit. There are so many things to see. A variety of animals, butterflies, snakes, jaguars, ocelot, monkeys, tapirs, hummingbirds, orchids, frogs, and, oh yes, waterfalls.
Beautiful facility. Staff was pleasant and helpful. Lots of vendors in the center courtyard on the day I was there with food and various items.
Amazing people who are helping all the animals they can! The animals are taken care of very well, and they are always doing everything they can for the animals. The food at the restaurant is also amazing!!
Awesome expo of contemporary art and pre-Colombian history… along with a view on the presence of indigenous tribes of Costa Rica.
Beautiful volcano. We enjoyed the hike around and reading about different facts along the way. We arrived around 10 and we able to see the crater. Paths were well paved. Glad we added this stop to our trip.
Sitio muy concurrido en San José, Costa Rica. En la parte de abajo están el Museo del Oro Precolombino, el Museo Numismático y una muestra de la colección de arte plástica del país. Desde allí, se puede llegar caminando al Museo del Jade, el Museo Nacional, la Plaza de la Democracia, el Parque nacional, entre otras atracciones. También, encontrarán en la peatonal: Hoteles (recomiendo El Maragato, con excelente relación calidad - precio), bancos, tiendas, restaurantes, librerías, entre otros; transporte variado y más...¡Visítala!
Very nice park! Pre order your tickets online or use the wifi at gate entrance only thing is it's a little slow being so far in the mountain- the trails are wonderful with great little factoids along the path and the trails are nice with periodical clouds passing and cool weather- did not break a sweat the whole trail!
Loved visiting this animal refuge here in Costa Rica. These animals all have a sad story behind them from being trafficked from other parts of the country to animals that were hunted or used as mascots. All of these animals have been rehabilitated but sadly many cannot go back to the wild. This place is amazing because they care for these animals for their entire lives. Pls consider making a donation since this refuge is not funded by the state. Any amount counts.
Beautiful place to visit. The tours are really nice. My only negative complaint is that the tour guide (female 6/18) was not nice to the locals and super friendly to the expats (specially Europeans and Americans). Her English was okay and it felt like she was drill in the locals to speak in English when she herself had a lot of room for growth. The make guide was hilarious and super friendly.
This was the 1st airport in Costa Rica. Beautifully restored building has been repurposed as a contemporary art museum. Very interesting exhibits and a scilpture garden. Must see the Gold Room. Formerly it was the executive lounge.
What a beautiful, special place! Great guide and learned a lot.
This museum is fantastic. The grounds surrounding it are spectacular (although sometimes the people in the park outside can seem sorta sketchy). You can see the Legislative Assembly building from the front door and there's a fantastic park across the street. I especially liked the statues and modern art out front-- even the bike rack is artistic. The inside of the museum is impressive as well.
What an experience! If you visit you will not be disappointed. Just be ready for a serious hike up and down many stairs. It's worth it to see the beauty and power of the waterfalls.
🇨🇷Bonito lugar para sentarse 🪑 y descansar un momento después de caminar cuando andas conociendo aquí y cuenta con museos al rededor y con espacios para la foto del recuerdo.
Super cool free museum (that doesn't even accept donations!) in the heart of San Jose. Walkable and situated in a park, the place used to be an airport for the city and the 'gold room' tells that history. Pictures do not do it justice.
This museum has wonderful displays of gold artifacts and jewelry. Throughout the exhibit, there are touch screen displays that enhance the learning experience and explain the intricacies and really give you an appreciation of this fascinating culture. A must see while in San Jose Costa Rica.
A fabulous little museum located in the lovely Sabana Park. Some really interesting artworks, with the incredible gold mural upstairs, telling the story of Costa Rica down the centuries, being the undoubted highlight. We spent a long time in this room (with no other visitors there, which was nice).
A great find, and somewhere you must visit if you're in the park!
A great find, and somewhere you must visit if you're in the park!
It was so fun and informative. My guide was a nice German guy who was so full of knowledge. My favorites were the parrots and my last favorite was the sloth because he was napping with his back to me lol. I saw nothing but fur. I had a great time and bought a dream catcher souvenir to further support the cause.
Paulo was an amazing guide. She was so informative and told stories about each animal. Would definitely recommend!!
Nice place to visit with your family and friends, very clean but it's a little bit small, the restaurant was very tasty and cheap, recommended.
This hotel was perfection…we stayed two nights in a room with breathtaking views. The site was immaculate, the staff were super friendly & helpful…we enjoyed the night tour & the family friendly vibe. We explored the permaculture the main reason we stayed here which did not disappoint. This hotel was a 10/10 I would have stayed longer! The hike on-site were as nice as the national park we visited.
Me and my parents loved our stay here - we were in the newer rooms in the hotel overlooking the view and it was beautiful. Bathroom great, and the breakfast food was delicious. Really lovely to have all the grounds to explore as well where we saw countless birds, coatis and even an agouti! Wifi connection was also excellent given it’s such a big place! The farm to table and permaculture concept is excellent.
Only suggestions for improvement are for the restaurant - you had to book for dinner which is fine, but any other time you went for drink / snack it felt like you weren’t always welcome unless you’d booked. My dad also had to rescue an agouti from the artificial pond in front of our room as it fell in and had no escape route - was swimming for 45 mins round and round exhausted before he had to scoop it out as reception was closed. Given there is so much wildlife, these kinds of things need to be considered more!
Only suggestions for improvement are for the restaurant - you had to book for dinner which is fine, but any other time you went for drink / snack it felt like you weren’t always welcome unless you’d booked. My dad also had to rescue an agouti from the artificial pond in front of our room as it fell in and had no escape route - was swimming for 45 mins round and round exhausted before he had to scoop it out as reception was closed. Given there is so much wildlife, these kinds of things need to be considered more!
Definitely worth visiting and very beautiful! The volcano is about 300meter walk uphill from the parking lot & it’s very beautiful with all the forest around. GO EARLY, preferable at 8am. It’s less crowded & it’s much better to see the volcano. You must reserve online a day prior, and bring money to pay for parking. It’s very nice for children, not too bad of a walk. Bring a light jacket because it is very cold on the walk up, but when you arrive to the volcano, it begins to warm up the longer you stay.
This is one of my favorites park in San José. It's really clean and peaceful. There are different plants that make it even better.😍
you have the train station nearby, about 1-2 minutes walking. There's a university (UIA) nearby, as well. TSE, next to it basically. It got different statues of people who were important. Finally, this is a really nice place to take pictures.
you have the train station nearby, about 1-2 minutes walking. There's a university (UIA) nearby, as well. TSE, next to it basically. It got different statues of people who were important. Finally, this is a really nice place to take pictures.
Nice small park. Loved the big trees and all the benched you could sit on.
Historical spot with most of the original architecture intact. It's a gorgeous place and worth spending some time watching a play. They also have a cafe and it's a cute little spot with a variety of options. This spot is great for a date or just a night out.
For 31 days I had seen a new type of bird every single day on my Costa Rica trip. I had 1 hour left before having to leave for the airport and I thought I'd try one park to find one bird that was new. Though this park is small and busy, if you look up you'll see many little birds flying around having fun. I found my final new bird here and I couldn't have been happier flying home. There's also a cafe called Otoya that is around the corner that has the best coffee in town. Go here and rest my friend, you deserve it.
I was here on a food tour of city that included this theater because it was on the route.
Its a very nice structure, and i like the story behind one of the sculptures (the one on the right, mother and baby). The artists defiance in past.
Was only in lobby and looking for 5 min, but very nice theater.''
Like this review below if the info helps
Its a very nice structure, and i like the story behind one of the sculptures (the one on the right, mother and baby). The artists defiance in past.
Was only in lobby and looking for 5 min, but very nice theater.''
Like this review below if the info helps
Very repetitive and not very well curated. $16 each for Americans, $5 each if you have a Costa Rican student ID.
60% pottery of all nomenclatures, 20% art exhibit of Salvador Dali (who was one weird dude), 20% jade in various formats.
Was interesting the first 30min but there’s a lot of historical context lacking. Also not interactive in the least bit.
That said, better than sitting at home for $5.
60% pottery of all nomenclatures, 20% art exhibit of Salvador Dali (who was one weird dude), 20% jade in various formats.
Was interesting the first 30min but there’s a lot of historical context lacking. Also not interactive in the least bit.
That said, better than sitting at home for $5.
Yet another great park in the San jose systems. big and beautiful diverse .a great place to hang out and just relax
This place was one of the coolest places I went to during my trip! First off there was AC which is great! There were so many different exhibits and wonderful things to look at. The museum was spacious and even with a good amount of people walking around it didn’t feel crowded at all. There was such a wide variety of stuff to look at, you could really spend all day there. It was about $6 a ticket and totally worth it. We spent about three hours there but you could have spent even more time.
I felt that while the museum was lovely, it was a little overpriced for tourists. There are three levels - the basement is the gold, the second level has a geography exhibit, and the main level currently has an exhibit about coins. I've been to other gold museums in Latin America and this one was relatively similar, though there were quite a lot of unique pieces that i admit i had never seen in other similar museums. The geographical exhibit was interesting but can be skipped through relatively quickly (i did appreciate all the signage in English). The coins exhibit will only be interesting to you if you're into the history of coins. Personally i liked it but did find it a little repetitive. Overall - good activity to do if you find yourself in downtown San Jose with some free time to kill but not necessarily a must see.
We spent 2 nights at the hotel. The lady at the reception desk was very helpful and friendly. The room was well equipped but very outdated, the bathroom was pretty disgusting, water didn’t drain in the shower, even after we let the reception know and someone came to “fix”. The breakfast was very simple and small (they give you a lecture on their local farm where they grow vegetables etc but you won’t see any greens on your breakfast plate, ever). The waiter was not friendly at all. The bar has no happy hour, the wine we ordered tasted bad and was warm. The short trail around the hotel was nice.
Our hotel was close, so thought we would see what it was like, we are so glad we went, what a beautiful place, so peaceful and the views are amazing, after our walk we visited the restaurant, the food was delicious.
Another place we wish we could have more time at! Absolutely incredible views. The restaurant serves food that is mostly grown on site, and you can walk around many of the gardens where the food comes from. Beautiful hiking trails on the property along with an awesome hammock garden to relax in. Wood fired pizza - all the food and drinks were amazing! Friendly staff and great rooms! Will definitely send friends and family here!
Truly an incredible experience to eat at their farm-to-table restaurant and eat all the food they grow and reside here. Next level flavors and freshness. I could not stop raving about it to my friends. The jaw dropping sunsets are inimitable. Christian at the restaurant was great his service and recommendations far exceeded expectations. The rooms and simple and have all the basics covered. Be prepared to have bugs in your room. They were easy to catch and release. Going to tour the entire property and preserve today.
I haven't been to this park in a long time and was pleasantly surpiesed. Plenty of green, fountains and the iconic "Monumento Nacional". A nice place for a downtown break.
Plaza de la Cultura es un lugar (spot) tradicional, pero que desafortunadamente se queda sólo con el nombre, es decir, más allá de las diferentes expresiones urbanas que esporádicamente se dan durante el año, no hay un espacio cultural permanente. Se desaprovecha el tránsito tan amplio de personas durante el día. Asimismo, hay pocos espacios para tomar asiento, salvo que uno lo haga en las orillas.
Highly recommend visiting. It's a beautiful area. Book a permaculture tour in advance if timing works out. It was very interesting to learn about how the farm and inn is run. The food at the restaurant is pretty good also.