great architecture in San Jose

10 Free Things to do In San Jose – Costa Rica

As far as Central American capital cities go, San Jose is far above the crowd, save maybe for super modern, skyscraper-laden Panama City. Unlike the other capitals, San Jose has lots of interesting, beautiful architecture, both historic and modern; small but pretty parks and a handful of great museums.

The compact historic center is easy to get around on foot. It has some of the least expensive budget accommodations and food to be found in the entire country. And the city is safe, aside from watching out for pickpockets in certain areas.

San Jose is also surprisingly cool, situated at 1300 M, which makes it a great retreat from the country’s sweltering Pacific and Caribbean coasts.

So, all in all, San Jose is a great city to visit for a few days while exploring Costa Rica.

While museums tend to be pretty expensive, there are plenty of great free things to do in the capital. Most of them center around architecture, art and parks. Following are several wonderful activities I’ve discovered while hanging out in San Jose a whopping two full weeks.

1. Join the Free city walking tour

Daily 2-3 hour guided walking tours of the city center make one of the best freebies in San Jose. Participants will learn a lot of history on both the city and country, get the inside scoop on many gorgeous historic buildings and houses,stroll through pretty parks and be thoroughly entertained by the amusing guides.

The tour is a great introduction to the city before you head out on your own to explore in more depth. Although the tours are free, the guides do appreciate donations, so if you feel so inclined, slip some change or small bill at the end of the walk.

Tours meet at 9 am daily in front of the National Theater.

Parque Espana

2. Enjoy the parks

San Jose center is dotted by many small but beautiful parks. Most feature grassy lawns, towering shade trees, flowering tropical plants and plenty of seating. Some also have statues, pavilions, gazebos and/or art.

The best three parks, in my opinion, are situated near the eastern end of the center and practically touching each other. They are Parque Nacional, Parque Espana and Parque Morazon. Each has a different ambiance and features, but all are lovely green nature escapes within the city.

Hang out in your favorite to enjoy nature, people walk, check out art & statues & pavilions and on occasion get to watch some performances, classes or rehearsals.

former rum factory now houses the National Center for Culture and Youth

3. Visit a former rum factory

For decades the Costa Rican government ran a rum factory right in the heart of downtown, situated at the northwest corner of Parque National. The factory eventually closed and has been converted into the National Institute for Youth and Culture.

The rum factory complex has been beautifully restored, with most buildings still in-tact, along with distillery tanks, water towers and other rum-making structures. The complex now houses the CEDAC offices, galleries, the Museum of Contemporary Art and a theater.

Although the museum has an entry fee, visitors are welcome to explore the grounds and buildings. Many explanatory plaques have been set out, with descriptions in Spanish and English.

National Library with art exhibition

4. Check Out the National Library

Just across the road from CEDAC and Parque Nacional is the large national library, situated in a heavy contemporary building of dark stone, glass and metal.

The library nearly always has exhibitions of art, books and periodicals and/or historical themed displays. Those are open to the public free of charge.

In addition, the library has daily free computer use during specified hours and ongoing free Wifi for visitors carrying their own devices.

Then, of course, the library is full of books, a selection of magazines and newspapers and archived periodicals. They’re all in Spanish, so if you’re fluent you can visit the library to read.

Visitors should have id to sign into the library.

Casa Amarilla

5. Make an Architectural walking tour in Amon & city center

As I mentioned, San Jose is dotted with interesting and gorgeous architecture. Some historic neighborhoods are filled with stunning, renovated buildings and homes from various centuries. Other buildings are scattered throughout the downtown area.

Among them are huge Victorian mansions, beautifully renovated train stations and warehouses, a fort, cool contemporary government buildings, a renovated rum factory, historic churches and other edificies.

Simply wandering around the city center, you’ll come across a huge variety of interesting buildings. But you’ll find more in the area around the three aforementioned parks, Amon neighborhood and the Escalante area located northeast of Parque National.

photography exhibition at FIA – International Festival of Arts – San Jose

6. Attend a festival

Throughout the year San Jose has a series of festivals – art, music, performance, traditional events and other exhibitions.

Right now, for instance, there’s the FIA 2-week festival of arts in full swing. Hundreds of artists, dancers, musicians and other performers from 18 countries are entertaining the public in theaters, galleries and plazas.

statue in Parque Nacional

7. Make an art tour

Art is on display to the public all over the city center. You’ll find statues and sculptures in the parks, colorful murals on walls and buildings everywhere, art exhibitions in the National Library and special exhibits during various festivals.

Just go wander around the city center and see what you find!

8. Check out the amazing hostels set in historic mansions

San Jose has some incredible hostels. They’re situated in huge historic former homes that have been converted into budget travelers’ accommodations. These beautiful mansions feature stunning architecture, interiors, furnishings, art and other details. They’re spacious and tend to be tranquil.

They’re more like a boutique hotel or BnB than your typical backpacker hostel. And they’re just as inexpensive as other, more basic, hostels in the city.

If you’re not staying in one of them, then at least go visit a couple to admire their great architecture and interiors. I recommend visiting the following-

Hostel Casa de Parque, situated on the east side of Parque Nacional

Hostel Finca Escalante, in the Escalante neighborhood

Hostel 1110, located just south of Parque Morazon

Hostel Casa del Parque

9. Sample organic & gourmet foods

Every Saturday morning is Feria Verde – Green Fair – a small open-air market with organic produce, gourmet specialty foods, cooked meals and groovy clothing/jewelry. It’s held at a small unnamed park a few blocks north of Parque Nacional.

Both locals and expats set up a collection of booths selling all sorts of wonderful homemade & home-grown stuff- gourmet breads, cheeses, chocolate, juices, salsas, nut concoctions, smoothies, organic fruits and vegetables.

Many of these vendors hand out free samples to held nudge along sales.

Musicians also perform to the crowds throughout the market, which is held from very early until midday. It’s a trendy, wholesome, bohemian crowd for the most part.

So if you’re in San Jose on a weekend, head up to this charming market to enjoy free music, sample gourmet treats and mingle with the interesting crowd.

The small recessed park is located basically directly north of Parque Nacional, at the end of Calle 11. Find it on a San Jose map or ask at your hostel/hotel for directions.

Iglesia Nuestra Senora de la Soledad at Plaza de las Artes

10. Admire historic churches

Most of the churches around Costa Rica are a disappointing bland, minimalist modern style of architecture, which is in huge contrast to the hundreds of stunning historic churches and cathedrals found in Mexico and other Central American countries.

But San Jose is an exception. In the city center there are several beautiful historic churches, which are all worth a visit to admire both the exterior architecture and elaborate interiors. This might be your only chance to see pretty churches in the country.

Be sure to see San Jose Metropolitan Cathedral at Park Central, Iglesia Nuestra Senora de la Soledad at Plaza de las Artes and Iglesia Santa Teresita de Nino Jesus over in Escalante neighborhood. Find others on a San Jose map.