A lot of people dismiss the Costa Rican capital of San Jose saying it’s boring. It is recommended when you land in San Jose to run for the hills and never look back. However, given our arrival time and rental car wait, we ended up staying the night in San Jose. We were very happy we did! The following morning we did a quick tour of the main sites and really appreciated the time we spent. That being said, I wouldn’t spend more than a day in San Jose – the real Costa Rica is away from the city!

Museo Nacional

The Museo Nacional is a small museum that outlines the pre-Columbian history of Costa Rica inside an old fort turned prison. The building alone is fascinating with bullet holes piercing the stone facade left as a reminder of the realities of war. You enter through a butterfly garden, which provides a stark contrast to the exterior. This peaceful space ushers in a new era of Costa Rica, one that treasures its biodiversity and prioritizes sustainability.

The exit up the ramp takes you to a plaza with gardens that have a great view of the city and spherical stones placed prominently throughout. These Indiana Jones rolling boulders are national treasures that represent the world. They were found in the jungle by United Fruit Company workers clearing land for crops and their age or origin is unknown. Only a few remain as the Company blew most of them up with dynamite, hoping there was gold inside. Sigh.

The museum is linearly arranged as a timeline from prehistoric times when giant sloths dominated the area to early human history culminating in the mastery of jade and gold.

Gold chains or Jade gauges?

Mercado Central

Take Avenida 1 west towards Mercado Central. On the way, it will become a pedestrian promenade with many shops and colorful buildings. A few historic buildings remain from the short-lived colonization that ended due to the country’s general lack of gold compared to neighboring countries. But for the most part, buildings are contemporary and in a constant battle with the jungle. On the streets, you will see brave cyclists navigating traffic with no lane markings.

Hotel Fleur de Lys

Hotel Fleur de Lys is an affordable place to stay a block from the Museo Nacional. It’s a cool colonial style building that was an agglomeration of houses (hence the fun indoor balcony). We were greeted with live music – the perfect way to end a long day of traveling! The following morning we enjoyed the complimentary breakfast at Fleur de Lys and hit the streets of San Jose. Disclaimer: the area near the hotel in the opposite direction of Museo Nacional felt a little less safe, especially at night. I would approach from the downtown side only. The hotel itself is very safe with a locked gate and attendant.