Important Phone Numbers  

Any type of emergency: 911

Information: 115

Operator Assistance: 116

Red Cross: 233-7033

Fire Department: 223-8055

Traffic Police: 222-9330, 222-9245

Hospitals

Hospital CIMA San José: 208-1000

208-1061, emergencias:

CIMA del Este in San Pedro: 208-1800

Hospital Clinica Biblica

San José: 295-7630

Pinares Curridabat: 295-7721

Mall San Pedro: 224-1519, 224-1162

Heredia: 260-4959, 263-2880

Clínica Católica: 283-6616

Clínica Bíblica: 257-5252

Transportation Air-Bus-Taxi

Air Travel

From San Jose by Air

If you’re headed out of San José to a more tropical beach destination and want to arrive as quickly as possible, flying on one of Costa Rica’s national airlines is a good option. Sansa and NatureAir use small planes and make frequent trips to popular destination.

Sansa

Main office (506) 221-9414

Fax: (506) 255-2176

www.flysansa.com.

Leaves from Juan Santamarìa International Airport

Flies to Barra Colorado, Drake Bay, Coto 47, Drake Bay, Golfito, Liberia, Limón, Nosara, Palmar Sur, Puerto Jiménez, Punta Islita, Quepos, Samara-Carillo, Tamarindo, Tambor

Tortuguero

Nature Air

Main office: 220-3054

Fax: 220-0413

www.natureair.com

flies daily from Tobías Bolaños Airport in Pavas, west of San José

Flies to Arenal, Barra del Colorado, Drake Bay, Golfito, Liberia, Palmar Sur, Puerto Jiménez, Punta Islita, Quepos, Nosara, Tamarindo, Tambor, Tortuguero.

Juan Santamaría Airport: 443-2622

American Airlines: 257-1266

United Airlines: 0 800 052-1234

Delta Airlines: 0-800-056-2002

Continental: 0-800-044-0005

TACA: 223-4314

Taxis

Coopeirazú: 254-3211

Coopettaxi 235-9966, 236-7070

Alfaro: 221-8466

Taxi Coopeguaria: 227-9300

Taxis Unidos Aeropuerto (for airport): 221-6865

Bus Company Numbers

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Renting a Car

Renting a car is a quick way to get from San José to nearby beaches or towns. A car can make getting around the city quicker too, though those who aren’t very familiar with the city (and the aggressive Costa Rican driving style) may be better off sticking to buses and taxis until they become comfortable. To rent a car, you’ll need your passport and U.S. drivers’ license. 

San José Car Rental Agencies

Avis

www.avis.co.cr

4 San José locations :

Airport : (506) 293-2222 Fax: (506) 293-1111

Heredia : (506) 293-2222, Fax : (506)293-1111

Hotel Melia Cariari (4 miles from airport): (506) 239-0022 ext. 3163

Hotel Tryp Corobici (downtown): (506) 232-9922

Budget

www.budget.co.cr

Alajuela: (506) 436-2000, Fax: (506) 440-0744

Airport: (506) 441-4444

San José (downtown): (506) 255-4750, Fax: (506) 255-4966

Nacional Car Rental

www.natcar.com

San José offices in 6 locations:

Airport, Hotel Marriot, Plaza Viquez, Paseo Colón, Hotel Real Intercontinental, Hotel Best Western Irazú.

(506) 290-0431 or 800-CAR RENT from U.S.

Dollar Rent a Car

www.dollarcostarica.com

San José main office: (506) 443-2950, (506) 443-2736, U.S. toll free 866-746-7765

Paseo Colon: (506) 257-0671, Fax: (506) 440-1401

Airport: (56) 443-2078, Fax: (506) 440-1401

Alamo

www.alamocostarica.com

San José main office : (506) 242-7733, fax : (506) 233-5555

Paseo Colón : (506) 221-4700, fax : (506) 257-6811

Hotel Irazú : (506) 290-0437, Fax : (506) 290-0437

Toyota Rent a Car

www.toyotarent.com

San José: 258-5797

Alajuela: 441-1411

Economy Rent a Car

www.economyrentacar.com

downtown San José, airport

(506) 299-2000

Fax (506) 299-2095

Hertz Rent a Car

www.costaricarentacar.net

Paseo Colón, airport

(506) 221-1818, Fax: (506) 233-7254, (506) 257-1569

Payless Car Rental

www.paylesscr.com

San José main office: (506) 257-0026, fax: (506) 221-5761

Paseo Colón: (506) 233-8605, fax: (506) 233-8605

Toyota

www.carrental-toyota-costarica.com

258-5797

Tour Companies

Signing up for an organized tour is the easiest way to get out of the city for the day. If you’d like to sit back and let someone do all the planning and organizing for you, look into one of these tour companies.

Ecoscape Nature Tour offers an 11-hour tour including a sunset jungle hike, boat trip and dinner.

240-5106

Costa Rica Temptations will whirl you to a coffee plantation, Poás Volcano and La Paz Waterfall Gardens all in one day.

239-9999

Grayline Tours also offers a variety to day trips to various destinations around San José including three different volcanos (Arenal, Poas and Irazu), butterfly farms, canopy tours, coffee plantations and horseback rides. Grayline also offers a tour of San José.

www.graylinecostarica.com, 220-2126.

Fun Family Activities

It shouldn’t be hard to keep kids entertained in San José. From nature museums to butterfly gardens to amusement parks, there are many options and activities that are fun for the whole family. Here are a few:

The Children’s Museum (Museo de los Niños) has hands-on exhibits that teach kids about history, science and music.

258-4929

Located inside old jail building, Calle 4 and Avenida 9.

At Spirogyra, you can see a variety of butterflies and learn about these beautiful creatures.

222-2937

50 meters east, 150 meters south of “El Pueblo” shopping complex.

INBioparque has extensive grounds featuring the biodiversity and ecology of Costa Rica including house snakes, butterflies, fish and more.

244-4730

Santo Domingo de Heredia, north of San José

For the adventurous, the Parque Nacional de Diversiones has a modern amusement park with rides and attractions. There is also a lake and living replica of an old Costa Rican pueblo.

231-2001

West of Hospital Mexico in La Uruca.

Fossil Land offers different tour packages for groups. You can choose from activities like  rapelling, spelunking, paint-ball, trout fishing, mountain bike trails, cave exploring and canopy tours.

276-6060

If you’re looking to cool off and make a splash, Ojo de Agua water park has a three different pools including a waterfall pool and kids’ pool, all filled with fresh spring water. There are also tennis courts, running trails and restaurants.

441-2808

road between the airport and San Antonio de Belen

Zoo Avenue is a great place to see birds, mammals and reptiles in exhibits with plenty of educational materials.

433-8989

www.zooave.org

La Garita, Alajuela

Holidays

Costa Ricans love to celebrate. Throughout the year there are numerous national holidays and festivals, and many provinces also have their own celebrations commemorating unique historical events or traditions.

One of the biggest holidays in Costa Rica and around Latin America is Semana Santa, or holy week, which falls in late March or early April. From Thursday to Sunday, businesses shut down. The streets are full of processions, including music and biblical costumes, depicting the stages of Christ’s crucifiction and resurrection.

Many Costa Ricans take advantage of the time off to head to the beach, so you can expect crowds at popular shore-side destinations.

If you’re in Costa Rica in December, you’ll get to see Tico-style Christmas celebrations. Nativity scenes and carolers create the mood for the season. Apples and grapes abound on street stands and create a taste for the season. The New Year also goes out in a bang with lots of parties and fireworks.

April 11 is Juan Santamaría Day commemorating the hero who fought against William Walker in 1856. Alajuela, the hero’s birthplace, celebrates with parades, concerts and dances.

Independence Day is September 15. Kids get the day off of school and celebrate with parades, drums and, of course, singing the national anthem.

One Day Activities 

If you’re looking to get out of the city for a day, there are many great spots in the surrounding Central Valley area. Most are easy to get to by bus or a quick drive if you’ve got a rental car.

The Rainforest Aerial Tram, only 45 min. from San Jose along the Guapiles Highway was built on a private reserve near Braulio Carillo Park. The 90-minute ride lets you observe all the wildlife of the rain forest. The area also has trails and restaurants; many tourists make a day out of the trip.

www.rainforestram.com, 257-5961.

The Dole Banana Tour will show the ins and outs as well as some history of this massive banana producer.

To learn all there is to know about coffee, check out the Café Britt Tour.

260-2748.

The La Paz Waterfall Gardens is a park containing four impressive waterfalls with hiking trails and viewing platforms as well as a butterfly observatory.

225-1082.

The Butterfly Farm is another great spot to see these beautiful insects.

www.butterflyfarm.co.cr, 438-0400

Irazú Volcano measures 3,378 meters (11,080 ft), and hasn’t erupted since 1963, the day President Kennedy visited Costa Rica. A paved road leads up to the volcano’s rim, which is surrounded by gray sand. On a clear day visitors enjoy views of the Orosi Valley and maybe even the Pacific Ocean. Irazú Volcano is a national park; admission is $6. A visitor center offers information about the volcano and the park houses a restaurant.

Buses leave daily from near the National Theater. It’s best to get there early to get the best views of the volcano before the clouds roll in.

551-9398

Poás Volcano is a natural wonder close to San José that  you shouldn’t miss. Like Irazú, Poas is located in a national park  Surrounded by a forest of part of a national park, is also a unique site, with a crater lake full of steaming turquoise water. The hike up to the rim takes you through a dwarf cloud forest.

482-2165

Braulio Carrillo National Park is a jungle in the Central Valley Mountains with hiking trails.

268-1038

Theater

Why not spend a cultural evening at the theater during your visit? San José has an active drama community that performs in small playhouses as well as the National Theater. All productions are in Spanish except those by the English-speaking “Little Theater Group,” which have their playhouse in Escazú’s Bello Horizonte. Call 355-1623 for information and show times. For those who understand Spanish, or just want the experience of taking in a show, here are a few theaters to check out :

La Comedia

Avenida Central, calles 13-15

233-2170

Melico Salazar

Avenida 2, calle Central

233-5172

www.intnet.co.cr/melico

National Theater

Avenida 2, calles 3-5

223-4990

teatrona@racsa.co.cr

Teatro de Bellas Artes

School of Fine Arts, University of Costa Rica, San Pedro

207-2974

www.facultadbellasartes.ucr.ac.cr

Museums

San José Museums

Museo de los Niños (Children’s Museum)

258-4929

Hands-on exhibits demonstrating Costa Rican science, art and culture.

Earthquake simulator is a big hit.

Location: Inside old jail building, Calle 4 and Avenida 9.

Hours: Tues. – Sun. 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Entrance: 500 colones/children under age 3, 800 colones/adults

Museo Nacional de Costa Rica (National Museum of Costa Rica)

257-1433

Costa Rican history. Pre-Columbian art and artifacts, indigenous culture and colonial life of Costa Rica.

Location: Calle 17, between Avenidas 1 and 2

Hours: Tues. to Sat 8:30-4:00, Sun. 9:00-4:00

Entrance: 500 colones/Costa Rican citizens;

Free for students (with student I.D.), children and senior citizens

$4/foreign visitors

$2/foreign students (with student I.D.)

Museo de Arte Costariccense (Museum of Costa Rican Art)

222-7155

Galleries highlight different artists and are constantly changing with new exhibits

Location: White building on the south side of La Sabana Park

Hours: Tues. - Sat. 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.;

Sun.10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Entrance: 500 colones/Costa Ricans and foreign residents

$5/foreign visitors

$3/foreign students

Mueso de Jade (Jade Museum)

223-5800

Most comprehensive collection of jade in the world. Pieces date from 500 B.C. to 800 A.D.

Location: 11^th floor of I.N.S. building on Avenida 7, calle 7-11

Hours: Mon. – Fri. 8:30-3:30

Entrance: 500 colones/Costa Ricans

$2/foreign visitors

Museo de Oro (Gold Museum)

243-4202

Extraordinary collection of 1,600 gold objects dating from 500 – 1500 A.D. reflecting the world-view, social structure and gold working techniques of the Pre-Columbian peoples of Costa Rica.

Location: Below the Plaza de Cultura, calle 5, between Avenidas Central and 2.

Hours: Mon. – Sat. 9:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Entrance: 1,000 colones/Costa Ricans, $6 or 2,850 colones/foreign visitors

Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporaneo (Museum of Art and Contemporary  Design)

257-7202

Theaters and galleries showing current trends of art and design.

Location: West side of National Library, Avenida 3, between calles 15 and 17

Hours: Mon. 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Tues. 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., Wed. – Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Entrance: 500 colones/ Costa Ricans

$2/foreign visitors

Museum of Natural Sciences La Salle

232-1306

Over 55,000 displays of zoology, paleontology, archeology and minerology.

Location: Southwest corner of Sabana park

Hours: Mon. – Sab. 8:00 a.m – 4:00 p.m., Sun. 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Entrance: 500 colones/adults, 400 colones/children

Insect Museum

207-5318

More than 500 insects

Location: basement of University of Costa Rica music school, San Pedro (east of San José)

Hours: Mon. – Fri. 1:00 - 4:45 p.m.

Entrance: 1,000 colones/foreign visitors, 200 colones/children, 500 colones/Costa Rican residents

InBioparque

507-8107

Biodiversity exhibits, butterfly garden, fish pond, snake house

Location: Santo Domingo de Heredia

Hours: Tues. – Sun. 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., last admission 4 p.m.

Entrance: residents 1,700 colones/adults, 1,000 colones/children 4-12 ;

Foreign visitors : $15/adults, $8/children

Nightlife

For those looking to step out on the town, San José has a variety of bars and clubs to choose from. Whether you’re looking for a laid-back lounge or a happening dance floor, you should be able to find an entertaining establishment. Here are some favorites:

If you’re looking to dance in downtown San José, check out

Risas, Avenida central, calle 1 or El Túnel del Tiempo, Avenida central, calles 11/13.

El Tobogán (200 m. north, 100 m. east of La República) , Salsa 54 (calle 3, Avenidas 1 and 3) and Castros (Avenida 13, calle 22) are also popular spots to try out your Latin moves.

El Pueblo,  located in San José’s Barrio Tournón, is a complex of shops, bars and restaurants designed in the style of an old Spanish town.

San Pedro, a neighborhood east of San José which is home to the University of Costa Rica, has streets filled with restaurants, bars and dance clubs. Planet Mall is a huge complex with some clubs on the top floors including Star Pub, Touch Bar and PK2 Bar. Jazz Café has great live music as well as Anochecer, with beach style décor including a sand floor.  Calle de la Amargura is a stretch packed with bars and clubs. Be careful walking around, though—thieves have been known to lurk.

Restaurants

San Jose has an excellent restaurant scene. Your taste buds will be treated with everything from traditional Costa Rican fair (comida tipica) to flavors from all over the world. There are tons of restaurants to choose from, as you’ll discover when you begin exploring the city, but here are a few top picks in different areas of San Jose:

San Jose:

Café Mundo. This is a popular hangout for artists, students and international travelers. The walls of each spacious room in this former house are adorned with murals, and there is a lovely patio area out back if you prefer to dine al “aire libre” (fresh air). The food is excellent and includes a variety of international offerings like pastas and pizzas.

Calle 15 and Avenida 9, 200 meters east and 100 north of the INS building. 222-6190.

Café La Posada.  Simple café on pretty tile-paved pedestrian walkway. Lite fair for lunch or a coffee break. Across from southeast corner of the National Museum. 257-9414.

News Café. Popular eating establishment on Paseo Colon with good tables for people watching. Diner-style food, big portions.

Avenida Central and Calle 7, in the Hotel Presidente. 222-3022.

Tin Jo. Pan-Asian cuisine with accents from Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and China. 221-7605.

Paseo Colon area:

Lubnan. Tasty Middle Eastern cuisine. Paseo Colon, between Calle 22 and Calle 24, 257-6071.

Machu Picchu. Popular restaurant offering Peruvian cuisine. Calle 32 between Avenidas 1 and 3, 150 m north of Kentucky Fried Chicken. 222-7384.

Saisaki. Supposedly San José’s best sushi. Calle 32, Avenida 1. 223-7097.

La Sabana:

El Chicote. Upscale steakhouse. 400 m west of the ICE building, Sabana Norte. 232-0936.

Il Gato. Italian cuisine. 100 m north of canal 7, Sabana Oeste. 220-4439.

Escazu:

Café los Artistas: excellent breakfasts and lunches, artistic atmosphere. 100 m south of Plaza Rolex, San Rafael de Escazú.

Mirador Tiquicia. Excellent view of entire San Jose area. Typical food. 1.5 km south and 1.5 km west of Church in Escazu on road to San Antonio. 289-5839.

Sabor a Leña. Good oven-baked pizza and pasta. Cento Commercial Country Plaza, second floor, San Rafael de Escazu. 288-2503.

Health Care

Costa Rica prides itself on its excellent health care system. Many Costa Rican physicians trained in North America and speak English. If an illness or injury occurs during your visit here, don’t hesitate to seek medical help in a private hospital or clinic. The following hospitals offer the best care using the most modern facilities available.

Hospital CIMA San José

Carretera Santa Ana

208-1000

208-1061, emergencies

CIMA del Este in San Pedro

208-1800

Hospital Clinica Biblica

San José, 295-7630

Pinares Curridabat, 295-7721

Mall San Pedro, 224-1519, 224-1162

Heredia, 260-4959, 263-2880

Dental Service

If you need a dental service that is costly in the U.S., try taking advantage of Costa Rica’s excellent dentists and cheaper prices for dental care. Dentists perform anything from a routine cleaning to crowns, root canals and oral surgery. Many specialize in cosmetic procedures like whitening and dental implants. Finding an English-speaking dentist shouldn’t be difficult.

Plastic Surgery

It’s become increasingly popular for North Americans who are plastic surgery come to Costa Rica to take advantage of the less expensive, excellent medical care. Many procedures cost half of what they would in the U.S., and you will receive the same level of care. You should plan to stay at least two weeks after the surgery to recuperate before traveling. Some clinics can arrange for you to stay in a special guesthouse or hotel with nursing staff to monitor your recovery. So if you’re looking for a nip or tuck, Costa Rica’s not a bad choice.