Spices and coffee
Colourful heaps.
Eric T Gunther — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eric T Gunther — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Umacamera — CC BY 2.0 · Pequeño mar — CC BY-SA 4.0
A covered market founded in 1880, one of Costa Rica's oldest and liveliest, its narrow aisles tangled with hundreds of small stalls where city people shop and eat every day, giving visitors a true picture of everyday life in the capital. Here you find heaps of spices and medicinal herbs, roasted coffee of every kind, tropical fruit from mango and papaya to fruits you have never seen, flowers, leather, shoes and hats, souvenirs and small crafts. Its best-known spots are the small eateries called «sodas», where people sit on high stools at the counter for the traditional casado, rice, beans, fried plantain and salad with chicken or fish, and fresh fruit juices. The market is also known for an old-fashioned ice cream made with milk and cinnamon. It is crowded at midday, and the aisles are narrow. San José has petty theft in crowded places, so watch your belongings and use registered taxis at night.
Colourful heaps.
A casado plate.
Fresh and tropical.
Between Calles 6 and 8, central San José
National Theatre of Costa RicaSan José's most beautiful building, a grand neoclassical theatre that opened on 7 minutes walk4.9
Pre-Columbian Gold MuseumA modern museum in underground halls below the Plaza de la Cultura, owned by the8 minutes walk4.4
National Museum in the Bellavista BarracksA yellow fortress with round towers and battlements on a hill in central San Jos14 minutes walk4.8The traditional casado of rice, beans and plantain with chicken or fish at one of the sodas, plus a fresh juice.