Central Valley Travel Guide
- Overview
- Places to Explore
- Sights
- Restaurants
- Hotels
- Entertainment
- Shopping
- Travel Tips
- Features
- Fodor's Choice
- Deals
- Spanish Phrases
- Guidebooks
Guidebooks
Photo: Linda137, Fodors.com member
San José sits in a mile-high-ish mountain valley ringed by volcanoes whose ash has fertilized the soil and turned the region into Costa Rica's breadbasket. This is the land that coffee built, and the small cities of the Central Valley exhibit a tidiness and prosperity you don't see in the rest of the country.
Central Valley Hotels
Most international flights fly into Costa Rica in the evening and head out again early the next morning, meaning you likely have to stay your first and...read more
Central Valley Restaurants
Find the best Central Valley restaurants in every price category with our top picks.
Things To Do in Central Valley
Explore the best sights, entertainment, and shopping with our top choices and insider tips.
Travel Deals in Central Valley
- 7-Night Costa Rica All-Inclusive Vacations Apple Vacations
- Costa Rica: 6 Nights w/Air, Tours & Tax, $300 Off — $1,179 Friendly Planet Travel
- Costa Rica Active — $2,850 IExplore
- Costa Rica Experience — $2,060 IExplore
Central Valley Experiences
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Coffee: Get up close and personal with harvesting and processing on coffee tours at two of the valley's many plantations: Café Britt and... Read more
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The word Irazú is likely a corruption of Iztaru, a long-ago indigenous community whose name translated as "hill of thunder." The name... Read more
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Suburbia oozes out with each passing year eating up once-idyllic Central Valley land, but it's still surprisingly easy to find vast undeveloped... Read more
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Spanish in Costa Rica tends to be localized. This is a land where eloquent speech and creative verbal expression are highly valued. For example... Read more
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When the Costa Ricans drove U.S. invader Walker's army from their country, in 1856, they chased his troops to Rivas, Nicaragua. The army of filibusters... Read more
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On the night of August 1 and well into the early-morning hours of August 2, the road to Cartago from San José clogs with worshippers... Read more
Travel Blog
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Best of the Best
Fodor's 80 Degrees by the Sea is our new beach vacation finder that helps you discover your perfect seaside Read more
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Hotels,
Best of the Best
We travel for many reasons, not the least of which is to experience a new way of life. Read more
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Travel Tip of the Day
In Costa Rica's Northern Plains, book horseback trips in the morning during rainy season (July–December). Read more
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