lutherkins

Hi
If our flight gets into San Jose at around 12pm do you think we could explore San Jose a little bit before leaving for Manuel Antonio. I think we would be hiring a private driver for this leg of our trip if that makes any difference.
Thanks, Just trying to figure out how we can see a little bit of the city.

gannetmusic

If I were you I would just head out to MA. By the time you clear customs etc it might be 130 and going into the city is the exact opposite direction from your destination.

Jerry

shillmac

I agree with Jerry. SJO is best "explored" if you have a 2:00 p.m. or later flight and use the morning for a little walking tour. To do that, you'd need to stay in the city your last night (ideally).

Many people do not realize that the international airport (Juan Santamaria) is actually not in San Jose, but just outside the provincial capitol city of Alajuela (Alajuela province). Alajuela is about 20-30 min. west of San Jose.

We have enjoyed walking around in San Jose several times, and there are some things that are very interesting to see--the Plaza de la Cultura, the Teatro Nacional, the Mercado Central, The Gold Museum, Jade Museum, etc. When we first starting visiting CR, we'd end our trip in SJO, staying at the Hotel Don Carlos, and walking around downtown for 2-3 hours in the a.m.

We've also based ourselves there for a couple of days at a time and traveled around on our own on little day trips (such as the Orosi Valley).

It's not a bad way to begin or end a trip to Costa Rica, but if you are arriving in time to get to Manuel Antonio in the same day, it would make more sense to go on down there rather than backtracking in and out of SJO.

Have a great time!

lutherkins

Thanks for your opinions. My gut was telling me that was what I was going to hear. Maybe we can stay our first night near San Jose then leave for MA the next morning. Then we can use our last night (night #9) to stay at the Peace Lodge and drive to the airport the next morning. Decisions Decisions

shillmac

That works. Personally, we have enjoyed our little walks around San Jose (the areas mentioned earlier). We loved touring the Teatro Nacional, it is a gorgeous building. We even attended an opera there once and thought it was great fun! The Mercado Central is very interesting if you've never visited a Central American market. The Plaza de la Cultura is a fun place to sit outside and people watch--it is in front of El Gran Hotel Costa Rica, and a good place for cappucino. Don't carry purses or backpacks--keep your stuff in an inside pocket or something. Leave the jewelry at home as well.

The Hotel Don Carlos is a nice place, reasonable, and convenient to walk to all of the above. If you are there overnight, take a taxi to El Pueblo for dinner and looking around at the little artisan shops. Do NOT walk around at night--the same area that felt fairly safe during the daytime will NOT be after dark. Taxis are cheap.