Gateway to cloud forests, volcanoes, and the world's happiest country
San José is the buzzing capital of Costa Rica — a city of mercados, gold museums, and Art Deco theatres surrounded by volcano peaks. Most visitors pass through en route to Arenal or Manuel Antonio, but the city rewards a day or two: the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum holds 1,600 pieces of ancient goldwork, the Barrio Amón neighbourhood is a walking museum of Victorian mansions, and the central market is a riot of gallo pinto, casado, and fresh-squeezed fruit. Costa Rica's pura vida philosophy starts here.
San José was founded in 1736 as Villa Nueva de la Boca del Monte, a modest tobacco-farming settlement in the Central Valley. It became capital in 1823 after a brief civil war with Cartago, the old colonial capital. The 19th-century coffee boom transformed it dramatically — San José was the first city in Central America to have electric streetlights (1884) and a telephone system (1887), funded by coffee export profits. The 1948 Civil War ended with José Figueres abolishing the military, one of the few countries in the world to do so — a decision that redirected defence spending toward educatio…