After discovering my PERFECT Costa Rican beach town destination, my next choice was where to fly into. From the NYC airports, the cheaper and more obvious choice was SJO, the San Jose, Costa Rica airport. During my travels, I’ll normally spend a day or two in the capital, because why not! Though as I searched for things to do, I came to the realization that many people online do not like San Jose. They found this Costa Rican capital city to be dull, not aesthetically pleasing, and overall quite boring.
Since I needed at least a day in the capital to make my bus to the lovely beach town of Samara for Spanish school, I decided on spending a few days in San Jose, Costa Rica. That was ultimately cut short from 3 days to one day, as a snow storm hit the northeastern part of the US. Here is what I did during one day in San Jose, Costa Rica.
San Jose, Costa Rica – Day One
I arrived in Costa Rica at a lovely 2pm, which did not end up being too lovely as I waited in the customs line for TWO whole hours. If you are coming to Costa Rica during their peak travel season (mid December through April), arriving early in the morning or late at night can be a great idea.
I didn’t make it to my hostel, Nativus Art Hostel, until almost 5pm… but at least my Uber from the airport was less than $10. Please note that Uber is technically illegal in Costa Rica, but it still functions all the same in the busier cities from what I’ve seen.
After checking into my hostel and charging up my phone, it was dark out and I was starving. I found a nearby restaurant that had PHENOMENAL food, though it may be a crime to have Mexican food your first day in Costa Rica. Arrest me, guilty as charged! I absolutely love to find a random restaurant to eat from that has good reviews. This time it worked out beautifly – it’s called Las MaƱanitas
My birria burrito was absolutely delicious! If I was in San Jose, Costa Rica, longer, I for sure would have returned.
Day Two
Spirogyra Butterfly Garden
On my “technically” second and final day in San Jose, I had a lot I wanted to see and do before my bus at noon! I started the day off with easily one of the best experiences I have done in all of my travels, visiting the Spirogyra Butterfly Garden! It was a quick 10 minute drive from the hostel and was a great start to the day.
Upon purchasing your ticket (I believe mine was under $8), you receive two laminated sheets of paper. One explains the lifecycle of the butterflies, the other helps you determine which species is which when you get inside. Once you enter the netted area, so birds cannot get in and eat the butterflies, you are transported to this adorable, magical, fairy-esque garden where butterflies flutter around in every direction.
Quickly I noticed a stunning blue butterfly, which I learned is the national butterfly of Costa Rica – the Blue Morpho (it looks exactly like the emoji if you have an apple device). The outside wings of the Blue Morpho are brown, and the inside wings are the beautiful blue color. I spent easily an hour in here, wandering through the intricately planned garden, trying to capture photos of the butterflies. There is also a hiking path you can take around the property, which I did not do, but wish I did.
Teatro Nacional
After some time in the gardens, I wanted to see more of the city during my remaining time in San Jose, Costa Rica. I headed down to see the most recognizable building in the city, the Teatro Nacional.
According to some research I did, from the Gardens to the Teatro, I would see the most picturesque part of San Jose. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. The buildings did not seem all that different from my hostel’s neighborhood, but they did have some murals which were interesting.
After a 15 minute walk, I arrived to the Teatro, and honestly from photos I had seen, thought it would be bigger. The building itself was architecturally beautiful, and had stunning images depicting the inside of the Theater. I tried to enter, but you can only go in with a guided tour that happen every other hour. The next English tour started at the time I needed to check out of my hostel, so I wasn’t able to do so.
There were many other things I wanted to check out in San Jose, but did not have the time to do so (will include them down below). Because of this, I took to one of my favorite things to do in a new city, wander!
Wandering
I walked down a street that had no cars on it, I think because it was a Sunday, called Av. 18. I passed by a few parks and churches, as I made my way slowly back to the hostel. Another main road was closed for a few blocks by the TIG bus station for a carnival, where kids ran around which was cute.
Overall, I found San Jose, Costa Rica to be quite industrial. While walkable, it felt a bit run down and not like a place I’d love to walk alone at night. There were not many pretty parts of the city which I could find, thus I felt leaving disappointed that I hadn’t proved the comments online incorrect during my short stay.
I read online that San Jose was not planned to be the capital, and perhaps that was the reason I felt this way. I left San Jose for Samara around noon on the TIG bus and had the most amazing time there! It truly blew San Jose out of the water.
Other Activities I Wanted To Do
Hacienda La Chimba
This hike was something I planned on doing, before the snow storm shortened my trip. It sounded like a great way to get out of the city, stretch my legs, and take some fun photos for the inevitable Costa Rica Dump I would post!
Walk around La Sabana Park
La Sabana is the big central park in San Jose, so I planned on taking a walk around when I had time. I ended up driving by and it did not seem as big as I thought it would be. There’s also a large stadium where you might just catch a concert at while in San Jose! No concerts for me, but there was a show with motorcycles doing flips, as my taxi driver told me.
Jade Museum
After looking at all of the museums San Jose had to offer, this one stuck out to me. If I had more time I would have 100% spent some time here!
A Zip Lining Excursion
Costa Rica is known for their zip lining! I didn’t plan on going to up to La Fortuna or Monteverde, places with tons of animals, waterfalls, and fun things to do, (where they have the best zip lining), so I wanted to experience something similar, closer to where I was. GetYourGuide and Viator had a few options I was considering!
Overall Thoughts
Personally, I don’t want to fly out of SJO again. My flight sat on the tarmac for 3 hours as the grounds workers over fueled our plane, and then ground control was not very helpful with the other options JetBlue provided to get us moving. Our flight attendants told us this was a common occurrence here. Whether or not that was true, I’ve had more chaotic travel situations in SJO than in the past year or two… That’s enough for me.
Overall, I do not think I’ll come back to San Jose, Costa Rica. Unless it’s for a flight, or a mode of transportation to get elsewhere, I don’t believe I will spend more time here. I have found Costa Rican people to be extremely kind and hospitable, as well as the fact that they do not switch to English (so I can practice my Spanish more), both of which I fully enjoyed and appreciated.
Costa Rica, I will most certainly be back! San Jose … I’ll probably pass through you if I must.
