Heredia, Grecia, Sarchi & Zarcero

All of these cities and towns are northwest of San José and can be combined into a long day trip (if you have a car), perhaps in conjunction with a visit to Poás Volcano and/or the Waterfall Gardens. The scenery here is rich and verdant, and the small towns and scattered farming communities are truly representative of Costa Rica's agricultural heartland and campesino tradition. This is a great area to explore on your own in a rental car, if you don't mind getting lost a bit (roads are narrow, winding, and poorly marked). If you're relying on buses, you'll be able to visit any of the towns listed, but probably just one or two per day.

The road to Heredia turns north off the highway from San José to the airport. If you're going to Sarchí, take the highway west toward Puntarenas. Turn north to Grecia and then west to Sarchí. There'll be plenty of signs.

Heredia

Set on the flanks of the impressive Barva Volcano, this city was founded in 1706. Heredia is affectionately known as "The City of Flowers." A colonial church inaugurated in 1763 stands in the central park. The stone facade leaves no questions as to the age of the church, but the altar inside is decorated with neon stars and a crescent moon surrounding a statue of the Virgin Mary. In the middle of the palm-shaded park is a music temple, and across the street, beside several tile-roofed municipal buildings, is the tower of an old Spanish fort. Of all the cities in the Meseta Central, Heredia has the most colonial feel to it -- you'll still see adobe buildings with Spanish tile roofs along narrow streets. Heredia is also the site of the National Autonomous University, so you'll find some nice coffee shops and bookstores near the school.

Surrounding Heredia is an intricate maze of picturesque villages and towns, including Santa Bárbara, Santo Domingo, Barva, and San Joaquín de Flores. San Isidro de Heredia has a lovely, large church with an ornate façade. However, the biggest attraction up here is the INBio Park (tel. 507-8107). Located on 5 hectares (12 acres) in Santo Domingo de Heredia, this place is part museum, part educational center, and part nature park. This is also where you'll find the Café Britt Farm (tel. 277-1600). On the road to Barva, you'll find the small Museo de Cultura Popular (tel. 260-1619), which is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm; admission is $2 (£1). Anyone with an interest in medicinal herbs should plan a visit to The Ark Herb Farm (tel. 846-2694 or 239-2111; www.arkherbfarm.com). These folks offer guided tours of their gardens, which feature more than 300 types of medicinal plants. The tour costs $12 (£6) per person, and includes a light snack and refreshments. Reservations are required.

If you make your way to San Pedro de Barva de Heredia, stop in at La Lluna de Valencia (tel. 269-6665), a delightful rustic Spanish restaurant with amazing paella, delicious sangria, and a very amiable host.

Buses leave for Heredia every 5 minutes between 5am and 11pm from Calle 1 between avenidas 7 and 9, or from Avenida 4 between calles 12 and 14. Bus fare is 40¢ (20p).

Grecia

The picturesque little town of Grecia is noteworthy for its unusual metal church, which is painted a deep red and has white gingerbread trim. Just off the central park, next to the Palacio Municipal, you'll find the humble Grecia Regional Museum (tel. 494-6767), which has some simple exhibits and information about the town's history. About 1km (1/2 mile) outside of Grecia, on the old road to Alajuela, you will find the World of Snakes (tel. 494-3700). Open daily from 8am to 4pm, this serpentarium has more than 150 snakes representing more than 50 species. Admission, which includes a guided tour, is $11 (£5.50) for adults, and $6 (£3) for children 7-14.

Buses leave San José every half-hour for Grecia from Calle 18 between avenidas 5 and 7 (on the east side of the Abonos Agros building). The road to Sarchí is to the left as you face the church in Grecia, but due to all the one-way streets, you'll have to drive around it.

Sarchi

Sarchí is Costa Rica's main artisan town. The colorfully painted miniature oxcarts that you see all over the country are made here. Oxcarts such as these were once used to haul coffee beans to market. Today, although you might occasionally see oxcarts in use, most are purely decorative. However, they remain a well-known symbol of Costa Rica. In addition to miniature oxcarts, many carved wooden souvenirs are made here with rare hardwoods from the nation's forests. There are dozens of shops in town, and all have similar prices. Perhaps your best one-stop shop in Sarchí is the large and longstanding Chaverri Oxcart Factory (tel. 454-4411), which is right in the center of things, but it never hurts to shop around and visit several of the stores.

Aside from handicrafts, there are other reasons to visit Sarchí. Built between 1950 and 1958, the town's main church is painted pink with aquamarine trim and looks strangely like a child's birthday cake. There's also a new botanical gardens here. Located about 8 blocks north of the town's main soccer stadium, the Else Kientzler Botanical Garden (tel. 454-2070; www.elsekientzlergarden.com) features an extensive collection of several thousand types of plants, flowers and trees. The entire spread is beautifully landscaped, with gentle paths and a host of comfortable chairs, benches, and seating nooks. The garden is open daily from 8am to 4pm. Admission is $12 (£6) for adults, and $6 (£3) for students and children ages 5 to 12.

About five buses (tel. 258-2004) leave San José for Sarchí from Calle 18 between avenidas 5 and 7. The fare is $1.20 (60p). Alternatively, you can take any Grecia bus from this same station. In Grecia they connect with the Alajuela-Sarchí buses, leaving every 30 minutes from Calle 8 between avenidas Central and 1 in Alajuela.

Zarcero

Beyond Sarchí, on picturesque roads lined with cedar trees, you'll find the town of Zarcero. In a small park in the middle of town is a menagerie of sculpted shrubs that includes a monkey on a motorcycle, people and animals dancing, an ox pulling a cart, a man wearing a top hat, and a large elephant. Behind all the topiary is a wonderful rural church. It's not really worth the drive just to see this park, but it's a good idea to take in Zarcero as a quick stop on the way to La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano.

Buses (tel. 255-4300) for Zarcero leave from San José hourly from the Atlántico del Norte bus station at Avenida 9 and Calle 12. This is actually the Ciudad Quesada-San Carlos bus. Just tell the driver that you want to get off in Zarcero, and keep an eye out for the topiary. The ride takes around 1 1/2 hours, and the fare is around $1.50 (75p).