Things To Do in San Jose, Costa Rica

Serious shoppers may be disappointed in San José, because aside from oxcarts and indigenous masks, there isn’t much that’s distinctly Costa Rican. To compensate for its relative lack of goods, Costa Rica does a brisk business in selling crafts and clothes imported from Guatemala, Panama, and Ecuador.

San José’s central shopping corridor is bounded by avenidas 1 and 2, from about Calle 14 in the west to Calle 13 in the east. For several blocks west of the Plaza de la Cultura, Avenida Central is a pedestrian-only street mall where you’ll find store after store of inexpensive clothes for men, women, and children. Depending on the mood of the police that day, you might find a lot of street vendors as well. Most shops in the downtown district are open Monday through Saturday from about 8am to 6pm. Some shops close for lunch, while others remain open. You’ll be happy to find that sales and import taxes have already been figured into display prices.

Coffee

Two words of advice: Buy coffee.

Markets

Several markets are near downtown, but by far the largest is the Mercado Central ★, located between avenidas Central and 1 and calles 6 and 8.

Modern Malls

With globalization and modernization taking hold in Costa Rica, much of the local shopping scene has shifted to large megamalls. Modern multilevel affairs with cineplexes, food courts, and international brand-name stores are becoming ubiquitous. The biggest and most modern of these malls include the Mall San Pedro, Multiplaza (one each in Escazú and the eastern suburb of Zapote), and Terra Mall (on the outskirts of downtown on the road to Cartago). Although they lack the charm of small shops found around San José, they are a reasonable option for one-stop shopping; most contain at least one or two local galleries and crafts shops, along with a large supermarket, which is always the best place to stock up on local coffee, hot sauces, liquors, and other nonperishable foodstuffs.

Handicrafts

The range and quality of craftworks for sale here has improved greatly in recent years. You might want to check out the works of Lil Mena, a local artist who specializes in painting on handmade papers and rough fibers, and Cecilia “Pefi” Figueres, who specializes in brightly colored abstract and figurative ceramic bowls, pitchers, coffee mugs, and more. Both Mena and Figueres are sold at some of the better gift shops around the city. Another artist to look out for is Barry Biesanz, whose bowls and boxes are works of art. Biesanz’s works are also carried at fine gift shops around San José, as well as in his workshop and gallery in the hills above Escazú. Vendors at the Plaza de la Democracia market also sell handicrafts.

Liquor

The best prices I’ve seen for liquor are at the city’s large supermarkets, such as Más [ts] Menos. A Más [ts] Menos store is on Paseo Colón and Calle 26, and another is on Avenida Central at the east end of town, just below the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica.

Catering to a mix of tourists, college students, and party-loving Ticos, San José has a host of options to meet the nocturnal needs of visitors and residents alike. You’ll find plenty of interesting clubs and bars, a wide range of theaters, and some very lively discos and dance salons.

To find out what’s going on in San José while you’re in town, go to www.ticotimes.net, or pick up La Nación (Spanish; www.nacion.com). The former is a good place to find out where local expats are hanging out; the latter’s “Viva” and “Tiempo Libre” sections have extensive listings of discos, movie theaters, and live music.

Tip: Several very popular nightlife venues are in the upscale suburbs of Escazú and Santa Ana, as well as in Heredia (a college town) and Alajuela. See “The Central Valley” chapter for more info on nightlife in these areas.

The Performing Arts

Visiting artists stop in Costa Rica on a regular basis. Recent concerts have featured hard rockers Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Metallica; Mexican crooner Lila Downs; pop legend Elton John; Colombian sensation Shakira; and Latin heartthrob Marc Anthony. These performances take place at one of San José’s performing arts theaters or one of the city’s large sporting stadiums.

The National Symphony Orchestra (tel. 2240-0333) is respectable by regional standards, although its repertoire tends to be rather conservative. Symphony season runs March through November, with concerts roughly every other weekend at the Teatro Nacional. Tickets cost between C4,000 and C20,000 and can be purchased at the box office.

Costa Rica’s cultural panorama changes drastically every March when the country hosts large arts festivals. One of these is El Festival Nacional de las Artes, featuring purely local talent. El Festival Internacional de las Artes (FIA) is a month-long party with a nightly smorgasbord of dance, theater, and music from around the world. For dates and details, visit the festival’s Facebook page website, although information is in Spanish.

It is possible to buy tickets to many cultural events and concerts in advance from E-Ticket (www.eticket.cr), though the site is entirely in Spanish.

The Club, Music & Dance Scene

You’ll find plenty of places to hit the dance floor in San José. Salsa and merengue are the main beats that move people here, and many of the city’s dance clubs, discos, and salons feature live music on the weekends. You’ll find a pretty limited selection, though, if you’re looking to catch some small-club jazz, rock, or blues performances.

The daily “Viva” and Friday’s “Tiempo Libre” sections of La Nación newspaper have weekly performance schedules. Some dance bands to watch for are Gaviota, Chocolate, Son de Tikizia, Taboga Band, and La Orquestra Son Mayor. While Ghandi, Foffo Goddy, Kadeho, and Akasha are popular local rock and pop groups, Marfil is a good cover band, and the Blues Devils, Chepe Blues, and the Las Tortugas are outfits that play American-style hard rock and blues. If you’re looking for jazz, check out Editus, El Sexteto de Jazz Latino, or pianist and former Minister of Culture Manuel Obregón. Finally, for a taste of something eclectic, look for Santos y Zurdo, Sonámbulo Psicotrópical, or Cocofunka.

Most of the places listed below charge a nominal cover charge; sometimes it includes a drink or two.

The Bar Scene

San José has something for every taste. Lounge lizards will be happy in most hotel bars downtown, while students and the young at heart will have no problem mixing at the livelier spots around town. Sports fans have plenty of places to catch the most important games, and a couple of brewpubs are drastically improving the quality and selection of local suds.

The best part of the varied bar scene in San José is something called a boca, the equivalent of a tapa in Spain: a little dish of snacks that arrives at your table when you order a drink. Although this is a somewhat dying tradition, especially in the younger, hipper bars, you will still find bocas alive and well in the older, more traditional San José drinking establishments. The most traditional of these are known locally as cantinas. In most, the bocas are free, but in some, where the dishes are more sophisticated, you’ll have to pay for the treats. You’ll find drinks reasonably priced, with beer costing around $3 to $4 a bottle, and mixed drinks costing $4 to $10.

Hanging Out in San Pedro

The funky 2-block stretch of San Pedro ★★ just south of the University of Costa Rica has been dubbed La Calle de Amargura, or the “Street of Bitterness,” and it’s the heart and soul of this eastern suburb and college town. Bars and cafes are mixed in with bookstores and copy shops. After dark, the streets are packed with teens, students, and professors barhopping and just hanging around. You can walk the strip until someplace strikes your fancy—or you can try one of the places listed below. Note: La Calle de Amargura attracts a certain unsavory element. Use caution here. Try to visit with a group, and avoid carrying large amounts of cash or wearing flashy jewelry.

You can get here by heading east on Avenida 2 and following the flow of traffic. You will first pass through the neighborhood of Los Yoses before you reach a large traffic circle with a big fountain in the center (La Fuente de la Hispanidad). The Mall San Pedro is located on this traffic circle. Heading straight through the circle, you’ll come to the Church of San Pedro, about 4 blocks east of the circle. The church is the major landmark in San Pedro. You can also take a bus here from downtown.

The Gay & Lesbian Scene

Because Costa Rica is such a conservative Catholic country, the gay and lesbian communities here are rather discreet. Homosexuality is not generally under attack, but many gay and lesbian organizations guard their privacy, and the club scene is changeable and not well publicized.

The most established and happening gay and lesbian bar and dance club in San José is La Avispa ★, Calle 1 between avenidas 8 and 10 (tel. 2223-5343). It is popular with both men and women, although it sometimes sets aside certain nights for specific persuasions. There’s also Pucho’s Men's Club ★ (tel. 2256-1147), on Calle 11 and Avenida 8; and Bom Bom ★  (tel. 8448-7607), at Calle 1 and Avenidas 1.

Casinos

Gambling is legal in Costa Rica, and there are casinos at many major hotels. However, as with Tico bullfighting, some idiosyncrasies are involved in gambling a la Tica. If blackjack is your game, you’ll want to play “rummy.” The rules are almost identical, except that the house doesn’t pay 1.5 times on blackjack—instead, it pays double on any three of a kind or three-card straight flush. If you’re looking for roulette, what you’ll find here is a bingo-like spinning cage of numbered balls. The betting is the same, but some of the glamour is lost.

You’ll also find a version of five-card-draw poker, but the rule differences are so complex that I advise you to sit down and watch for a while and then ask questions before joining in. That’s about all you’ll find. There are no craps tables or baccarat.

There’s some controversy over slot machines, but you will be able to play electronic slots and poker games. Most casinos here are casual and small by international standards. You may have to dress up slightly at some of the fancier hotels, but most are accustomed to tropical vacation attire.