The capital of Costa Rica, the city of San Jose almost all travelers pay little attention. It is believed that this is the starting point for a further trip around the country, they say that the city is boring and is not rich in attractions. Also, they often write that in the city there is a rather high level of crime, dirty and so on., That is, there was no unavailable information and I did not expect anything particularly noteworthy. I can say that almost all the "horror stories" about San Jose turned out to be in common - the city, by arrival, turned out to be quite clean and pretty, living in it - in a friend. Of course, San Jose does not apply to the most interesting places of Costa Rica, all of its attractions are lost against the background of the grand volcanoes, huge natural parks with unusual landscapes, plants and animals and the coast with beautiful beaches, but it is worthy of any attention of tourists.
In general, San Jose looks quite civilized, at least the center and the areas adjacent to it, there are several, equipped, green parks, the most cozy and beautiful, in my opinion, is behind the National Center for Culture and Arts, at the intersection of Eladio Prado Sanez And Calle 15, called the park obscalled. Even in urban parks, where family couples with strollers are familiar and people are resting on the benches, you can see unusual tropical plants and bright birds, at least there will be proteins that are absolutely not frightened here. It is not quite familiar that there are practically no high buildings in the city, only in the center of districts with a dozen high-rise buildings from which two or three can be, to the stretch, call skyscrapers, as they have more than a dozen floors, but this is understandable - the whole country is in unstable seismic zone.
Several urban attractions are close to each other, in the center. At Plaza de la Culture is located the National Theater of Costa Rica, for $ 7 or 1000 in the national currency, the collens will hold you a tour, but you can go inside the building and just like that. Inside and the truth is very beautiful - vintage sculptures, on the ceilings are beautiful frescoes, on the walls of the painting in the gilded frames. By the way, there is a very decent buffet in the theater, where you can drink a cup of delicious coffee. A little further on Calle 5 stands the Museum of Dookolumbia Gold, small, but rather interesting. In addition to the exposition, a large collection of coins and banknotes is available in the museum, there are very interesting copies of Kostarican bills, with animal images.
Further, on the way you find the National Museum and the Jade Museum - Museum Del Jade.
At each museum you can take away no more than 30 - 40 minutes of time, the biggest - the National Museum of Costa Rica will be able to inspect somewhere in an hour and a half. The cost of a ticket to museums fluctuates around 7 - 9 dollars. If you walk from Jade Museum on Calle 13, then you can go to a small park in which the same small urban zoo works.
In principle, in Costa Rica, it is going to watch animals in vivo and the zoo is not very popular, but if you have already found yourself in these places, then for 2500 columns or 4 more than a dollar can see Jaguar, Ocelot, Lion , crocodiles, monkeys and some other animals, reptiles and birds. I heard that the city had a good garden of butterflies, somewhere near the zoo.
Regarding safety in San Jose, it is not particularly worried - a criminogenic situation in the city is much better than in neighboring countries. Police rooms can be found often, but for all the time staying, I did not have to go to them. And with the exchange of currencies, by the way, in Costa Rica you can practically do not bother - American dollars in the go here the same as the colons. And the last impression that I would like to share - San Jose is not too similar to the capital of the state, such as we usually imagine it. The city is slightly provincial, a few losses and even in the center on the roads can be seen fresh, fell by asphalt slices or shabby walls. But, the country seeks to look better, develop the tourism industry and maintain its truly unique nature and historical past. Everything here is very cozy and convenient for travel.