7 Best Things To Do In San José – Costa Rica Itinerary

A lot of tourists skip Costa Rica’s capital and honestly, I get it. San José is dirty, loud and not as safe as other parts of the country. Even when you stay in the most lively and touristy neighourhood you will see people living in poverty and streets you want to avoid.

I stayed in San José for two full days and got to explore quite a bit of the city. There are plenty of things to do and cafés and restaurants to try. So if you have the time, spend a day or two in this capital. You can find all my recommendations for San José in this blog post.

1. Breakfast at La Mancha

La Mancha Coffee Shop is located downtown in a small and cute courtyard. I got this tip from other travel blogs and reviews called it “the best coffee in San José”. So naturally I had to try it and La Mancha did not disappoint. The coffee is a creamy goodness and their sandwiches simply delicious. For an iced coffee and a sandwich I spent almost 12’000 CRC. But the sandwich really fills you up and gives you a lot of energy for the day.

You can find my whole food guide for San José here.

2. Visit the Central Market

After breakfast I took a stroll to the central market which is only a couple of minutes away from the café. It was fascinating to see all the food that is being sold here and to observe locals getting their breakfast or buy fruits and spices. You can also buy souvenirs but everything I saw was just your usual mass-produced cliché souvenirs, so sadly nothing that is locally made and a little more special.

Tip: Get some ice cream at Lolo Mora. This is a very tradicional ice cream shop and a family business since 1901. They use the same receipe ever since.

3. Visit Mercado Borbón

Just a block away is the next big market: Mercado Borbón. This market is less touristy and locals come here to buy their groceries. You won’t find any tacky souvenir stores in this market. I had really pleasant experiences in both markets since they were no pushy sellers at all and I could just stroll through the narrow alleys.

4. Buy Souvenirs at Tienda Eñe

Eñe is a small shop where you can buy cute and unique souvenirs for you or your loved ones. Everything in this store is made by local artists and you can find some really cute and unique pieces. I got a mermaid keychain and a notebook where parts of the proceeds support Costa Rica’s biodiversity.

5. Chill at Morazán Park

There are a lot of parks in San José where you can sit down and just people watch. I really liked Morazán Park. Right outside the park I bought some juice and just sat there for a while and observed the people around me. Morazán Park is very close to Eñe so on your way there you can take a little break.

6. Look For Cool Morazán Art

I have seen so much street art in San José and most of it was so colorful and unique. You don’t only find streetart in busy areas but often in quiet residental areas. Keep your eyes open for cool pieces and make sure to look up on buildings.

7. Search For Sloths

I didn’t even think about seeing sloths in the middle of a city. But when I saw a walking tour where you would observe birds and sloths with a biologist I knew I had to book it. And since a lot of stores and cafés are closed on sunday this was the perfect activity. This tour took place on the university campus so I had to take an uber there from my hostel. While walking through the gardens the tourguide talked about Costa Rican’s biodiversity and we went to look for everyones highlight: the sloths. We found about five of them just hanging around in the trees, one was even still a small one and only 10 months old. I highly recommend this tour, and you can book the exact same one here.

What are your favourite things to do in San José? Write them in the comments below!