Costa Rica is a common destination for travellers, however quite often they miss out the nation’s bustling capital, San Jose. The main reason I recommend touring San Jose, as quite often you will start here – the San Jose Airport is well connected to the USA, Panama, Colombia and a load of other countries. There are regular flights and it’s a good base to have while you plan the rest of your trip through the country. Once you’ve arrived in San Jose, the Hemingway Hotel is a good place to base yourself, before exploring the city and these are my top 5 sights.

Touring San Jose in Costa Rica.

1. National Football Stadium, San Jose
The National football stadium is a must visit – not only is it a state of the art stadium but Costa Rica surprised everyone at the 2014 World Cup by making the Quarter Finals disposing of Greece, Uruguay, Italy and England on route before drawing with Holland and losing narrowly on penalties.

National Stadium in San Jose, Costa Rica.

2. National Theatre
The main theatre in San Jose is a proud and elegant building worth a look. Even better if you can catch a show when you’re there.

National Theatre

3. Metropolitan Cathedral
The main Cathedral in San Jose is an incredible grey building which even has a statue of the Pope outside it.

Metropolitan Cathedral in San Jose, Costa Rica.

4. John Lennon Bench
One of the quirkiest things I found while touring the city with Michael Miller is a bench with John Lennon sitting on it. It’s quite amazing and doesn’t seem out of place at all in the Plaza de Las Artes.

John Lennon Bench in San Jose, Costa Rica.

5. The National Museum
San Jose is littered with history and art, but the real draw here is the National Museum which is definitely worth a look around. There’s an entry fee of $8 US but locals and visitors alike rave about it.

National Museum in San Jose, Costa Rica.

So that’s a quick fire top 5 that should keep you busy when you end up touring San Jose in Costa Rica. After a few days here, you’ll be ready to head out to the forests, mountains and beaches and see the famous toucans!