Irazú Volcano National Park

Cartago is the first capital of Costa Rica, located in the east of the Central Valley, southeast of San José at the foot of Irazú Volcano. You visit here for the Basílica de los Ángeles, the country's most important sanctuary, and as a starting point for Irazú National Park.Juan Vásquez de Coronado founded the city in 1563, and it is considered the country's first permanent Spanish settlement. Cartago served as the capital until 1823, when the seat of government moved to San José. Earthquakes in 1822, 1841, and 1910 severely damaged the city, which is why little of its colonial cityscape remains.The city center can be explored on foot in half a day. To the east stands the Basilica with the Marian figure La Negrita; about seven blocks west, on the Plaza Mayor, are the Ruinas de Santiago Apóstol, a never-completed church whose walls now enclose a garden. In between, you'll find the Centro Cultural, housed in the neo-Gothic building of the former Banco Crédito Agrícola from 1924, and the municipal market with simple eateries.The city is situated at an elevation of approximately 1,435 meters, making it noticeably cooler than the coasts. From here, the road leads up to Irazú; southeast of the city lies the Lankester Botanical Garden.

San José is the capital of Costa Rica and the heart of the Central Valley. Almost all travelers arrive here. One to two days are sufficient to visit the museums of pre-Columbian gold and jade, the National Theater, and the market halls before continuing on to volcanoes and coasts. The city lies at an altitude of approximately 1,030 meters and has been the capital since 1823; Juan Santamaría International Airport is located a good 20 kilometers away in Alajuela.The center around the Plaza de la Cultura is compact and easily explored on foot. Here you'll find the Teatro Nacional, which opened in 1897, and below it the Museo del Oro Precolombino. A few blocks to the east are the Museo del Jade and the Museo Nacional, located in the former Bellavista army barracks. West of the Cathedral, the Mercado Central has occupied an entire block on Avenida Central since 1880, featuring over 200 stalls and simple sodas in narrow passageways.Barrio Amón, north of the center, emerged in the late 19th century as a residential quarter for the coffee oligarchy. Among low wooden houses with verandas and wrought-iron railings stand buildings like the 1930 Mudéjar-style Castillo del Moro or the prefabricated metal building from 1890, which has housed the Alianza Francesa since 1965. Many of the restored villas now accommodate small hotels, cafés, and galleries. Some streets are considered sparsely populated in the evenings, so you're better off taking a taxi at night there.Barrio Escalante in the east is the city's restaurant district. Around Calle 33, eateries have set up shop in old residential buildings: vegan cafés, specialty coffee, craft beer pubs, and cuisines ranging from Mediterranean to Mexican. This area is liveliest in the evenings, and accordingly, most of the city's bars are located in this neighborhood.

The Valle Central is the highlands in the heart of Costa Rica, home to the capital San José and the cities of Alajuela, Heredia, and Cartago. Almost every trip begins here, as the international airport is located in Alajuela, and from here you can quickly reach active volcanoes, museums, and colonial churches.The valley lies at an altitude of about 800 to 1,500 meters. To the north, it is bounded by the Cordillera Central with the volcanoes Poás, Barva, Irazú, and Turrialba, and to the south by the Cordillera de Talamanca. Temperatures are mostly between 18 and 30 degrees, significantly milder than on the coasts.Almost three-quarters of the population lives in the Valle Central; consequently, roads, traffic, and services are dense. For travelers, this means: short distances to the Poás and Irazú Volcano Parks, a good day for the museums in San José, and a side trip to Cartago for the Basilica.

Poás Volcano National Park is located in the Cordillera Central on the northern edge of the Valle Central, north of Alajuela and San José. You come here to gaze from a viewpoint into an active crater featuring one of the world's most acidic crater lakes.The volcano stands at 2,697 meters. In the northern crater, at approximately 2,300 meters, lies Laguna Caliente, a hot lake whose pH value is at times close to zero and where liquid sulfur accumulates on its bed. A second, cold and clear lake, Laguna Botos, fills an extinct crater within the park's cloud forest.Poás is one of the country's most active volcanoes. Following a major eruption in April 2017, the park remained closed for approximately 17 months. 2025 saw further closures due to heightened activity. Since February 2026, the volcano has again recorded eruptive phases; after an eruption on August 27, 2026, SINAC tightened visiting rules.According to the rules effective since August 28, 2026, a maximum of 1,064 people per day are allowed into the park, with 56 people simultaneously permitted at the crater viewpoint for a maximum of 20 minutes. Helmets are compulsory on the main path to the crater and on the Sendero Sombrilla de Pobre. Tickets are only available in advance through SINAC's online reservation system. The park normally opens from 8 AM to 4 PM, with the last entry at 2 PM.Since access rules and opening hours can change at short notice depending on activity, it's best to check the current status directly with SINAC prior to your visit. Arrive as early as possible: The crater is often shrouded in clouds, and visibility is usually better in the morning.

Quepos is a port town on the Central Pacific coast, approximately 157 road kilometers south of San José, and the gateway to Manuel Antonio National Park. You come here as a more affordable, everyday base for the park and for the deep-sea fishing, for which Quepos is internationally known.The area was the settlement territory of the indigenous Quepoa, after whom the town is named. In 1563, Spanish conquerors under Juan Vázquez de Coronado founded the settlement of San Bernardino de Quepo here; the surviving Quepoa were relocated to a reserve in 1746.The center is compact, with a bus station, market, sodas, and small shops. On the southern edge lies Marina Pez Vela with yachts, restaurants, and the boarding points for fishing and catamaran tours. Along the water runs the Malecón, a simpler waterfront promenade.For anglers, the period from November to April is considered peak season for sailfish and marlin. The national park is about 25 minutes away by bus via the hillside road, along which many hotels are located.