Must-Visit Attractions in Costa Rica

City :

1. National Theater of Costa Rica

The National Theater of Costa Rica is in San Jose on Avenida Segunda, between Calles 3 and 5. Patrons attend the theater to see wonderful performances put on all the time. For example Orchestras, Operas, and Ballets.Visiting the theater you can expect performances like Algo Sobre un Tal Shakespeare, Philharmonic Orchestra, The Nutcracker and many others.

In front of the National Theater stands two very tall statues the Calderón de la Barca and the grand composer, and musician, Ludwig van Beethoven. Inside the theater, you will see very high ceilings and the very first thing you will see is the artist Aleardo Villa’s painting ‘Allegory of Coffee and Bananas'. This painting is dedicated to the coffee farmers of Costa Rica. Without these workers, there wouldn’t be such a beautiful theater today. Walking in through large doors into the theater’s hallways you will see the gold leaf on the walls and bronze lamps to lighten your way. As you walk into the auditorium, you will see the large open ceiling and golden, velvet-colored curtains it is like stepping back in time 100 years. 

2. Costa Rican Art Museum

The Costa Rican Art Museum is located in La Sabana Metropolitan Park, close to the León Cortés Statue. This building has been remodeled several times until becoming the current neo-colonial-style building, in which space is divided in three areas: the Gold Hall, the Statues’ Garden, and the exhibition rooms. The Costa Rican Art Museum houses are one of the widest and most important exhibitions of plastic artwork in Costa Rica. The galleries and artwork are both indoor and outdoor in the museum, and feature sculptures, paintings, engravings, drawings, photographs, and videos.

One of the most impressive pieces in the Costa Rican Art Museum is the bronze-plate bas-relief mural by French sculptor Louis Feron which depicts a particular period in Costa Rica’s history. This part of the museum is on the top floor in the Gold Salon, and the mural features some of the history of Costa Rica that can be considered both pre-Columbian, colonial, and colonization periods. The mural lines the walls of the Gold Salon and is certainly a highlight of the museum.

Out of city : 

3. Irazu Volcano National Park

The word “Irazú” is actually a derivative of an Indigenous word that means “thunder and earthquake mountain”. Irazu Volcano is located in Cordillera Central, east-central Costa Rica. The volcano is approximately 54 km from the capital city of San Jose. It is the tallest active volcano in Costa Rica and covers approximately 500 square meters. The park itself protects over 2,300 hectares of cloudforest and tropical rainforest at elevations between 2,800 and 3,430 meters. 

This volcano is active, although it has been many years since the last time it erupted. The most recent eruption was in 1994, but it could become active again at any time. In 1963, Irazú Volcano ended a 20-year silence abruptly on the same day that United States President John F. Kennedy visited. The very first documented eruption was in 1723. It was documented by Diego de la Haya and one of the volcano’s craters is now named after him. 

4. Corcovado National Park

Corcovado National Park is a National Park on the Osa Peninsula, in Osa Canton, located in the southwestern regions of Costa Rica which is a part of the Osa Conservation Area. Corcovado National Park was established on October 24, 1975, and occupies an area of 424 square kilometers. It is currently the largest park in Costa Rica and extends over about a third of the Osa Peninsula.

Corcovado National Park is the backpacking experience of a lifetime. It encompasses the only remaining old-growth wet forests on the Pacific coast of Central America, and 13 major ecosystems including lowland rain forest, highland cloud forest, jolillo palm forest, and mangrove swamps, as well as coastal marine and beach habitats. There is a good chance of spotting some of Costa Rica’s shyest and most endangered inhabitants here; Jaguars, Scarlet Macaws, Harpy Eagles, Red-backed squirrel monkeys, and White-lipped Peccaries. It is wet, remote, and rugged, but the trails are relatively good, and the camping areas near the ranger stations are grassy and well-drained.