CENTRAL VALLEY
Nearly 70% of Costa Rica's population lives in the Central Valley. The country's four largest cities are located here.
San Jose
Since 1823 the capital of Costa Rica at the expense of Cartago. With the surrounding area, the city has more than 1 million inhabitants. The busy traffic squeezes through the streets laid out in a checkerboard pattern. The city is located at an altitude of 1150 meters and ensures a pleasant climate for the city. The city has many museums and in the center you will find the national theater. It's a real Latin American city, Messy and busy. Some places of interest are the gold museum, or pre-Columbian museum, which is located under the Plaza de La Cultura, next to the national theater. The National Museum is a little to the east. This museum is located in the old barracks of the city. There are also the Jade Museum and the Children's Museum. The latter is an interactive museum housed in an old prison. The covered market, the mercado central, is also worth a visit. Watch your belongings, pickpockets are very active here.
Heredia
Heredia is located about 7 miles northwest of San Jose. The city was founded in 1706 by the Spaniards and is therefore older than San Jose and Alajuela. It is a city with its own character. This is mainly due to the second largest university in the country that houses the city, the students provide a relaxed atmosphere. The city council is housed in El Fortin (see photo), an architecturally peculiar built fortress which is located at the central park. The city is surrounded by coffee plantations. Just outside the city you can visit Café Britt, a plantation and coffee factory. A performance about coffee is given by actors. You can also taste different types of coffee here.
Alajuela
This provincial capital became in 1782. Because of the continuous climate, Alajuela is also called the eternal spring city. This is also where the hero who symbolizes the independence of Costa Rica was born. The airport and a park are named after him. The Juan Santamaria Museum is dedicated to the battle of 1856, when Juan Santamaria, a soldier from Alajuela, set fire to the shelter of William Walker's men. Haste is an unfamiliar word here. Due to its only 19 km distance to San Jose, the city has never played an important role. The heart of the city is the central park with mango trees. On the west side of the park is the building where the first parliament met in 1824. On the east side rises a white cathedral, built around 1900 and on the north side the Museum Juan Santamaria.
Cartago
The oldest city in the country, founded in 1563 by the Spaniards. It was the capital of Costa Rica until 1823, when the country became independent and San Jose became the capital. The city has been ravaged and devastated by six earthquakes and several eruptions of the volcano Irazu. The city was constantly being rebuilt. But there is little left to see from the colonial era. Cartago is located 22 kilometers east of San Jose. The roofless vaults of La Parroquia are reminders of Cartago's former glory. The original church from 1575 was severely damaged in the earthquake of 1841 and another earthquake followed in 1919, leaving only the walls. A beautiful cemetery has been built within these walls. South of the central park are still a number of beautiful wooden houses. A little more to the east is the basilica, built in 1926 in neo-Byzatine style. The Basilica de Nuestra Senora de los Angeles. The basilica is dedicated to Mary, the patron saint of Costa Rica. The basilica is best known for the statue of "La Negrita". A special room has been built under the church where this statue is set up. You can see pilgrims crawling through the church on their knees at almost any time of the day. Every year on August 2, the feast of La Virgen de Los Angeles is celebrated. Because of the procession, tens of thousands of people from all over the country come to the basilica. Many are on foot for weeks. A special room has been built under the church where this statue is set up. You can see pilgrims crawling through the church on their knees at almost any time of the day. Every year on August 2, the feast of La Virgen de Los Angeles is celebrated. Because of the procession, tens of thousands of people from all over the country come to the basilica. Many are on foot for weeks. A special room has been built under the church where this statue is set up. You can see pilgrims crawling through the church on their knees at almost any time of the day. Every year on August 2, the feast of La Virgen de Los Angeles is celebrated. Because of the procession, tens of thousands of people from all over the country come to the basilica. Many are on foot for weeks.