Travelers in Costa Rica can experience much more than just beautiful beaches and steamy volcanoes. If you are interested in exploring the country’s rich cultural heritage, science, and history, planning a day or two touring San Jose’s museums is a great idea.
Most visitors fly into the San Jose International Airport. The airport is only 20 minutes from downtown San Jose. Countless hotels, backpacker hostels, and restaurants are available to choose from. And there’s no better place to experience Costa Rica’s culture than in the capital.
The following guide will introduce you to the must-visit San Jose museums. Whether you’re interested in nature, history, science, art, or a little bit of everything, there’s a museum just for you.
Costa Rica’s museums are family friendly. Most offer interactive exhibits for the little ones. There’s even the National Children’s Museum. Here, hours of fun-filled learning are guaranteed for the whole family.
Must Visit San Jose Museums with Adobe
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Are you traveling alone or with a partner? If so, an Adobe mini sedan, such as the Suzuki Dzire Manual, is the best economy compact. It’s the perfect choice for driving in crowded cities with limited parking.
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Top Museums in San Jose – Getting the most from Costa Rica’s museums
Good news! Now it’s easy to experience the best of Costa Rica’s museums. It is a recent initiative called “The Museum Walk”. With one ticket locals and visitors have the opportunity to visit three of the country’s most important museums.
The Museum Walk, or Paseo de Los Museos in Spanish, is only $33 dollars for visitors and 5,000 CRC for locals. The pass includes the National Museum of Costa Rica, the Museum of Jade and Pre-Colombian Culture, and the Costa Rican Central Bank Museum.
Start at Plaza de la Cultura
As you embark on the museum walk in downtown San Jose, you will encounter a treasure trove of art and history waiting to be discovered. Start your tour at the Plaza de la Cultura located in the heart of downtown.
Here you can also admire several cultural landmarks including the National Theatre, the historic Gran Hotel, and Juan Mora Fernández square. Prior to embarking on the Museum Walk you can visit each attraction’s website to reserve a guided tour. The sites will also feature details about visiting exhibits, hours, and general information.
National Museum of Costa Rica
Founded in 1887, the National Museum of Costa Rica is housed in the historic Bellavista Fortress. Built in 1917, the fortress was the original military barrack for the national army until 1948.
Following a short but violent civil war, the standing president, José Figueres, announced the abolition of the nation’s standing army from within the barracks – today’s National Museum.
Bullet holes from the fateful battle can still be seen in the historic building’s walls. Likewise, visitors can tour the barracks dungeons and commanders’ houses for more insight into the country’s brief military history.
Today, the museum houses a significant collection of pre-Columbian, colonial, archaeological, natural, and cultural exhibits. The museum’s permanent exhibits showcase important facets of Costa Rica’s history and culture spanning from before the arrival and colonization by the Spanish to present day.
The museum is also the sight of a live butterfly garden and an urban garden. Both are home to several native tree and plant species interspersed with archeological artifacts such as Costa Rica’s legendary stone spheres.
Several temporary exhibits also feature interesting artistic and historic themes as well as documentaries. When planning to visit this museum, allow at least three hours to see the enormous number of historical artifacts on display.
National Museum Hours and Entrance Fees
The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sundays: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m; Mondays: Closed
Entrance Fee
Adult nationals and residents: ¢2,500
Children under 12, students/teachers with ID, and seniors: FREE
Adult Foreigners: $11
Foreign students/teachers with ID: $6
Children under 12: FREE
Museum of Jade and Pre-Columbian Culture
Founded in 1977, the Jade Museum houses the world’s largest collection of American jade and jade artifacts. The museum occupyies a contemporary building constructed to resemble a cut jade block.
Dedicated to preserving and protecting Central America’s archaeological heritage, the museum harbors extensive archeological evidence of regional and Costa Rican culture. Within its walls, state of the art technology highlights hundreds of artifacts and dramatic visual images.
Five permanent exhibitions portray the ancient history of Costa Rica and how the indigenous people lived. Social hierarchy, religious beliefs, daily activities, and cultural relationships are featured across the thematic exhibitions.Two temporary wings also present visiting exhibits and topics linked to human cultural activities.
Jade Museum Hours and Entrance Fees
The museum is open Monday to Sunday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Major national holidays : Closed
Entrance Fee
Nationals and residents:
Adults: ₡3000
Students with ID: ₡1200
Children from 6 to 12 years: ₡ 1200
Children under 5 years: FREE
National seniors: FREE
People with disabilities: FREE
Foreigners
Adults: $16
Students with ID: $5
Children ages 6 to 12: $2
Children under 5 years: FREE
Pre-Columbian Gold Museum – Museums of the Central Bank of Costa Rica
Inspect and view thousands of artifacts from across the country’s recorded history at the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum.
Located underground beneath the Central Bank, the collection has been under construction since the 1950s. Today it houses thousands of ancient gold pieces made by the pre-Columbian inhabitants of Costa Rica. Many of the pieces date from 500 AD to 1500 AD.
The exhibition presents the functions of the pieces and their respective uses, as well as the manufacturing and techniques used to create them. It also gives a strong understanding of the social organization and daily activities of early societies.
Museums of the Central Bank of Costa Rica Art Hours and Entrance Fees
The museum is open Monday to Sunday: 9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Major national holidays : Closed
Entrance Fee
Nationals and residents:
Adults: ₡3000
Students with ID: ₡1000
Children under 12, teachers, and senior citizens: FREE
Foreigners
Adults: $16 or ₡10800
Students with ID: $12 or ₡8160
Children under 12, teachers, and senior citizens: FREE
The Museum of Costa Rican Art
For art lovers, there is a beautiful art museum in downtown San José that shouldn’t be missed. Located on the eastern end of the capital’s iconic La Sabana Park, visitors can combine their tour of the museum with a stroll through the picturesque park grounds.
The Museum of Costa Rican Art in Costa Rica is housed in a beautiful neoclassical-style building built in the late 1930s. Formerly the terminal of the old Costa Rica international airport,
the magnificent building is a work of art in itself.
Visitors will enjoy a permanent display of over 3,000 national treasures, including traditional and contemporary art. Pieces represent a variety of mediums created by the country’s most celebrated artists spanning the past two centuries.
Hundreds of additional pieces feature artists from across Latin America. Permanent and temporary exhibitions fill the central and side art galleries. Discover sculptures and mixed works by acclaimed artists such as Francisco Zuñiga, Jorge Jiménez, Max Jiménez, Edgar Zuñiga, and José Sancho.
In addition to its extensive permanent collection, the Museum of Costa Rican Art also has a wide range of temporary collections on display, many offer guests the unique opportunity to see how Costa Rican artists have interpreted early artistic trends in Europe and globally.
Plan to spend at least two to three hours enjoying the immense artistry of Costa Rica on display at the Museum of Costa Rican Art.
The Museum of Costa Rican Art Hours and Entrance Fees
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Major national holidays : Closed
Entrance Fee
Nationals, residents and Vistors: FREE
The National Children’s Museum
Costa Rica’s delightful Museo de los Ninos (the Children’s Museum) first opened its doors in 1994. Spearheaded by then First Lady Gloria Bejarano Almada, the museum became one of the largest of the very few interactive children’s museums in Latin America.
Instead of building the museum from scratch the old central penitentiary building was renovated. Today the attraction resembles a fairytale castle. With over 40 rooms and interior courtyards, the museum showcases exhibits in history, technology, science and culture.
The museum offers a wide variety of family and kid pleasing themes–from dinosaurs to ambulances, space exhibits to the environment and interactive games. Because there is so much to do and see visitors should plan to spend at least a half day enjoying the museum.
For history buffs, there’s also an onsite Penitentiary Museum that can be visited separately.
The Children’s Museum Hours and Entrance Fees
The museum is open Tuesday to Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m Major national holidays : Closed. Tickets can be purchased online here.
Entrance Fee
Nationals, residents, and foreigners:
Adults over 15 years old: ₡2000
Children: ₡1200
San Jose, Costa Rica, FAQs
The capital city of Costa Rica is known for its wide range of museums, national monuments, artisan markets, theater, dining, and nightlife.
To get a feel for authentic Costa Rican culture and history a day or two visiting San Jose is highly recommended.
Foreign visitors to Costa Rica pay the following entrance fee to enter the National Museum: Adult Foreigners: $11; Foreign students/teachers with ID: $6; Children under 12: FREE.
When you rent a car in Costa Rica you can enjoy San Jose’s many museums, cultural landmarks, dining venues, and shopping for souvenirs.
We recommend visiting San Jose for at least two days to get the most of the city’s museums and culture.
