San Jose is the capital of Costa Rica and located in the middle of the country at 1200m above sea level. Here half of the country’s population lives, about 2.2 million people. If you fly to Costa Rica you land here at SJO airport. We work with several hotels in San José that offer both lovely pool areas and airport transfers.

Juan Santa Maria (SJO) is the biggest and one of two international airports in the country. It is located at the outskirts of San José and if you come to Costa Rica this is often where you will land. We collaborate with among others Barceló Palacio San José, this hotel is only 15-30 minutes from the airport depending on traffic and is an excellent option for a night’s stay before and after your flights. They also offer airport transfer to and from the hotel.

Theatres and museums

San José is mostly populated by detached homes tightly fitted next to each other and a few high rises between them. As a tourist there is very little to attract you within the city since the shopping isn’t particularly cheap. You can visit the National theatre and some museums in San José downtown. But you can also make excursions to among others the beautiful crater of the volcano Poa, or one of the many coffee plantations in the area.

At Swetours we think a visit to Costa Rica should be filled with visits to all the wonderful beaches and nature experiences around the country, so a lengthy visit to San José isn’t really necessary. Despite its size, San José is considered one of the safest and least criminal big cities of Latin America.