Early 2018, I had the opportunity to spend a few weeks in San Jose, Costa Rica. While I wouldn’t wish spending that much time in San Jose on anyone, if you plan to visit for a few days, here is a 3 day San Jose, Costa Rica itinerary that you can use to plan your trip.

Day 1 | Exploring Downtown San Jose

Take the bus downtown. I stayed in the Los Sauces neighborhood, so I took the #22 bus across from the line of taxis at Parque El Bosque. It’s about a 15 min ride and cost 285 CRC. I remember there being at least two signs in the front windshield that state the bus fare and its main destination.

Note: Beware of using ride sharing apps and their services. They might be illegal to use in Costa Rica.

In Downtown San Jose, there’s lots of shopping and food. I stopped at a bakery for a quick snack, ate mapo tofu for lunch, and explored Parque Morazán.

I spent a few hours in the Jade Museum (Museo del Jade). An adult ticket costs $15 and if I remember correctly, they accept USD.

Day 2 | Saturday Farmer’s Market & Braulio Carrillo National Park

Every Saturday morning, there’s a farmer’s market (feria) in the Los Sauces neighborhood. If you’re staying in the area, you might be able to walk to the market.

The farmer’s market is located at San Francisco Park at the corner of Avenida 60 and Calle 49.

After stocking up on local produce, I took the bus back to downtown to catch my ride to Braulio Carrillo National Park. I cannot stand doing tours, but I was reluctant to rent a car and drive to and from the national park. Instead, I purchased a tour that included transportation and lunch.

There were two different excursions for the guided tour: the aerial tram and the zip line. I greatly enjoyed the aerial tram and our tour guide identified the various animals and plants surrounding us.

The aerial tram and zip line groups met later to take a few of the hiking trails where we saw a tapir. Then, we explored the Butterfly Farm.

Day 3 | Manuel Antonio National Park

Even though I absolutely love national parks, there’s no way I would have done Braulio Carrillo and Manuel Antonio back to back, but maybe you can!

Once again, I took the bus to Downtown San Jose to meet with the rest of my tour.

On the way to Manuel Antonio, we stopped for a few minutes at Jaco Beach.

Once we finally reached Manuel Antonio (after a 2 hour stop at a souvenir shop), we all dispersed after buying our respective entry ticket.

The beach was extremely crowded, so I walked along the trails. I don’t know if I can blame this on the elevation, but I didn’t have the energy (or enough water, despite the liter bottles I was carrying) for the Sendero La Catarata (waterfall trail).

General Tips for your Costa Rica Trip

• If you’re visiting the national parks, be sure to bring plenty of snacks and water! Costa Rica is known for having hot weather year-round, so please stay hydrated.
• Especially, if you plan to hike, bring bug repellent. I bought bug repellent at Walmart in San Jose and remember paying well over $12 USD. Next time, I’ll get my hands on a smaller bottle (or make my own bug repellent) that will pass through airport TSA.
• I’ve heard of plenty of people renting a car and driving through Costa Rica with no problems, but I decided not to take any chances. On both tours, we experienced tight winding roads and rain storms that completed blocked our view from the van windshields. Although alarming, both drivers handled the situations smoothly and safely.
• During my visit, it rained on and off every day. Consider using an umbrella or a rain jacket to shield you from the rain.
• From what I understand, Uber is illegal in Costa Rica. I don’t know what happens if the driver and passenger are caught, but one of the ways Uber drivers attempt to avoid getting caught is by having the rider sit in the front, instead of the back of the car. 
• This was not the first time immigration officials asked me where I planned on staying in a country, but this was the first time they requested the address of my accommodations. And I was told that if I could not provide the address, they would deny my entry. This happened in SJO airport. Since I previously booked my stay online, I showed the immigration official my address and there was no problem. I’m mentioning this to you [mainly] because some people arrive at a country with no plans and no reservations. I’m sure that’s worked out plenty of times, but based on my experience, it’s possible to be denied entry to a country without proof of where you’re staying. Be sure to read about and follow a country’s entry and exit requirements before your trip.

Plan on visiting San Jose, Costa Rica? If so, what do you plan to do on your trip?