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Costa Rica – San José and Visit to Café Britt

Published: 28.8.2021

We move from the wild Tortuguera to the central part of Costa Rica, where we plan to spend the last few days of our trip. The destination is the capital of San José, where we also want to make several trips to the surroundings. We stay in the great Costa Rica Backpackers, a hostel with amazing facilities including a swimming pool, bar, kitchenette or restaurant. They also offer an exchange of money for a very pleasant course and many optional trips.

San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, in translation means Saint Joseph. The city lies in the province of the same name. It is the transport, economic and political center of the country. Interesting buildings include the National Museum (Museo Nacional de Costa Rica) and the National Theater (Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica).

The museum is located in the fortress Bellavista and due to its ocher color is really unforgettable. The fortress dates back to 1917 and originally served as a barracks. The museum has been here since 1950. Visitors can see the colonial, archaeological, religious, geological and modern history of Costa Rica. It also owns a remarkable collection of artifacts from pre-Columbian America. Local people often meet in front of the museum and organize various smaller concerts and similar events.

The National Theater was opened to the public in October 1897. The theater building is one of the most interesting and historically because of its interior and the most beautiful one in San Jose.

But where to go in San José? Nice is definitely a walk along the main street, which is full of shops, restaurants and stalls. There is also a huge marketplace selling souvenirs, great coffee, fresh fish and much more. The prices for the food in the local small restaurants are very good.

As we are a country famous for its coffee production, we must definitely not miss a tour of the most famous company Café Britt. The journey to the tour is quite complicated, but you can buy a package with a pick-up from San José. By bus from the bus stop near the hospital (locals will be happy to advise), we head to Heredia. Here you need to change to the bus going to Barva town. On the left side there is a small castle (this building really cannot be overlooked) and we get off right in front of it. From here, Café Britt is barely three minutes' walk away.

The basic tour costs $ 25, you can pay by card and even connect to free WiFi. The guides are kind and funny, they speak English and Spanish. During the tour several times we also taste the local coffee, which paradoxically is not very good, so we recommend buying at the market (the best choice) or in the supermarket other types (for example, cheap and good Café 1820 or Café Monteverde). The tour ends in a souvenir shop with refreshments.

GPS: (National Museum) 9°55'58.4"N 84°04'18.0"W

Text: Veronika Schubertová

Photo: Veronika Schubertová, Wikimedia Commons: Andreas C. Vogt, ravedave

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