Central Valley

1. Costa Rica
2. Where to go
3. Central Valley

Offers a variety of cultural and natural attractions, including the best museums in the country: Gold, Jade, National, Costa Rican Art, La Salle Natural Sciences, Insects at the University of Costa Rica, Contemporary Arts & Design and Children's, among others. Also, the architectural jewel of Costa Rica is located here: the National Theatre.

National parks located in the Central Valley protect the region’s primary volcanoes: Poás, Braulio Carrillo, Irazú and Turrialba, all of which have transport and viewing infrastructure allowing visitors to enjoy the birds, landscapes, craters and forests.

The capital San José hosts most government services, but other provincial capitals – Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago – offer a number of commercial and quality tourism services.

The Central Valley has two areas of extraordinary beauty that are tourist destinations in and of themselves: Turrialba and the Valley of the Saints. Rural villages offer great scenic beauty and a glimpse of Costa Rica’s past with adobe houses, large coffee plantations, mills and dairy farms.

Did You Know...

The rural areas of the Central Valley are ideal for tourists to enjoy horseback riding in places like: Turrialba, Santa María de Dota, Atenas, Palmares, Zarcero, Escazú, Santa Ana, and others.