The Estacion Del Ferrocario al Atlantico (The Atlantic Railroad Station) used to be San Jose’s railway link to the European markets. After the railway system ceased to function, it went on to house and share the location with the Museo de Formas, Espacios y Sonidos. Some of the trains are still on display here.

This is the National Park for the country of Costa Rica. It is located in the downtown section of Costa Rica, at the Barrio La Soledad. It is full of wonderful tropical trees and exotic plants from the country. It is also quite popular among the locals, as they often come here to eat lunch, read newspapers, and allow their children a safe place to play.

You will also want to check out the big bronze monument that rests in the park. It depicts the battle of Central America against William Walker, who tried to invade the area in 1856. Costa Rica took on a primary role in that five country battle, so as you might expect, that is prominently displayed in the monument erected in 1895. It was designed by Louis Carrier Belleuse, who studied under Rodin at one time. For people visiting from the United States, it may be quite a shock to see the monument, and the history it displays, as the country fought against Americans of the time. You don’t typically read a lot about that in the history books in the States.

This National Center for Arts and Cultural is one of the most impressive venues in town. It takes up a whole city block, and is crammed full of wonderful things to see. It is located in the building that used to house the National Liquor Factory of San Jose, Costa Rica. Now, as well as housing several performing arts centers and the contemporary art museum, it also acts as the offices for the Cultural Ministry of the country.

This museum houses some of the finest contemporary art from the best of Central American artists, especially those from Costa Rica. Yet, some of the permanent collection includes the works of Jose Cuevas and Oswaldo Guayasamin from Equador, so you will not just find the art of the country here.

The Centro Nacional de Arte y Cultura is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Admission is just $1 for adults and 80 cents for students. Seniors and children under the age of 11 can get in for free. It will be a hard deal to beat, as you will be able to spend hours here learning about the art and culture of this exotic Central American country.

The Museo de Arte y Diseno Contemporaneo is a part of the National Center for the Arts and Culture. It is located on the eastern end of the old National Liquor Factory building in downtown San Jose, Costa Rica. This old building dates back to 1887, and is one of the most historic buildings in town. In fact, many locals still refer to the museum and Cultural Center as the old Liquoria.

If you go in to visit, you can still see some of the old distilling equipment on display, which makes for a rather interesting take on the notion of contemporary art. The museum portion was opened to the public in 1994 under the guidance of Virginia Perez-Ratton. It houses some of the best examples of the work of young Central American artists to be found anywhere in the world.

The building itself is also quite modern, considering it is housed inside a building over 100 years old. There is a full multi-media capability built in to all the displays. The furniture, lighting and overall décor are also quite modern in style.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. It is located at C. 15, Avdas. 3-5, Barrio Otoya, San José, 10101 Admission is just $3.

If you find yourself visiting the beautiful city of San Jose, Costa Rica, and you need a place to just sit back and relax for a bit, you may want to consider the Parque Espagna, which is located at Avdas. 7-3 and Cs. 11-17, Barrio El Carmen, San José, 10101.

It is a quaint park, full of shade trees and fun. The locals love to come here to play football. There is a lovely statue here also of Juan Vasquez de Coronado, who was the founder of the country. A stunning bust of Queen Isabella can also be found in the park, along the eastern side.

Just to the west of the park is an interesting oddity also. There is a two story metal school there that was built in Belgium and brought here long ago. It was supposed to have been sent to Chile, but ended up in Costa Rica instead. The locals just decided to keep it. A garden in the park also contains a six foot wide section of the Berlin wall on display, which was donated by the German government to the people of Costa Rica. You will have to ask the guard for permission to get into the park.

Museo del Jade is an archeological museum in San Jose, Costa Rica. It is associated with Marco Fidel Tristan Castro, and can be found at Calle 9 and Avenue 7 in the National Institute of Insurance (INS) building. It is one of the few office towers in town, and is situated next to Parque Espagna. It was founded in 1977 by the famous man who started the INS.

The location features one of the best collections of pre Columbian artifacts you would ever want to see. You can get a chance to see real stone tables from the period, as well as ceramics, ceremonial heads, adzes, and other decorative pieces from 500 BC to 800 AD.

You will also want to take a moment and visit the Jade Room located in the building. It displays translucent jade pendants, which is quite something to see. The 11th floor museum lobby also contains a sculpture by José Sancho, a white marble, called Plenitude, which is one of the prize possessions of the museum. It is open to the general public Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Admission is $2. So this is one of the real bargain museums in town.

The Edificio Metálico (The Metalic Building) is a marvellous piece of architecture located next to the Morazan Parque. The Metallic Building was made in Belgium and then transported and assembled in San Jose in 1896. This kind of architecture is something unique in Costa Rica, and can only be compared to the Eiffel Tower.

The Parque Morazan is the single largest park in downtown San Jose, Costa Rica. It is also the most barren such location in town, as the typical tropical trees and foliage of this country are missing here. Pink and golden trumpet trees do add some color, though, in the dry months here. There is room, however, for sports to happen here all the time and that may be why the local government leaves the location in this state.

The main attraction of this place is the Temple of Music, which was added in 1920. The bandstand was the named for Francisco Morazan of Honduras, whose dream in the 1800s was to unify the countries of Central America into one. The bandstand in the park has become a bit of an icon for the country though, and is often depicted in pictures, stamps, etc.

It is located at Avda. 3, Cs. 5-9, Barrio El Carmen, San José, 10101. You will want to stay out of the park at night though, as this area can become a bit rough. Sadly, local muggers like to prey upon visitors to the country from this quiet location.