There is no straightforward approach to exploring San José. Sliced in two by a massive highway, the shops, restaurants, and points of interest are spread out across residential areas and between sprawling mall complexes, resulting in a layout that is difficult for newcomers to navigate. Most visitors head to the city center, where there are museums, parks, and plazas, however the main pedestrian thoroughfare does not offer much of interest, lined with discount stores, fast food joints, and government buildings. The Barrio Escalante neighborhood is a tight grid of streets that is easily navigable on foot and packed with bars and restaurants, their outdoor patios and raucous music livening up the sidewalks. San Pedro is the student neighborhood, where graffiti art adorns quiet residential streets interspersed with the occasional cafe, and Barrio La California is where the city’s the nightlife takes off. Escazú is the upscale part of town, where many expats live in gated communities flanked by mini malls on busy throughways.

Getting around in San José presents a few complications. There are buses, however, the city does not publish a schedule, route map, or the locations of the stops, making it a challenge to navigate the system. Renting a car is also not ideal, as the city is often plagued by heavy traffic and car break-ins are common. The best option is to use Uber, which is the most convenient and affordable option, and utilizes the expertise of a local driver who is familiar with the city and can opt for detours that avoid the worst of the congestion. Also, an Uber will pick up and drop off at an exact location, which is advisable at night when it is not always safe to walk to streets.

Throughout Costa Rica, restaurant options can be limited in variety and choice, but San José offers a wide range of international cuisines, upscale dining, and buzzing food markets. The most extraordinary establishments are those that lean in to the appeals of Costa Rica, serving colorful, tropical ingredients in tasty, eye-popping preparations. Menus are not necessarily designed with the intention of qualifying as “health food,” but are inherently so due to the emphasis on freshness and simplicity. Dining rooms are often sunny, open spaces, set in greenhouses, rooftop terraces, or gardens, where plants spill from hanging pots or cover entire walls with lush foliage.

While there are plenty of international hotel brands with high-rise locations all over the city, the options for accommodation run the gamut across styles and budgets, ranging from modern boutique hotels, funky and inexpensive art hostels, colonial-style historic hotels, to cozy guesthouses. Many of these lodgings offer amenities such as peaceful courtyard gardens, sweeping city views, poolside lounges, or chef-driven restaurants.

A multi-day stay in the city is an opportunity to visit nearby destinations, with volcanoes, beaches, and national parks all accessible by car less than two hours away. Among the mountains that surround the San José Valley are Poás and Irazú, two active volcanoes that can be reached via paved roads leading to summit, where hiking trails encircle the crater. A two-hour drive west ends on the Pacific Coast in Jacó, a lively but touristy beach town where people go to surf and sip tropical cocktails in the sand. In Heredia, a small town on the outskirts of San José, sloths and toucans can be observed in nature reserves, and across the mountainside, bucolic coffee plantations offer tours and tastings.