San José is the place to head for sightseeing in Costa Rica as it is home to a large selection of interesting landmark buildings, art galleries, museums, markets and places of natural interest. What constitutes something to see in San José can invariably be listed as something to do also as many of the organised trips available are to natural areas that offer fascinating sights as well as sounds, smells and sensations.

Catedral Metropolitana
Located in San José, the Metropolitan Cathedral was originally constructed in 1871 and later underwent renovation and refurbishment in the 1990s following earthquake damage. The church’s exterior is somewhat drab, but if you venture inside you’ll find a beautiful tiled floor and some aesthetically pleasing wall murals. The church is still a working religious facility so visitors should check that services are not being conducted before entering.

INBio Park 
INBio Park is a facility operated by the National Biodiversity Institute and combines a nature park with a museum and an educational centre. There is no shortage of things to see including educational videos as well as two large pavilions in which details of the country’s ecosystem are explained. A butterfly garden also provides some interesting sights, while a two-hour guided hike takes in a variety of other natural views.

Lankester Gardens
Orchid lovers will be in their element at this facility that houses in excess of 1,400 species of the popular flower. The gardens are named after their creator, an English naturalist by the name of Charles Lankester and besides orchids, offer shady forest where visitors can take a pleasant stroll. An information centre gives more insight into the species of orchid living at the facility.

Mercado Central
Mercado Central is San José’s most colourful and atmospheric market with a large selection of stalls selling every product imaginable. Within the maze of alleyways, you’ll find vendors offering flowers, baskets, wood and leather products, meats, vegetables and spices. Fish sellers are also popular and offer shrimp, dorado and octopus while pigs’ heads and oxtails are to be found at the butcher’s stalls. Outside of the official stalls, street hawkers peddle their wares from traditional barrows.

Museo Nacional de Costa Rica
This is Costa Rica's most important historical museum and visitors can gain an insight into the country’s fascinating past through artefacts and displays housed in a former army barracks that dates back to the civil war of 1948. Objects from established Costa Rican history as well as other from pre-Columbian times are available for viewing, with interesting examples of gold jewellery and figurines falling into the latter category. A courtyard provides some excellent views of the city and also gives visitors the chance to see some of Costa Rica's mysterious stone spheres.

Museo de Arte Costarricense 
Otherwise known as the Costa Rican Art Museum, this modest facility housed in a former airport terminal building is home to a collection of art in a variety of media by some of the country’s most famous artists. Sculptures, paintings, and prints make up the permanent exhibits, while other pieces are rotated regularly and often include those from visiting exhibitions. A newly added sculpture garden includes works by José Sancho, Jorge Jiménez Deredia, Max Jiménez, and Francisco Zuñiga.

Go white water rafting on the Reventazon, Pacuare or Savegre River
Costa Rica offers the world’s highest concentration of navigable white water per square mile as well as a reputation for rivers that rank within the top ten with regard to their wild and scenic qualities. Visitors of a strong disposition (certainly not for the faint of heart) can ride down the Reventazon, Pacuare or Savegre rivers enjoying the thrills of being tossed by the rapids as well as having the chance to experience some fascinating flora and fauna at milder spots.

Visit the Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs
Departing from San José, organised trips head for the region’s most active volcano where visitors have a realistic chance of seeing the amazing spectacle of an eruption. Daytime eruptions allow you to witness the clouds of smoke and ash that are belched into the air while eruptions at night are an entirely different experience as the sky is lit up with the glowing lava that snakes it way down the mountain. Hot springs close to the mountain can be bathed in while others are hot enough to boil eggs. Most tours take you to La Fortuna, the closest town to the volcano.

Take a tour to the Irazu Volcano & Orosi Valley
Tours leave from San José and head east for the country’s highest volcano. Visitors get the chance to walk on its strange lunar-like surface complete with genuine lava-fashioned craters. A visit to Cartago is next before heading for the Orosi Valley, where the country’s first colonists built settlements and the ruins of the oldest Church in Costa Rica can be found as well as those of the Orosi Colonial Church.

Take a trip on the Rain Forest Aerial Tram
Visitors can take a ride on an aerial tram which takes them around this unique research and ecotourism centre. The tram rides through the rainforest canopy taking in hanging gardens where fascinating plant and animal life can be observed. The park is home to two-thirds of all recognised rain forest species and is reputed to possess one of the world’s richest canopy communities.

Take a trip to Tortuga Island
Leaving daily from San José, the popular Tortuga Island tour can be booked from hotels and local tour operators and offers visitors a pleasurable yacht trip combined with the chance to relax in the settings of a scenic tropical island. Boats sail out of the port town of Puntarenas, bringing visitors to the island in plenty of time for sunbathing, snorkelling, swimming or playing a little beach volleyball. Trips with reputable companies invariably include lunch on the beach and refreshments during the boat trip.

Visit the Butterfly Farm
The San José Butterfly Farm is a must for anyone with an interest in nature and insect life. Visitors can view interesting butterfly exhibits before heading into the large greenhouse areas that mimic natural tropical forests and are home to thousands of live butterflies of all species. Official trips to the farm leave from San José town centre everyday or you can make your own way to this fascinating facility.

Visit the Braulio Carrillo National Park
Located just 30 minutes from downtown San José, these 44,099 hectares of virgin rain forest constitute one of the country’s largest national parks. Visitors will feel like they’re entering another world as they leave the urban development outside behind and step into the dense forests where mountain mists and rains are prevalent and help preserve the park’s unique ecosystem. Tour operators sell trips to the park or you can make your own way there easily by hire car.

Visit the Parque Zoológico Simón Bolívar
This facility is popular with those wanting to experience something of the country’s native fauna without having to venture into the rainforest. The zoo is home to a modest selection of wildlife among which you’ll find species that ordinarily live indigenously in the Costa Rican jungles, as well as Asian and African animals. The zoo is located in Barrio Amón, which can be reached easily by bus from San José.