San José for first-time visitors

Must-see attractions

San José's must-see roster is honest about itself: this is a compact capital, and the heritage worth pausing for runs to parish churches and one small monument spread across a few towns of the surrounding country. The five sites that follow are buildings built to be used rather than photographed — church facades the city and its neighbors still attend, a town square anchored by a fortification. Two sit in San José proper; the others stand in Heredia, Cartago, and another Costa Rican town, close enough to the capital to fold into a single trip. Skip the souvenir-shop checklist that loops visitors through the same two downtown plazas; what is worth your half-day spreads outward. Bring an interest in buildings that have not been dressed up for the camera, a pair of comfortable shoes, and the patience to sit on a plaza bench and watch a Costa Rican parish town go about its afternoon. The list is short on purpose. These are the sites in and around the capital that genuinely repay attention; the rest of the country's heritage will reward a longer trip.