Tour the pride of the city, the National Theater. Built in the 1890s by wealthy coffee growers, the theater is a temple to the lavish European tastes of the time, with exquisite architecture, 24-karat gilded adornments and inlaid parquet floors (Avenida 2, Calles 3/5).
Visit the National Museum for a crash course in Costa Rica’s history and environmental riches. Bullet holes from the country’s civil war bear testament to the museum’s former life as a military fort (Avenidas Central y Segunda, Calle 17).
Lunch at the fair-trade Doka Estate in the fertile Central Valley. You’ll enjoy local specialties; a tour of the fields and roasting processes, and enough samples to wire you well into the evening (dokaestate.com).
Stroll the historic district of Barrio Amon, once home of the city’s elite, where quaint Caribbean villas in pastel colors still grace the quiet streets.
Shop for replicas of pre-Columbian gold and jade jewelry at Diamantes y Esmeraldas, where they still use the “lost wax process” of crafting gold pieces.
