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The Central Valley is the geographical, political and economical heart of Costa Rica. The most important cities of Costa Rica are located in Central Valley: San José (the capital), Heredia, Alajuela and Cartago. Therefore, half of nation’s population lives in this area.
San José is a modern city, which offers a full range of accommodations, restaurants, shopping malls, museums and nightlife. It has a well-developed net of utilities such as drinking water, transportation and energy. Since the country’s most important airport lies nearby, most of the visitors spend about three days of their Costa Rican vacation in the capital.
At an altitude of 3,770 feet above sea level, the climate in San José is simply pleasant all the year around, which allows the tourist to enjoy its attractions. The city offers a wide variety of activities like city tours and tours to museums. Some of these museums are the National Museum that contains excellent history about Costa Rica, the Gold Museum, with an impressive collection of pre-Columbian jewelry, and the Jade Museum with the largest pre-Columbian jade in America. Another remarkable attraction is the National Theatre, an architectural jewel that recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Beyond the capital, you can find smaller cities and traditional towns. Some important cities like Cartago offers attractions like the Basilica de Los Angeles, which is the site of a national pilgrimage every August second.
Among the things to do around San José are the one-day tours such as the Rain Forest Aerial Tram at Braulio Carrillo National Park, volcanoes such as Irazú and Poás, white water rafting and the town of Sarchí, where visitors will find souvenirs and handicrafts.
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