One day in San José, Costa Rica
One day in San José, Costa Rica, can start with a guided visit of the Teatro Nacional, continue at the Museo Nacional in the old Bellavista barracks, stop at a soda for lunch and end at the Museo de los Niños. Both museums close on Mondays, while the theatre's visits run every day.
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Updated 21 October 2026
The Teatro Nacional and the Museo Nacional in the morning
Start at the Teatro Nacional, on Avenida Segunda between Calle 3 and Calle 5. Its guided visits run from Monday to Sunday, 9:00 to 16:00, and children under 12, from Costa Rica or from abroad, do not pay. You can take photos on the visit as long as the flash is off, and the theatre recommends not coming in shorts or sandals.
Then go to the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, in the old Cuartel Bellavista, between Avenida Central and Avenida Segunda, on the east side of the Plaza de la Democracia. Its exhibition halls show collections of national history, archaeology and natural history, and its gardens hold pre-Columbian stone spheres from the South Pacific of Costa Rica.
The museum opens from Tuesday to Saturday, 8:30 to 16:30, and on Sundays from 9:00 to 16:30. It closes every Monday, and also on 25 December 2026 and 1 January 2027. Children under 12 enter free, and from 30 April 2026, until further notice, entry is free on Saturdays and Sundays for visitors from abroad and for nationals and residents who show their ID.
Lunch at a soda
For lunch, look for a soda, the Costa Rican name for a place that sells meals and is usually smaller than a restaurant.
If you bring your own food, the Museo Nacional lets you eat in its gardens but not in its exhibition halls, and the Teatro Nacional does not allow food inside. The Museo de los Niños has its own café, with breakfasts, lunches and pastries.
The Museo de los Niños in the afternoon
Spend the afternoon at the Museo de los Niños, a yellow building at Calle 4 and Avenida 9, in the heart of San José. It has more than 40 interactive rooms on the universe, history, dinosaurs, music, transport and technology, and the museum says a full visit takes about three and a half hours.
It opens from Tuesday to Friday, 8:30 to 16:30, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 to 17:00, and it is closed on Mondays. Children's tickets are charged from six months of age, and all tickets are bought beforehand at the museum's online box office, because the places per day are limited.
Plan your one day in San José
On a Monday both museums are closed, but the Teatro Nacional still runs its guided visits, and the Parque Metropolitano La Sabana, one of the recreation parks of ICODER, the Costa Rican institute for sport and recreation, is open all 365 days of the year.
Check the theatre's page and the pages of both museums before you travel, above all around public holidays: the Museo Nacional closes on some of them, and for the holiday season and special dates the Museo de los Niños asks visitors to check its hours on its Facebook page.
Sources
- Official FAQ page of the Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica. The guided visits run Monday to Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the building stays open until 5:00 p.m., and children under 12, national or foreign, pay no entry. Photos without flash are allowed on the visit, food is not allowed inside, and the theatre recommends not attending in shorts or sandals. — teatronacional.go.cr (checked 21 October 2026)
- Official page of the Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica on the institution: it keeps the theatre for public use as a historic monument, and its main building stands on Avenida Segunda, Calles 3 and 5. — teatronacional.go.cr (checked 21 October 2026)
- Official visiting page of the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, housed in the former Cuartel Bellavista between Avenida Central and Avenida Segunda, east of the Plaza de la Democracia, with collections of national history, archaeology and natural history. Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed every Monday and on the listed days, among them 25 December 2026 and 1 January 2027. Under-12s enter free; from 30 April 2026 until further notice, Saturday and Sunday are free for foreigners of all ages and for nationals and residents with valid ID. Food is allowed in the gardens and not in the halls. — museocostarica.go.cr (checked 21 October 2026)
- Page of the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica on the gardens of the Cuartel Bellavista: trees and plants, a wooden sugar-cane press, and pre-Columbian stone spheres left by the ancient cultures of the South Pacific of Costa Rica. — museocostarica.go.cr (checked 21 October 2026)
- Entry for the word in the Diccionario de la lengua española of the Real Academia Española and ASALE, whose third meaning, marked as Costa Rican, is an establishment where food and drinks are sold, generally smaller than a restaurant. — dle.rae.es (checked 21 October 2026)
- Official visiting page of the Museo de los Niños, at Calle 4, Avenida 9, in a yellow building in the heart of San José. It opens Tuesday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closes on Mondays, and refers visitors to its Facebook page for holiday-season and special-date hours. The children's rate starts at six months, tickets must be bought in advance at boleteria.museocr.org because daily capacity is limited, the more than 40 interactive rooms take about three and a half hours, and the Café del Museo serves breakfasts, lunches and pastries. — museocr.org (checked 21 October 2026)
- FAQ page of ICODER, the Costa Rican institute for sport and recreation: of its six recreation parks, the Parque Metropolitano La Sabana and the Parque La Paz stay open 365 days a year. — icoder.go.cr (checked 21 October 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What can you do in one day in San José, Costa Rica?
A guided visit of the Teatro Nacional, the Museo Nacional and the stone spheres in its gardens, lunch at a soda, and an afternoon in the interactive rooms of the Museo de los Niños.
What is a soda in Costa Rica?
In Costa Rica, a soda is an establishment, generally smaller than a restaurant, where food is sold. The Diccionario de la lengua española marks this meaning as Costa Rican.
Are the Museo Nacional and the Museo de los Niños open on Mondays?
No: both close every Monday. The Teatro Nacional holds its guided visits seven days a week, and the Parque Metropolitano La Sabana is open every day of the year.
Do children pay at the Teatro Nacional and the Museo Nacional?
Children under 12 pay nothing for the theatre's guided visit, and they get into the Museo Nacional for free. At the Museo de los Niños, by contrast, children's tickets are charged from six months of age and are bought in advance online.