Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tral & 2 btwn Calles 3 & 5; adult/student/child US$11/8/free; 9:15am-5pm)
This three-in-one museum houses an extensive collection of Costa Rica's most priceless
pieces of pre-Columbian gold and other artifacts, including historical currency and some
contemporary regional art. The museum, housed underneath the Plaza de la Cultura, is
owned by the Banco Central and its architecture brings to mind all the warmth and com-
fort of a bank vault. Security is tight; visitors must leave bags at the door.
Teatro Nacional
NOTABLE BUILDING
US$7; 9am-6pm Jan-Apr, to 4pm Mon-Sat May-Dec)
On the southern side of the Plaza de la Cultura resides the Teatro Nacional, San José's
most revered public building. Constructed in 1897, it features a columned neoclassical
facade that is flanked by statues of Beethoven and famous 17th-century Spanish dramatist
Calderón de la Barca. The lavish marble lobby and auditorium are lined with paintings de-
picting various facets of 19th-century life. If you're looking to rest your feet, there's also
The theater's most famous painting is
Alegoría al café y el banano,
an idyllic canvas
showing coffee and banana harvests. The painting was produced in Italy and shipped to
Costa Rica for installation in the theater, and the image was reproduced on the old ₡5 note
(now out of circulation). It seems clear that the painter never witnessed a banana harvest
because of the way the man in the center is awkwardly grasping a bunch (actual banana
workers hoist the stems onto their shoulders).
Across the street, also belonging to the national theater, is the Museo Homenaje Joaquín
García Monge, which features temporary exhibitions by contemporary Costa Rican and
Central American artists.
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica
MUSEUM
adult/child US$8/4; 8:30am-4:30pm Tue-Sat, 9am-4:30pm Sun)
Entered via a beautiful glassed-in atrium housing an exotic butterfly garden, this museum
provides a quick survey of Costa Rican history. Exhibits of pre-Columbian pieces from on-
