San Jose has a large selection of year-round cultural events, commendable museums and theaters as well as a small, but attractive entertainment scene.

Both the National Theater and the Melico Salazar present year-round concerts, ballets, and operas. The former built in the 1890’s, modeled after the Opera de Paris, is probably one of our few, well-maintained, cultural gems. The Melico Salazar is a neoclassical theater which not too long ago (20 years Apr.) used to be a large and lofty movie theater called the Cine Raventos. Melico Salazar was actually one of Costa Rica’s one and only famous tenors, who sang in the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. The theater has an old-world style cafe and bar with large windows for great views of Avenida Dos’s rambunctious life.

Many small theaters in downtown San Jose feature amusing plays, portraying the idiosyncrasies of the Costa Rican culture. However, command of the Spanish language is a must.

The Little Theater Group is a small, yet quite talented English-speaking, theater group offering two to three plays in the year. 

Check the La Nación Newspaper or the Tico Times English-speaking newspaper for the monthly theater and cultural agenda.

San Jose’s “must see” museums are the National Museum, housed in the imposing Bellavista fortress (1887), showcasing a comprehensive natural and cultural history of Costa Rica. Westwards, heading towards the National Theater, is the underground Gold Museum displaying an impressive collection of Pre-Columbian gold. Hidden on the 11th floor of the National Insurance Building is the Jade Museum exhibiting amazingly crafted jade pieces as well as describing the intricate story of Costa Rica’s pre-Columbian civilizations.

While small, the San Jose nightlife and entertainment scene offers a little bit of everything, catering to everyone’s needs. Most malls or shopping centers offer state-of-the art cinemas, with new releases. San Jose’s largest malls, Multiplaza and Terramall, offer après-movie bars and restaurants. As it is, the bar scene is quite large. Most bars are either located in San Pedro, (the university town), or in the popular suburbs of Rohrmoser and Escazú. A few suggestions are Jazz Cafe, El Cuartel de la Boca del Monte and Meridiano del Oeste all located in the San Pedro neighborhood, while Henry’s Sports Bar, Friday’s and Mas Tequila are all located in Escazú. Rohrmoser features the amusing and great bocas or appetizers bar, El Pollo Cervecero.

Good discotheques are hard to find but a few alternatives are the El Pueblo complex, offering a maze of quaint bars with small dance floors. You can also try the adjoining La Plaza Discotheque.

Soccer, as in all Latin American countries, runs through the blood of the people. If you happen to be here for soccer match, whether it’s the first division teams or the national team, you are assured to have an exciting evening, full of scorns, cheers and lots of beers.