
Central Valley, Costa Rica
San José is the capital, and the center of the country's culture, government and business. Downtown is crowded and best taken in small doses, but the right neighborhoods have great restaurants, theaters and parks, with some of the region's best hospitals close by. Here, the neighborhood you choose matters more than the city itself.
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San Ramón
San Ramón is known as the city of presidents and poets, since more of the country's leaders have come from here than from anywhere else. It's a real market town in coffee country, with a university campus and a great climate. Foreigners here tend to prefer local life to an expat scene. The airport is about an hour away.
Lindora
Lindora is Santa Ana's newer side, a polished stretch of gated communities, shopping centers, private hospitals and good schools, with quick access to the highway to the beach. It feels a lot like a prosperous suburb back home. For some people that's a comfort, and for others it's too far from traditional Tico life.
Heredia
Heredia is the City of Flowers, a provincial capital about 10 km north of San José. The National University keeps it young, and the tech companies nearby keep it busy, while the old colonial center still has its charm. Foreigners who live here want city life at a moderate cost. It's crowded, traffic is heavy, and it's very Tico.
Explore more towns in Central Valley.