The National Theater of Costa Rica offers several cost-friendly options during the week to enjoy music and other performances. This week, Teatro al Medio Dia (theater at noon) will steer off the classical path and feature popular Costa Rican rock band, Patiño Quintana.

The group will perform songs from it's 2 discs. This would be a great way to see the inside of the National Theater and hear popular Costa Rican music. Tues., Oct. 25 at 12:10. ARRIVE EARLY, these sell out because they only cost 1.000 ($2). I believe it is about 2.000 if you do not have a CR resident card.

China Town is finally coming to San Jose, Costa Rica.

After several years of talks, construction will begin in November on aesthetic elements to convert about 6 blocks of downtown roadway into a Chinatown walkway.

A traditional arch will be erected and statues such as dragons and spheres placed along the pathway. Currently, 50% of the businesses there are Chinese.

Bus stops along the way will be moved further south. While not currently a destination on our tours, this may in fact become a site to see after the construction is complete in February.

One of the top 20 most interesting buildings in San Jose, Costa Rica is the crumbling Botica Solera art-deco style building in Barrio Mexico. The municipality of San Jose has announced that $25,000 worth of emergency repair work will begin shortly to save the building from rain and vandal damage.

In 2006, the mayor of San Jose had promised this building would be restored and converted into a library. After battling with the ownership, 24 people in total, repairs can finally move forward. This immediate work is expected to be finished by the end of 2011. Time will tell when a full restoration will take place, $200,000 was alloted for the project.

Once an old drugstore, this building’s intrigue factor is it’s triangle formation. It forms a peak at a main intersection and juts back towards the south. Botica Solera joins Casa Jimenez on the list of recent rescue repairs being carried out in San Jose. It is best to visit this building by car as it’s a precarious neighborhood for tourists and locals alike.

To see more historic buildings in San Jose try one of our walking tours or yoga/massage packages.

Photo from La Nacion.

It's impossible to walk by this architectural marvel, crumbling right before your eyes, and not want to know it's story, to rescue it, to see it live again. 

This beautiful and mysterious building is Casa Jiménez. Built in 1905 it was designed by it's original owner, lawyer and diplomat Manuel Francisco Jiménez Ortiz. It is one of the only remaining Art Nouveau style buildings in the city, and it's a feature on our Bird's Nest Tour. 


We are excited to announce that a few weeks ago La Nacion ran a story reporting that work would start in about 15 days to initially repair the roof and exterior parts suffering great damage. On tour this week we saw that the work has begun! Can't wait to see what the future will bring to this historic gem.