City Tour San José

Exquisite masterpieces that were made centuries ago dating all the way back from 500 until  1500 D.C reflect how ancient metalworkers handled and crafted precious metals, stones and minerals Costa Rica has to offer. These skills helped create a unique social structure among the Pre-Columbian villages.

The museum shows and educates the use and function of the different tools and artifacts used in early age technology as well as expressing the relationship between nature and everyday life of the groups of natives that inhabited Costa Rica.

 

After visiting the Gold Museum you will take a brief walk towards the National Theater and learn all about its history and how it contributed to Costa Rica’s Social and Economic History. This theater is wiuthout a doubt the mostt popular and visited by travellers arriving to Costa Rica, its rich history along with its gorgeause interior of ornate Neo-Clasical arquitecture. in fact, was just named one of “10 great ceilings around the world,” according to an article in USA Today. The famous painting is entitled the “Allegory of Coffee and Bananas” (Alegoría al Café y al Banano) by Italian artist J. Vila, and used to grace the back of the five colón bill that is no longer in circulation. The gigantic work captures the essence of Costa Rican rural life at the turn of the 20^th century, but given that the painter had never visited Costa Rica, the mural has its anomalies. For instance, coffee grows at high elevation rather than at sea level as the painting depicts, and there is a man holding a bunch of bananas like a large floral bouquet instead of over his shoulder as would be traditional.

 

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The National Theatre was constructed between 1891 and 1897, opening in October 1897. Copied after the famous Paris Opera House, the theatre was built at a time when upper-class Costa Ricans wanted to transform the capital from a sleepy town of 17,000 people into a stop on the world opera circuit. Costa Rican citizens helped pay for the theatre by a special tax.

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The front of the theatre features statues of 17^th century Spanish playwright Pedro Calderón de la Barca and famous German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The vestibule floor is laid with Carrara marble along with bronze trim and ample use of 22.5 carat gold overlay. Italian sculptor Pietro Bulgarelli’s statues of the muses adorn the lobby. A stunning inlaid wood floor of tropical woods in red, pink, black and gold graces the second floor. The chandelier’s bases were painted to represent the different moments of the day: you can find sunrise, noon and night. There is a wonderful café, gallery and gift shop on the ground floor.

Excellent acoustics and the theatre’s intimate feel draw performers and spectators from around the world. The National Theatre presents high quality performances by orchestras, operas, ballet and other dramatic and musical performances.

ourists can step in during the day and take a self-guided tour through the theatre. There often are free musical programs at Noon, and on Thursdays at 5:00

After visiting the National Pre-Columbian Gold Museum you will take a picturesque drive through the heart of San Jose where you will experience firsthand the hustle and bustle of local markets down town. Before arriving to the Natural History museum we will delight your senses with a fresh roasted coffee along the way at a brief stop where you can relax for a while and recharge with local pastries and various selections of roasted coffee beans.

Upon arrival to the National Museum you will experience a travel in time while appreciating Costa Rica’s rich history which is closely related to its biodiversity, flora and fauna. Located inside the old Bellavista Fortress, the Costa Rican National Museum includes a wide display that is very carefully thought out in terms of showcasing the timeline beginning with Pre-Columbian art, to Colonial, Industrial, and then more recent collections. Bellavista Fortress,  built in 1917 and was first used as military barracks. You will see many bullets lodged in the exterior walls of the building dating back the country’s 1948 civil war. Within the walls of this former fortress  there is the observation deck that overlooks amazing views of San Jose.

This national museum is working to spread the Costa Rican culture and natural heritage to the national and foreign public and to improve awareness of protecting those heritage. It is always making investigation so that it can ensure the protection, conservation and rescue the natural heritage and culture of the country to safeguard the historic memory of the Nation and can introduce it to the generation after generation.

Specialized Services:

This museum offers specialized services for the researchers and the students of natural history, anthropology, and archaeology. Personnel or museology researchers of the museum also have these specialized services.

While visiting this museum, you will get opportunity to watch a huge collection of bird skins, about 662 of the species in the country and among those the oldest one is of a thrush, Wood Thrush, dating from 1847. There are also the skeleton collection represents some 343 species of birds and the oldest one is of the yellow-throated finch. The collection of nests are represented 146 species of birds Costa Rica and the clutches of eggs comprise about 21% of the country’s species.

Mammalogy:

This museum has the collection of mammals consists of 1735 specimens. This collections is consists of skins and skulls, single skins and skulls without skin. There are represented 154 species of mammals of Costa Rica.

Human Remains:

The Anthropology and History Department has a well asorted collection of human remains recovered from archaeological sites around the country. Here you will find the oldest collections from sites in Jicaral  Puntarenas, and Nacascolo in Carrillo, Guanacast dated back to  500 BC.

Metallurgy:

This museum also has the collection of metal objects, gold, copper and guanine these objects represents the archaeological contexts of the country.

Flora and Fauna:

You will learn all about the flora of the country by observing the collection of flora found in archaeological contexts. Here you will see the sample of palms, beans, two varieties of corn and grasses, among others, and a small reference collection of modern seeds. Here you will also find a collection of tropical fauna of the country. You will see tools for hunting and fishing, bones of the wild animals and many more.

In this museum you will see various other ancient pieces such as the vehicles and objects related to transport in all areas. Recreational or leisure activities, furniture, art collection including handicraft, painting, sculpture and others.

Tuesday to Saturday  8:30am to 4pm, Sunday 9am to 4pm. Closed Monday

After visiting the National Museum you will be dropped off at your hotel or where you choose in the San Jose City area.