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the city has incredible museums, such as the Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo (opposite), the Teatro Nacional (Click here), the Galería Nacional (Click here), and TEOR/éTica (opposite). But it goes beyond that. I’ve been a writer for 25 years and I’m constantly observing things. And San José is a city that wherever you go, there’s something to see, from the architecture to the people on the street. Every visitor should consider it an absolute necessity to take a stroll through Barrio Amón. It’s got these little streets that are full of magic. It’s the oldest part of the city – there are houses here from the 19th century – and it’s where much of our cultural life has taken place. This is where Costa Rican writers have tangled with issues like eroticism and crime and esoteric themes. There’s so much to discover here. You just have to be willing to look for it.

The city’s central park (Map; Avs 2 & 4 btwn Calles Central & 2) is more of a run-down plaza than a park. At its center is a grandiose bandstand that looks as if it was designed by Mussolini: massive concrete arches support a florid roof capped with a ball-shaped decorative knob.

To the east of the park is the Renaissance-style Catedral Metropolitana (Map; Avs 2 & 4 btwn Calles Central & 1), built in 1871, after the previous cathedral was destroyed in an earthquake. The interiors, in keeping with the period, are graceful neoclassic, with colorful Spanish tile floors, stained-glass windows, and a Christ figure (near the main entrance) that was produced by a Guatemalan workshop in the late 17th century. On the north side of the nave, along the passage to the Capilla del Santisímo (Chapel of the Holy One), a recumbent Christ that dates back to 1878 draws devout Ticos, who arrive here to pray and deposit pleas scribbled on small slips of paper.

On the north side of the park is the Teatro Melico Salazar (Map; Av 2 btwn Calles Central & 2), which was built in 1928 in a beaux-arts style. It is named after the well-known Costa Rican tenor Melico Salazar (1887–1950), who performed internationally (among other places, he sang at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City). The theater was the site of the 2002 presidential inauguration, and regularly hosts fine arts engagements (Click here).

MUSEO POSTAL, TELEGRÁFICO Y FILATÉLICO DE COSTA RICA

A few blocks north of the Parque Central, the diminutive postal museum (Map; 2223-6918; 2nd fl, Correo Central, Calle 2 btwn Avs 1 & 3; admission US$0.50; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri) has a small exhibit of Costa Rican stamps (including one that commemorates John F Kennedy’s 1963 visit). It’s a good way to kill time if your friends are waiting in line to mail letters home.

MERCADOS (MARKETS)

Though josefinos mainly do their shopping at chain supermarkets, San José’s crowded indoor markets retain an old-world feel. The main market is the Mercado Central (Map; Avs Central & 1 btwn Calles 6 & 8; 6am-6pm Mon-Sat), lined with vendors hawking everything from cheese and spices to coffee beans and obligatory pura vida souvenir T-shirts. One block to the north is the Mercado Central Annex (Map; Avs 1 & 3 btwn Calles 6 & 8), which is less touristy, crowded with butchers, fishmongers and informal counters dishing out typical Costa Rican casados (a set meal of rice, beans and cabbage slaw served with chicken, fish or meat). To the northwest is the similar Mercado Borbón (Map; cnr Av 3 & Calle 8), which is more focused on produce – though all three markets sell a bit of everything. (Be aware: the streets get sketchy around the Borbón.)

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Central San José North

MUSEO DE LOS NIÑOS & GALERÍA NACIONAL

If you were wondering how to get your young kids interested in art and science, this unusual museum (Map; 2258-4929; www.museocr.com; Calle 4, north of Av 9; adult/child US$2/1.50; 8am-4:30pm Tue-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat & Sun; ) – actually two museums in one – is an excellent place to start. Housed in an old penitentiary built in 1909, it is part children’s museum and part art gallery. Small children will love the hands-on exhibits related