Mercado Central

Top choice in San José


Though josefinos mainly do their shopping at chain supermarkets, San José’s crowded indoor markets retain an old-world, authentic feel. This main market, lined with vendors hawking everything from spices and coffee beans to pura vida souvenir T-shirts. It's all super cheap, and likely made in China or Nicaragua (not the coffee beans, though).

In December Mercado Central sometimes has extended hours and is open on Sundays. While browsing, try an ice cream cone, or a quick ceviche at Poseidon.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby San José attractions

1. Mercado Borbón

0.13 MILES

The Mercado Borbón is a true sensory experience of sights and smells, and you might catch the daily hand-truck race among the workers. The focus is on…

3. Teatro Melico Salazar

0.2 MILES

On the north side of Parque Central is this theatre, which was built in 1928 in a beaux-arts style. It is named after the well-known Costa Rican tenor…

4. Parque Central

0.22 MILES

The city’s central park 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:…

5. Catedral Metropolitana

0.27 MILES

East of Parque Central, the Renaissance-style Catedral Metropolitana was built in 1871 after the previous cathedral was destroyed in an earthquake. The…

6. Plaza de la Cultura

0.37 MILES

This architecturally unremarkable concrete plaza in the heart of downtown is usually packed with locals slurping ice-cream cones and admiring the wide…

7. Teatro Nacional

0.37 MILES

On the southern side of the Plaza de la Cultura resides the Teatro Nacional, San José’s most revered building. Constructed in 1897, it features a columned…

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