Museo de los Niños & Galería Nacional

San José


If you're wondering how to get your young kids interested in art and science, this unusual museum – actually two museums in one – is an excellent place to start. Housed in an old penitentiary built in 1909, it's part children’s museum and part art gallery. Small kids will love the hands-on exhibits related to science, geography and natural history, while grown-ups will enjoy the unusual juxtaposition of contemporary art in abandoned prison cells.

North of Av 9.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby San José attractions

2. Mercado Borbón

0.37 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. Barrio Amón

0.41 MILES

Northwest of Plaza España lies this pleasant, historical neighborhood, home to a cluster of 19th-century cafetalero (coffee grower) mansions. Recently…

4. Alianza Francesa

0.41 MILES

The Alliance has French classes, a small library and rotating art exhibits in a Barrio Amón home. There are also cinematic and musical events. The classes…

5. TEOR/éTica

0.43 MILES

This contemporary-art museum is the brick-and-mortar gathering space for the TEOR/éTica Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports Central…

6. Mercado Central

0.45 MILES

Though josefinos mainly do their shopping at chain supermarkets, San José’s crowded indoor markets retain an old-world, authentic feel. This main market,…

7. Parque Morazán

0.5 MILES

Parque Morazán is named for Francisco Morazán, the 19th-century general who attempted to unite the Central American nations under a single flag (for his…

8. Templo de Música

0.51 MILES

Since the 1920s, this large metallic dome perched atop columns in Parque Morazán has sheltered concerts, dance parties and political rallies.

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "costa-rica/san-jose/attractions/museo-de-los-ninos-galeria-nacional/a/poi-sig/1197145/358357",
      "destination": "San-José",
      "continent": "Central-America",
      "country": "Costa-Rica",
      "city": "San-José",
      "position": "superzone"
    }