I’ve always felt that a capital city is the quickest way to take a country’s pulse, so whenever I land in Costa Rica I make sure to give San José—affectionately called “Chepe” by locals—at least a couple of days. Founded in 1737 and perched 1,170 m (3,840 ft) above sea level in the Central Valley, the city has blossomed into a metropolitan area of roughly 1.5 million people without losing its small-town friendliness.

San José may look like a “concrete jungle” at first glance, but look closer and you’ll spot pockets of vivid green, graceful neoclassical facades, and street art bright enough to rival the cloud-forest hues just beyond the valley. Culture lovers can catch a performance in the ornate National Theatre (1897) or dive into one-of-a-kind collections at the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum and the five-storey Jade Museum, home to the world’s largest trove of American jade.

Food is where Chepe really flexes its creative muscles. By day, weave through the maze-like aisles of the Mercado Central (est. 1880) for fresh fruit batidos, ceviche counters, and stalls piled high with locally roasted coffee. As the sun sets, head to Barrio Escalante, the city’s unofficial culinary district, where craft-beer gastropubs share the block with vegan diners and upscale “jungle-to-table” restaurants that champion Indigenous ingredients.

Between leafy public parks, late-night salsa bars, and a surprisingly efficient network of buses and bike lanes, San José offers an authentic, unscripted snapshot of modern Costa Rica—one that most travellers miss when they dash straight for the volcanoes and beaches. Give Chepe a chance, and you’ll leave with a richer understanding of the country and, quite possibly, a new favourite city.