Costa Rica’s National Museum remains one of the capital’s most rewarding stops, and as of this year it’s also one of the easiest on the wallet: Foreign visitors of all ages get in free on Saturdays and Sundays, a temporary policy the museum says will run until further notice.
Housed in the old Bellavista Fortress on the east side of the Plaza de la Democracia, the museum still wears the scars of the 1948 civil war, its turrets pockmarked with bullet holes above the city. Inside, the permanent halls trace the country from pre-Columbian times to the present: gold and jade worked by Indigenous artisans, the enigmatic stone spheres of the DiquÃs, colonial-era furnishings, and natural-history collections that have been assembled over the museum’s 135 years.
The nuts and bolts:
- Where: East side of the Plaza de la Democracia, San José, between Avenidas Central and Segunda on the Cuesta de Moras. Main entrance on the Plaza (west) side.
- Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Closed Mondays.
- Admission: Foreign visitors $11 general; $6 for students with ID or an ISIC card; free for children under 12. Foreign visitors 65 and older enter free Tuesday–Sunday with ID. All foreign visitors enter free on Saturdays and Sundays (temporary, since April 30, 2026). Costa Rican nationals and residents pay ₡2,500, with free entry on weekends and for several other categories.
- Tickets: Sold same-day at the box office; no reservation needed. Cash and Visa/Mastercard accepted.
- Photography: Permitted without flash or tripod.
- Good to know: Free WiFi, wheelchair access via ramps and an elevator, and a baby-changing room. The Jade Museum and the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum are both a short walk away, making an easy half-day museum loop.
