Heredia

Heredia region of the Central Valley offers much for the visitor in downtown Heredia, and in many of the towns around Heredia, particularly in the north mountains, like Barva, San Rafael, San Isidro, where there are many coffee plantations and fresh air year round.

Downtown Heredia is a medium-sized town in the San José metro area. The town is unexceptional but friendly. The Universidad Nacional Autonoma (National Autonomous University) has its main campus there. Heredia is located near the Juan Santamaria Airport and San José.

Cities and towns

 * Barva to the north is a small mountain town known for its preservation of old traditions, a museum (Museo de Cultura Popular) for that purpose and the August "turno" (fair) with masks are the most famous characteristics of Barva honoring Saint Bartholomew.
 * San José de la Montaña and Sacramento are mountain towns in Barva on the way to the Barva Volcano section of the Braulio Carrillo National Park.
 * San Rafael to the northeast is known for its many conifers tunnels that surround the main road that goes to the Castillo Country Club (private), it has a similar atmosphere to a European forest.
 * Monte de la Cruz is a small section on the north end of San Rafael with a public park with excellent views of the Central Valley.
 * Santa Bárbara is a residential town between Barva and Alajuela with a couple of boutique hotels.
 * Santo Domingo, a town between Heredia and Tibás.

Get in
In the middle of the Central Valley, Heredia is easily accessible by road and train.

By bus
From San José, there are four bus lines that stop in Heredia:
 * Amarillas: Goes from San Jose, through the Interamerican Highway directly to Heredia.
 * La 400: Goes from Uruca to Heredia, useful mostly for workers.
 * Tibas: Visits Tibas and Santo Domingo, nice route to get a quick glimpse of small San José towns.
 * Tuasa: Goes to Alajuela through Heredia, but not all of the rides. Ask the driver.

By car

 * From the airport instead of following the Interamerican Highway to San José, take a left turn on the first junction and follow the Heredia signs, this route goes through San Joaquín de Flores and directly to downtown Heredia. From Alajuela is a similar route, or you can take the internal route through Santa Barbara and Barva.
 * From San José, take the Interamerican Highway and near the first roundabout or Juan Pablo II bridge, stay to the right without taking the bridge, follow the road, cross the Virilla bridge, keep your right and you will be in Heredia.
 * Taxi: use an official taxi service, the orange ones (Airport-only shuttles) or the red ones with a yellow triangle. Never take an unofficial taxi, there are many crime reports about those. There is an informal service of porteadores with a blue circle, those aren't safe either, and can't pickup users in the streets legally, only from door to door.

Get around
You can easily walk most places in Heredia, or take a cab ride which will cost less than ₡1,000 (colones).

In the middle of Heredia downtown there is the central park.

Eat
Heredia has become a foodie paradise (relative to Costa Rica), there are many high quality restaurants preparing exotic dishes and local favorites with a very affordable range of prices for every customer.

Sleep
Heredia offers hotels at several different price levels including the backpacker variety. Local buses ply the route between Heredia and San Jose, taking about twenty minutes to reach San José's main tourist areas.

Go next

 * Alajuela:
 * The scenic route from Heredia to Poás Volcano goes straight from Barva to the north, look for Ruta 126 green signs and brown signs with directions to Volcán Poás.
 * Also through Río Segundo to get fast to the Airport, just follow the Airport signs.
 * San José: Follow the white signs, there are two ways, the more direct through Uruca that joins the Ruta 1 or Interamerican Highway, and also through Santo Domingo and Tibás that ends at the north end (Barrio Amón) of downtown San José.