Welcome tu Alajuela Costa Rica

Alajuela is located in Costa Rica, 20 kilometers by car from the capital of San José. Alajuela is located in the canton of the province of homonimos, adjacent to the Greater Metropolitan Area.

Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica located on the west side of the central part in the north of the country; it limits with Nicaragua to the N, with the province of Heredia to the E, with that of San José to the S and SE; the one from Puntarenas to S, SW and W; and that of Guanacaste to S, E and N. The capital is the city of Alajuela. The province has an area of 9,757.53 km², and a population of 876,073. It is subdivided into 15 and 111 districts.

Spanish Pura Vida is located in the center of the City of Alajuela, close to all attractions. Here you can experience the Costa Rican culture in its maximum splendor.

The city of Alajuela is the capital of the canton and the province of Alajuela. It is the birthplace of the national hero of Costa Rica, Juan Santamaría. He was a humble young man who made possible to win the decisive battle by sacrificing himself and being the hero during the campaign of 1856-1857 when Costa Rica won against the armed forces of the North American filibuster William Walker. Her heroic decision is remembered and honored with the monument (2ª Ave., 2ª Street) as well as with the Juan Santamaría Cultural Historical Museum. In Alajuela is also located Juan Santamaría International Airport, the main airport in Costa Rica and whose name is in honor of the mentioned hero, and is located 3 km S of the capital of the province, and 10 km W of San José.

Recreation centers and activities.

• Historical Museum and Monument to Juan Santamaría, Central Park, Alajuela Cathedral, Temple of La Agonía.

• National Parks Arenal Volcano, Poás Volcano and Juan Castro Blanco, Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Arenal Lake, San Carlos River, Cold River.

• Cultural celebrations: “Fiestas Cívicas de Palmares” (January), “Exposición Ganadera de San Carlos” (April).

• Juan Santamaría International Airport (just 5 minutes from Spanish Pura Vida).

• Park and Temple of Zarcero, Artezanías de Sarchí, Recreational Parks “Los Chorros” (Greece) and Laguna Fraijanes, Zoo Ave (La Garita), The Butterfly Farm (La Guácima).

• Towns of La Fortuna de San Carlos, San Ramón, Ciudad Quesada, Zarcero, Palmares, Greece and Athens.

• Ecotourism: Arenal Eco Zoo (The Castle, San Ramón), Arenal Oasis EcoLodge (La Fortuna, San Carlos), Maquenque EcoLodge, La Laguna del Lagarto Lodge (Bocatapada, San Carlos).

In Alajuela you can find varied food of all types, from fast food like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Peruvian food, Mexican food, Colombian food and of course our typical Costa Rican food.

You can taste delicious casados, gallo pinto, cafe con leche, aguadulce, natural frescos, pot of meat and much more typical food that you can find.

Come to Alajuela and discover all the sodas in which you can eat, the food is really cheap, in any soda you can find a breakfast that goes between ₡1500 and ₡3000 ($2,5 or $5) and a lunch or dinner between ₡3500 and ₡5000 ($5.8 or $8,3).

Spanish Pura Vida offers you the Homestay option, but if you want to stay in a hotel you can also enjoy our culture.

The prices of hotels per night in Alajuela Costa Rica start at $26 a night, really very accessible for anyone who wants to enjoy the day and night attractions that the city has.