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The capital city of Costa Rica is located in the Central Valley and is a great place to start or end your visit to this magical land. Stray Cat Hostel is located within 5 minutes of many bus terminals that can take you all across the country and Central America. Also 5 minutes from our front door is the central avenue of San José called Paseo Colón which connects you to the largest park in the city and several pedestrian avenues with many cultural attractions.

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Located near the southern edge of Barrio México, you’ll be situated just between busy urban life and a friendly neighborhood where many families have lived for generations. Within just a couple blocks you can enjoy a lively park, a fresh juice stand, local restaurants with typical food called sodas, pizzerias, convenience stores, and one of the oldest nightclubs in the city called Castro’s. There is something for everyone here!

Don’t forget to head across the street to try a fresh, cold coconut, too. Pura vida!

EL MERCADO CENTRAL: COLORES Y SABORES DESDE 1880

Desde la década de 1850, y hasta 1872 la Plaza Principal ó Plaza Mayor (actual Parque Central) se transformaba en el foco de la actividad comercial josefina todos los sábados. Ahí llegaban personajes de todos ámbitos sociales a comprar y vender productos de todas partes del país. ¡Hasta la misa se hacía en el propio mercado!

Las otras plazas de mercado

Otras plazas también celebraban actividades de mercado los sábados: en la plaza de la Fábrica Nacional de Licores (actual Parque España) se llevaba a cabo el mercado de ganado, sobre todo de vacas y bueyes, pero también algunos cerdos, caballos y mulas. La Plaza del Mesón (actual Parque Braulio Carrillo, frente a La Merced), la Plaza de la Artillería (actual Banco Central) y la Plaza Nueva, también albergaban actividad comercial los sábados.

Para 1868 el enrejado del Parque Central y la inauguración de la cañería daban un nuevo uso urbanístico de este espacio y el mercado de los sábados se hizo inconveniente. Fue así como en 1872 se ordena el traslado del mercado a la Plaza de la Artillería; y en 1873, se toma la decisión de construir un edificio de mercado para que los habitantes de San José tuvieran donde realizar sus compras todos los días y no solamente los sábados. El sitio escogido fue la Plaza Nueva, donde para 1880 se termina el Mercado Central de San José. Sus estrechos callejones llenos de sodas, herbolarios, verdulerías, tostadores de café, bares, tiendas de monturas, souvenirs y heladerías guardan aún la historia y cultura de nuestra capital al mismo tiempo que brindan una experiencia llena de olores, colores y sabores increíbles.

Declarado patrimonio en 1995 “El Mercado” sigue siendo un lugar vibrante lleno de historias, sabores y colores mágicos ¿Querés aprender más del Mercado Central?

 

From the 1850s, and until 1872, the Main Square or Plaza Mayor (now Central Park) became the focus of the commercial activity in San José every Saturday. People from all walks of life came to buy and sell products from all over the country. Even the mass was held right on the market!

The other market squares

Other “plazas” also held market activities on Saturdays: in the National Liquor Factory Plaza (current Parque España) the cattle market was held, especially cows and oxen, but also some pigs, horses and mules. The Plaza del Mesón (current Braulio Carrillo Park, in front of La Merced), Plaza de la Artillería (current Central Bank) and the Plaza Nueva, also held commercial activity on Saturdays.

By 1868 the fencing of the Central Park and the inauguration of the city aqueduct gave a new urban use for this space and thus, the Saturday market became inconvenient. This is how, in 1872, the market was moved to the Plaza de la Artillería and in 1873 the decision was made to build a market building so San José neighbors would have a place to shop every day and not only Saturdays. The site chosen was Plaza Nueva, where by 1880 the Central Market of San José was completed. Its narrow alleys full of sodas (small family restaurant), herbalists, greengrocers, coffee roasters, bars, saddle shops, souvenirs and ice cream shops still keep the history and culture of our capital while offering an experience full of smells, colors and incredible flavors.

Declared heritage in 1995, “El Mercado” continues to be a vibrant place, full of stories, colors and magic flavors.

Five Places to Go in San José, Costa Rica

The city center of San José has transformed into the capital’s premier cultural and restaurant zone.

Apotecario, a bar with a small brewery, is one of the social spots infusing fresh life into San José’s central core.CreditCreditBrett Gundlock for The New York Time

In the last few years, the urban core of San José has undergone a revival. For decades, the city center has felt a bit abandoned and sometimes seedy as well-heeled locals gravitated toward modern suburbs like Escazú and Santa Ana, home to American-style malls and restaurant chains. But lately, expatriates and Costa Ricans have returned home after years abroad, infusing fresh life into neglected 19th-century buildings and old houses in the city center. These recent arrivals have opened creative businesses, including design shops and hostels with co-working spaces, turning a few adjoining neighborhoods east of the Parque Central into the city’s premier cultural and restaurant zone.

Apotecario

This bar with a small brewery, now two years old, specializes in brewing its own tropical varieties of Belgian sour beers, as well as other beers and kombucha. There’s a light menu of local charcuterie and other pub fare, in addition to a lineup of live jazz and blues several nights a week.

Calle 31 at Avenida 9, Barrio Escalante; facebook.com/Apotecariocr

Bebedero, a chic speakeasy and raw bar, opened in late 2017.CreditBrett Gundlock for The New York Times

Bebedero

The Canadian-born mixologist Liz Furlong, who also runs the popular brunch spot Maza Bistro, opened this chic speakeasy and raw bar in late 2017 in the Edificio Steinvorth, a renovated 1907 storehouse that has helped kick off the city center’s revival. Ms. Furlong is known to prod clientele if they’re looking for something sweet, bitter, boozy or refreshing, then customizes cocktails on the spot, sometimes utilizing rain forest herbs, flowers or fruits, macerating in cacique, the local sugar cane spirit.

Edificio Steinvorth, Local #6, Calle 1 at Avenida 1

Pizza from a wood fire oven at Mercado Escalante, an open-air market built mostly out of recycled shipping containers.CreditBrett Gundlock for The New York Times

Mercado Escalante

Built mostly out of recycled shipping containers, this lively open-air market opened at the end of 2017 in an abandoned parking lot beside the railroad tracks in Barrio Escalante. The market is the creation of José Gonzalez, the chef of the buzzy farm-to-table restaurant Al Mercat, and his partners. The mishmash of stalls features wood-fired pizzas, Costa Rican tacos called gallos and cocktails. There’s also a dog run and children’s play area.

100 meters south of Parque Francia, Barrio Escalante;

A fish caldosa plate is served at Silvestre, a year-old restaurant.CreditBrett Gundlock for The New York Times

Silvestre

Choose a six-course tasting or an a la carte meal sourced from small farmers and artisanal fishermen at this contemporary Costa Rican restaurant that opened one year ago in an elegant house with a plant-filled courtyard in Barrio Amón, a neighborhood full of late 19th- and early 20th-century houses mostly built for coffee barons. Dishes, with no more than a few ingredients, range from colorful (lamb loin spruced up with silvery slivers of sardines and orange squash ribbons) to playful (“cocada de coco con coco en coco,” a caramelized coconut with roasted coconut ice cream served in a coconut half).

Avenida 11 at Calle 3A — 955, Barrio Amón;

Franco is a year-old coffeehouse that has some of San José’s best baristas and coffee sourced from all over Costa Rica.CreditBrett Gundlock for The New York Times

This progressive coffeehouse opened in late 2017 and has some of San José’s best baristas and coffee sourced from top farms all over the country. Learn the difference between coffee varietals like Geisha and Typica, or how dried coffee cherries are turned into tea called cascara. Come early for fresh-baked pastries and biscuit sandwiches.

Avenida 7 #3166, Barrio Escalante

The Art of Travel

We take great pride in providing our guests with delicious breakfast to start the day off right, friendly advice about local life, and connections with real people and places that matter. Our goal is to provide an experience for every traveler that completely satisfies their unique way of exploring local culture, at Stray Cat there is no “one size fits all” hospitality.

The atmosphere at Stray Cat is designed to provide a place to relax and connect between adventures because we know how special it is to plug in and chill out among fellow nomads, trading stories and learning from each other. This is more than a place to sleep, we hope that together we can make it a joyful piece of your favorite adventure.

Our staff is always available for any need you might have and we are eager to provide advice about planning your trip, connections to real local tour guides, or help with anything else.

Inspired By Nature

Everything at Stray Cat is designed to extend your experience in the wild jungle into the relaxing calm of a hostel atmosphere. We think nature knows best, after all, she has quite a few years of experience designing beautiful spaces, and so all of our spaces have been curated with this in mind.

• Workshops
• Tours
• Furniture
• Amenities
• Community

Our team is always working to prioritize sustainability whether it comes to social connections, local economic development, or ecologically friendly activities. Check out what workshops we have when you’re in town or maybe offer to host your own! Don’t forget that artists who contribute a performance or piece of work can stay one night for free. If you have something to share, please let us know, it would be an honor to have you participate in the Stray Cat experience.