The main downtown area is a bustling collection of well-laid out streets filled with vehicles and lined with plain architecture of commercial buildings. Visitors may be initially put off by this. But look inside and enjoy the friendly people, and your impression will quickly change.

There are a lot of tours and local events and doings in and from San José. Buses are well marked, pretty reliable and crowded.
3 in One
Butterfly farm
Coffee farm
Canopy tours
Rafting* Rios Tropicales (Whitewater tours from San Jose and other areas of Costa Rica).  edit
Volcanoes
Buses to volcano Poas leave from Parque La Merced at 08:30AM daily (2990 colones).
Buses to volcano Irazú leave at 8AM daily on Av. 2 in front of the National Theater (50 km, 2 h, 4000 colones return) and return at 12:30PM from the National Park. Park entrance fee for foreigners only: $US10 / 5020 colones, a bit overpriced but the view is nice.
Costa Rica Golf Day Tours (Tours to Valle del Sol, Cariari and Marriott Los Suenos), ? (732) 917-0177, [10]. 7am-4pm. Valle del Sol:$110, Cariari $110, Marriott Los Suenos: $225. All prices include hotel pickup and green fees.  edit
Casinos Many hotels have gaming. The most famous for the single traveler is Casino del Rey.

Decent gym facilities can be found at the Spa Corobici (telephone: 231-5542) located behind the Hotel Corobici. The taxi ride from the airport is approximately $10 - $20 USD and entry into the gym is 5,300 CRC or $10 USD. The club has a good selection of free and machine weights as well as a cardio theater. The club also has an outdoor swimming pool for lap swimming, a jacuzzi tub, and a sauna.
La Paz Waterfall Gardens An hour away from San Jose you can find lovely trails through primary rainforest that take you past five beautiful waterfalls. The La Paz water fall gardens also offer a hummingbird gallery, serpentarium, frog exhibit and large butterfly observatory.
Every Thursday a dozens of young jugglers gather at the Parque Morazan and juggle together. Often with percussion music. It s a free event in public space. Normally you will be invited to play with them. Lovely experience if you like street art.