Costa Rica
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Lake at the bottom of a volcanic crater surrounded by rocky walls.

Costa Rica · Poás & Irazú

History and heritage

From pre-Columbian Guayabo to colonial churches and Cartago’s Basilica.

6 places

  1. 1

    CultureOpen

    Guayabo National Monument

    Santa Teresita, about 19 km north of Turrialba64.5 km from the centre

    Entry
    $5.65
    Hours
    8:00 to 15:30
    Booking
    Not stated

    One of the country’s most important archaeological sites: causeways, mounds, aqueducts and petroglyphs from a pre-Columbian settlement inhabited roughly from 1000 BC to AD 1400, set in forest.

    Source: SINAC – Monumento Nacional Guayabo · 2026 · +2

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    $5.65 for non-residents (adults and children 2–12), VAT included, according to SINAC.
    Hours
    Daily 8:00 to 15:30, including public holidays.
    Time needed
    The guided visit with community guides takes about 1 h 30 min.

    Tip: It closed from 17 to 26 August 2026 because of rain: check road conditions in the rainy season.

    Nearby: Rafting on the Pacuare River (7.3 km) · CATIE Botanical Garden (Turrialba) (9.5 km) · Turrialba Volcano (9.5 km)

    Sources: SINAC – Monumento Nacional Guayabo · Wikipedia – Guayabo National Monument · Tico Times – Turrialba Volcano Park and Guayabo reopen

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  2. 2

    CultureOpen

    Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels

    Central Cartago, east of the ruins51.1 km from the centre

    Entry
    Free
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    The country’s main Catholic shrine, in Cartago, where tradition says the image of the ‘Negrita’ appeared on a stone; behind it is a spring where the faithful fill containers.

    Source: Wikipedia – Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels · 2026 · +1

    Practical details and sources

    Tip: 2 August is a national holiday and over two million people walk here in the pilgrimage: avoid those dates if you want quiet.

    Nearby: Santiago Apóstol church ruins (Cartago) (0.8 km) · Lankester Botanical Garden (3.7 km) · Orosi Valley lookout (7.7 km)

    Sources: Wikipedia – Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels · La Nación – Romería 2026

  3. 3

    CultureOpen

    Santiago Apóstol church ruins (Cartago)

    Cartago’s main avenue, facing the main square50.5 km from the centre

    Entry
    Free
    Hours
    8:00 to 16:00
    Booking
    Not stated

    Walls of a parish church damaged by earthquakes since colonial times, whose last rebuilding, begun in 1870, was left unfinished after the 1910 earthquake; inside is a garden with paths.

    Source: Wikipedia – Santiago Apóstol Parish Ruins · 2026 · +1

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    Free entry.
    Hours
    The municipality reopened the inner garden from 8:00 to 16:00, but hours have changed and it sometimes closes: the exterior is always visible.

    Nearby: Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels (0.8 km) · Lankester Botanical Garden (4.3 km) · Orosi Valley lookout (8.3 km)

    Sources: Wikipedia – Santiago Apóstol Parish Ruins · Cartago Hoy – Vuelven a abrir las Ruinas de Cartago

  4. 4

    CultureOpen

    Ujarrás church ruins

    Ujarrás, Paraíso, by Lake Cachí59.9 km from the centre

    Entry
    Free
    Hours
    9:00 to 15:00
    Booking
    Not stated

    Remains of one of the country’s oldest lime-and-stone churches, built between 1686 and 1693, in a park near Lake Cachí.

    Source: Municipalidad de Paraíso – Las Ruinas de Ujarrás · 2026 · +1

    Practical details and sources
    Hours
    Daily 9:00 to 15:00, with limited capacity.

    Nearby: Ujarrás lookout (1 km) · Orosi Valley lookout (2.6 km) · Casa del Soñador (Cachí) (3.5 km)

    Sources: Municipalidad de Paraíso – Las Ruinas de Ujarrás · Wikipedia – Ujarrás

  5. Orosi colonial church and museum5

    Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC0

    CultureOpen

    Orosi colonial church and museum

    Central Orosi, facing the square60.7 km from the centre

    Entry
    Free
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    The Franciscan church of San José de Orosi, from the mid-18th century and still in use, with a small religious art museum in the former convent.

    Source: SICultura – Museo de Arte Religioso San José de Orosi · 2026 · +1

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    The museum charges no fixed fee; some sources mention a suggested donation.

    Nearby: Orosi thermal pools (0.4 km) · Orosi Valley lookout (2.4 km) · Ujarrás church ruins (3.9 km)

    Sources: SICultura – Museo de Arte Religioso San José de Orosi · La Nación – Templo y museo de Orosi reabren

  6. 6

    CultureOpen

    Grecia metal church

    Facing Grecia’s central park, Alajuela16.3 km from the centre

    Entry
    Free
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    The church of Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, built from steel plates prefabricated in Belgium in the late 19th century and painted red.

    Source: Wikipedia – Grecia, Costa Rica · 2026

    Practical details and sources

    Tip: It is a working church: respect mass times.

    Nearby: Sarchí oxcart workshops (3.4 km) · Sarchí giant oxcart (4.2 km) · Coffee tour at Hacienda Doka (11.2 km)

    Sources: Wikipedia – Grecia, Costa Rica

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