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

Costa Rica · Poás & Irazú

Western Valley towns: Grecia, Sarchí and Zarcero

Free stops on the San José to La Fortuna route: painted oxcarts, a metal church and a topiary park.

4 places

  1. 1

    CultureOpen

    Sarchí oxcart workshops

    Sarchí Sur, Alajuela17.4 km from the centre

    Entry
    Free
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    Sarchí is the country’s main crafts centre: in family workshops, such as the Joaquín Chaverri factory (dating from 1902), you can watch the traditional oxcarts and their wheels being hand-painted.

    Source: Wikipedia – Sarchí Norte · 2026 · +1

    Practical details and sources

    Nearby: Sarchí giant oxcart (1 km) · Grecia metal church (3.4 km) · Zarcero topiary park (12.6 km)

    Sources: Wikipedia – Sarchí Norte · Costarica.org – Sarchí and Naranjo

  2. 2

    CultureOpen

    Sarchí giant oxcart

    Central park, Sarchí Norte17.2 km from the centre

    Entry
    Free
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    Sarchí Norte’s central park holds the world’s largest traditional oxcart according to Guinness (2006): 14 m long, with a giant yoke added in 2007.

    Source: La Nación – Sarchí le agrega un enorme yugo a su carreta gigante · 2007

    Practical details and sources

    Nearby: Sarchí oxcart workshops (1 km) · Grecia metal church (4.2 km) · Zarcero topiary park (11.7 km)

    Sources: La Nación – Sarchí le agrega un enorme yugo a su carreta gigante

  3. 3

    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

  4. 4

    CultureOpen

    Zarcero topiary park

    Central Zarcero, Route 141, 1,736 m above sea level17.4 km from the centre

    Entry
    Free
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    Francisco Alvarado Park, in front of the San Rafael church, with shrubs clipped into arches and animal figures tended by Evangelista Blanco since the 1960s.

    Source: Wikipedia – Zarcero · 2026

    Practical details and sources

    Tip: Combine it with Sarchí and Grecia on the way to La Fortuna; the area is known for cheese and preserves.

    Nearby: Sarchí giant oxcart (11.7 km) · Sarchí oxcart workshops (12.6 km)

    Sources: Wikipedia – Zarcero

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