San Jose

Where to stay

Barrio Amón, just northeast of downtown, holds the highest concentration of well-run budget hostels and puts you walking distance from the Museo del Oro and the Avenida Central pedestrian boulevard. If you want to escape the city noise, Los Yoses, a few kilometers east toward San Pedro, offers a calmer base with cheaper local restaurants nearby.

Getting around

• Grab lunch at the Mercado Central, tucked off downtown near Avenida Central. A full casado with rice, beans, protein, and salad runs very cheaply and is one of the few genuinely cheap meals left in the city.
• Use Uber instead of hailing taxis off the street. Fares are fixed before you get in, drivers can actually locate hostel addresses, and you'll pay less on most routes.
• The blocks around Terminal Coca-Cola are one of the rougher pockets of downtown. If your intercity bus arrives or departs there, move through the area quickly and don't stand around with your pack trying to sort out directions.

When to go

Prices drop and beds open up from May through November during the rainy season, with September and October being the slowest stretch. December through April, especially around Christmas, New Year, and Semana Santa, is when hostels fill fastest and charge the most.