San Jose City Guide - Culture

San José is the cultural heart of Costa Rica, though globalization has unfortunately taken its toll on the country's artistic landscape. Today, traditional performing arts have nearly vanished across the country, though the capital is struggling to retain this rich tradition.

The impressive Teatro Nacional (tel: 221 1329) is an architectural masterpiece and a national treasure that was constructed in 1897. Today, the national theatre stages various performances including dances, operas, plays and symphonies.

There are numerous other theatres around the city, among them the Teatro Melico Salazar (tel: 233 5434), a historic downtown 1920s theatre, the Teatro Eugene O'Neill (tel: 207 7554; website: www.cccncr.com) in Los Yoses and San Pedro, which is sponsored by the Costa Rican-North American Cultural Centre, and the Teatro Bellas Artes (tel: 207 4327), which is attached to the fine arts department of the university.

Mainstream productions are shown at Multicines San Pedro (tel: 283 5715) in Mall San Pedro while Latin American and Spanish films are shown at Cine El Semáforo (tel: 253 9126) near the university.