Parque Central - Heredia, Heredia

I love Parque Central in Heredia.. it's beautiful!! It's a really fun gathering place for locals, and to check out local things going on. One time when I visited, there was a parade of horses going around town and ending in a horse show in the central park.. very exciting!

I just moved to Heredia from the cold concrete of New York in 2005, and after getting very well acquainted with other Costa Rican towns, Heredia alway seems to turn up to be my favorite. Not only for the perfect, eternal Spring weather, but for the total ambience of the place you just can't describe on one review. Being the once production capital (if not still) of world famous Costa Rican coffee, Heredia still has that quaint, Spanish colonial feel with its architecture, beautiful central park, coffee houses, and vibrant, discount shopping streets. The Parque Central has one of the oldest churches (1797) in Costa Rica, and is a must see. On Sundays the park comes to life with resonating church bells, live music and families enjoying the near perfect weather. Don't miss the usually brilliant sunsets. Backdropped against towering palm trees, you really feel transported. The mall Paseo de las Flores is just outside and there you will find a gorgeous site with many restaurants and local elegant shops, and cinemas. However, my favorite is the Central Market where one time I only paid $10 for a great local meal for 3 people. You can't beat that! And the large Saturday mornings farmer's market where a long street closes down and is filled with every exotic fruit imaginable. The city is infused with youth from Costa Rica's second largest University, la Universidad Nacional, but you still see a good mix of families who have lived here for generations. If you can't tell already, I highly recommend Heredia to the international traveler to Costa Rica. It's a great place to use as a home base to see the rest of the Central Valley and the volcanoes and national parks. Not busy like San Jose and not hot like Alajuela, and definitely not sleepy like the towns on the coasts can be.