# Things to see in Alajuela (Costa Rica): 11 places and when to go > Alajuela is a city in Costa Rica with around 388,000 inhabitants, and this site lists 11 places in and around it, mainly Nature (5), Wildlife (4), Temples (2). The best known are Poás Volcano, Poás Volcano National Park and San José Costa Rica Temple. The best time to come is December to March; also possible: April to August and November. In June there are 12 h 35 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 25. Here is what there is, when to go, how to get there and what else is nearby. - Address: https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/alajuela/ - Reviewed on: 2026-10-08 - Language: en ## In a nutshell - **Where:** Costa Rica · 10.02, -84.23 - **Population:** About 388,000 - **Places:** 11 places on this site, in the town and around it. - **What people come for:** [Nature](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/naturaleza/) (5) · [Wildlife](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/fauna/) (4) · [Temples](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/espiritual/) (2) · [Museums and art](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/museos/) (2) · [With kids](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/familia/) (1) · [History](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/historia/) (1) - **Best time:** December to March. - **Also possible:** April to August and November. - **Nearest airport:** SJO San José (Alajuela), 3.7 km as the crow flies - **Highest point:** Poás Volcano, at 2,708 m. ## What to see in Alajuela The places in and around Alajuela, best known first, each with its own page: what it is, when to go and what is next to it. Distances are from the centre, as the crow flies. - [Poás Volcano](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/poas/): Mountain in Costa Rica · 20 km - [Poás Volcano National Park](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/parque-nacional-volcan-poas/): National park in Costa Rica · 22 km - [San José Costa Rica Temple](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/san-jose-costa-rica-temple/): Temple of the Latter Day Saints · 6.2 km - [Juan Santamaría Museum](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/museo-historico-cultural-juan-santamaria/): Museum · 1.7 km - [Our Lady of Mercy Church](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/parroquia-nuestra-senora-de-las-mercedes/): Church building in Grecia Canton, Costa Rica · 11 km - [Cerro Espíritu Santo](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/cerro-espiritu-santo/): Volcano · 21 km - [La Casa de La Morpho Azul](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/la-casa-de-la-morpho-azul/): With kids · Wildlife · 11 km - [Monumento al Pacto del Jocote](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/monumento-al-pacto-del-jocote/): Monument · 1.7 km - [Museo Ferroviario](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/museo-ferroviario/): Museum · 15 km - [Parque Natural Urbano Lorne Ross](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/parque-natural-urbano-lorne-ross/): Protected area · 9.6 km - [Rancho Biriteca ( Territorio indigena Huetar )](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/rancho-biriteca-territorio-indigena-huetar/): Protected area · 17 km ## When to go to Alajuela The best time to visit Alajuela is **December to March**; also possible: April to August and November. This comes from its own places: a month counts as the town's best time when it is the best time for half of what there is to see. | Mes | Época | Hours of daylight | | --- | --- | --- | | January | Best time | 11 h 28 | | February | Best time | 11 h 41 | | March | Best time | 11 h 56 | | April | Possible | 12 h 13 | | May | Possible | 12 h 28 | | June | Possible | 12 h 35 | | July | Possible | 12 h 32 | | August | Possible | 12 h 20 | | September | Better not | 12 h 03 | | October | Better not | 11 h 46 | | November | Possible | 11 h 32 | | December | Best time | 11 h 25 | In June there are 12 h 35 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 25. In January, 11 of the 11 places are at their best. When to go to Costa Rica in general, with its festivals and peak seasons, is in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/#cuando-ir). ## Getting to Alajuela The nearest main airport is Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO, San José (Alajuela)), 3.7 km as the crow flies. How to get around Costa Rica (train, car, bus) is in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/#moverse), and what to sort out before you leave is in [its checklist](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/#antes-de-salir). - [Where it is](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=10.02%2C-84.23) - [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=10.02%2C-84.23) ## Other towns nearby - [Heredia, Costa Rica](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/heredia/): 12 places · 12 km - [San José, Costa Rica](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/san-jose/): 39 places · 18 km - [Cartago, Costa Rica](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/cartago/): 12 places · 37 km - [Quesada, San Carlos](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/quesada/): 11 places · 42 km - [Guacimo](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/guacimo/): 6 places · 55 km - [Puntarenas](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/puntarenas/): 8 places · 66 km And all of Costa Rica, in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is there to see in Alajuela? The best known: [Poás Volcano](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/poas/), [Poás Volcano National Park](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/parque-nacional-volcan-poas/), [San José Costa Rica Temple](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/san-jose-costa-rica-temple/), [Juan Santamaría Museum](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/museo-historico-cultural-juan-santamaria/), [Our Lady of Mercy Church](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/parroquia-nuestra-senora-de-las-mercedes/). In all, 11 places in the town and around it, all on your trip map from day one. ### When is the best time to visit Alajuela? December to March; also possible: April to August and November. In June there are 12 h 35 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 25. ### How do you get to Alajuela? The nearest main airport is Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), 3.7 km away. From there, [directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=10.02%2C-84.23) opens the route on the map. ### How do I add it to my trip? Create a trip with Alajuela as the destination and these 11 places are on your map, each with its category. The ones you like go into a day's plan with one tap, and Kokai reminds you when you pass nearby. Data from [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright), licensed under the ODbL, from [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0, cities from [Natural Earth](https://www.naturalearthdata.com/) and airports from [OurAirports](https://ourairports.com/data/). Daylight hours are calculated from the latitude. More in [credits](https://kokai.app/en/aviso/#creditos).