Cartago was capital of the country until 1823.

• Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral: built in 1921, it is home to the Patron Saint of Costa Rica.
• Volcan Turrialba National Park: Located in southeast Costa Rica, Turrialba is a large, densely forested stratovolcano. Three well-defined craters lie in the upper section of a broad summit depression.
• Tapanti National Park: The Pittier Ranger Station at Tapanti is open for visitors from 5am to 5pm. Hiking trails lead to scenic overlooks and picnic areas.
• Ujarras Ruins: You can walk around the ruins of an old church. Free entrance.
• Religious Art Museum in Orosi: The art collection has approximately 120 pieces among paints, saints’ sculptures, silver objects and a tomb. The Museum also has an exposition of a former room of a Franciscan monk.

Internationally recognized for its noteworthy collections of epiphytes, the Lankester Botanical Garden was established in 1973 as a center for the exhibition, conservation and research of tropical epiphytic plants, with a special interest in orchids. On 11 hectares , the field collections, collections in greenhouses and secondary forests host over 3,000 species of plants.

The Garden is open to the public every day. Opening hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visitors may remain inside the Garden until 5:30 p.m. Entrance fee: $5.

The Garden is located 26 kilometers from the capital and 4 kilometers along the road between Cartago and Paraiso. This distance can be traveled in approximately 30 minutes by car. You can also reach the Garden by bus, first taking the San José to Cartago bus departing from the SACSA terminal (40 minutes) and then the bus to Paraiso (10 minutes).

It is east of the capital city. Irazu is Costa Rica's highest volcano at 3,432 meters. It is also one of the most active, with a history of frequent eruptions, last of which occured in 1965. Irazu's summit crater contains a small lake. The visitor center and scenic overlook at the volcano area has a small coffee shop and tables, and is open from 8:00am to 4:00pm.

How to get there

By car:
 From San José, take the highway to Cartago. From there, an asphalt paved road winds through the mountains all the way to the visitor center.

By bus:
From San José
 buses leave at 8:00 am at First and Second Street, Second Avenue.

From Cartago
 buses leave at 8:45 from the Sacsa Terminal.

This is the largest archaeological site yet found in Costa Rica. Largely unexplored, the area contains ancient trails, bridges, water tanks and homesites, as well as petroglyphs estimated to be about 3,000 years old. The ranger station is  open from 8:00am to 4:00pm. There are hiking trails, camping areas and bathing facilities.