Is San José dangerous? Now that I think about it, you don’t hear this question often. Although Costa Rica is one of the most popular destinations in Central America, especially among Americans, San José is not generally at the top of the list of places to visit.
I kind of understand the reasons behind it nonetheless this time I want to focus on this capital and try to understand which are the dangerous neighborhoods and whether it’s worth stopping for a few days in the capital of Costa Rica.
Now, without further ado let’s try to answer the question: Is San José dangerous?
San José, an introduction
Necessary premise. I understand why many are not fascinated by the capital of Costa Rica. It is a relatively ugly city, without a real historic centre, and if the city is considered together with Heredia and Alajuela comes to have around 2 million inhabitants out of the 5 million that live in Costa Rica. When you then have to compete with spectacular natural beauty such as the Arenal Volcano, Manuel Antonio National Park, the Osa Peninsula, and the beaches of the Nicoya Peninsula, I would say that for any city it would be difficult. San José, we understand the position you are in we might say.
However, to be honest, San José tries with all its heart and in my opinion, 4 – 5 days can be dedicated to this city, as long as you are not in a hurry. It is still the capital and a city where, if you look, you can find not only the red light district but also interesting cultural initiatives, a nice nightlife, and some daily excursions, not to mention the government offices and the best healthcare facilities in the country.
There are certain neighborhoods to avoid and perhaps there are even hidden gems but the important thing, when talking about safe and dangerous cities, is to use common sense and trust your instincts. As the English say “Better safe than sorry”.
Is San José dangerous? A general picture
Of course, we all imagine a kidnapping or a shooting when we talk about dangerous neighborhoods, and in fact, there is this possibility but it will be much more likely to be robbed, mugged, or to end up run over by one of those cars that do not respect the few road signs. For this reasons, the general advice is to avoid evening walks, unless you know exactly what to do and where you are going.
Cars generally drive fast and don’t let pedestrians cross, so cross the road carefully. Also, especially outside the city center, the roads may not be in perfect condition and the risk of ending up off the road or having an accident could be considerable, especially at certain times of the year, so be extremely careful if you rent a car. Always keep your mobile phone with the police number available.
If you are traveling on local or short-distance buses, do not place your backpack in the luggage area under the bus, keep it next to your seat or between your legs. For long-distance travel, they should give you a receipt for your backpack or suitcase if it goes in the bottom compartment.
This advice is to be taken with caution, the local buses stop every 5 minutes and pick up people continuously, making it almost impossible to check that your luggage is not taken by someone, it might not happen, in fact often nothing happens, so trust your instincts.
San José where to be careful. Let’s start from hell
El Infiernillo (little hell), perhaps the best known and most feared dangerous neighborhood of San José, is located in a nearby town, the otherwise pleasant Alajuela, which is part of the metropolitan area of San José. Starting from the name El Infiernillo makes it clear to tourists that it would be better not to spend time there.
This is far outside the normal tourist routes and the problem of this area, as you will have understood by now if you have been reading this blog for a while, derives not so much from the wickedness of the local inhabitants or chance, but rather from the lack of economic opportunities, the scarcity of services and the control that drug trafficking gangs exercise over this part of the territory.
The fact that many governments concentrate all social housing projects in the same area certainly does not help in the integration process.
Where to pay attention, towards the center
Leon XIII, Tibas, La Carpio and Pavas are all quite dangerous neighborhoods. Some are essentially shantytowns that have sprung up on the edge of the city and, for the same reasons mentioned above, to be avoided if possible, even if it is difficult for me to think that you would end up in these parts by chance.
There are also different views online regarding two neighborhoods of San José, Desamparados, south-east of the center and Alajuelita, south-west. If in doubt, however, unless you are looking for complicated real estate deals or very low rents, I would say that it is best to avoid them.
Side note for the red light district (between Avenida 5 and 9 and calle 2 and 10) which develops around the famous Hotel del Rey. If you go to a “red light” district at night you know what you are facing and the risks you could run. Prostitution in Costa Rica is legal and there are around 15,000 prostitutes registered in the national health service. Unfortunately, dark areas linked to crime continue to persist, so evaluate the risks if you want to have a fun night.
Is San José dangerous? watch out for your health
Health issues are another of those things that are generally overlooked when talking about dangers associated with a city or a country in whoich you travel. However, if, as in this case, it is a tropical country where excursions to volcanoes and rainforests or days spent in the water, perhaps surfing or swimming, are frequent, some accidents could easily happen (or even a simple mosquito bite in Manuel Antonio park, a bite which, it will later be discovered, transmitted Dengue to a friend of mine).
In the case of Costa Rica, therefore, talking about the healthcare system seems necessary to me and the most advanced healthcare institutions in the country are right in the capital. In particular, Hospital La Catolica is considered one of the best, with staff who also speak English, if by chance you prefer it to Spanish.
The healthcare system is generally well developed and covers 100% of the needs of the local population and foreign residents who have a residence permit (with waiting times, for obvious reasons, moderately high but in short excellent services, among the best in the Central America).
As tourists, the issue is more complex. If you are staying for a long time you could use the public insurance service, INS, or you could opt for private insurance coverage, especially if you are in the country for a couple of weeks. As always, my advice is to use health insurance, whatever it is, then find out if direct payment is included or if you will have to pay out yourself and then be reimbursed.
I know, I may be old, but even just a slip during an excursion which then doesn’t allow you to stand on your own two feet and return home, means sending an ambulance or, worse than worse, a helicopter, whose cost, believe me, will leave you speechless.
Is San José dangerous? my conclusions
Let’s try to give a definitive answer to the question: Is San José dangerous? I would say no, San José is not dangerous. It is a capital with some slightly rough corners that you probably won’t even see in the few days you will probably spend in the city. The most dangerous area in the center, where you could perhaps end up inadvertently, is the red light district (between Avenida 5 and 9 and Calle 2 and 10), where you won’t run too many dangers unless you want to.
For the rest, San José is messy, perhaps a little scruffy and with a center that doesn’t stand up to comparison with Panama City, Bogotá or Mexico City (links are in Italian). This doesn’t mean you have to aoid this city, on the contrary, I believe that to understand something about a nation, even if you have little time, a stop in the capital is absolutely necessary.
As in many trips where nature reigns supreme, and Costa Rica is the destination par excellence for adventure and eco-responsible tourism in Central America, I think dangers will come more from some trekking or road accidents than from a robbery or kidnapping.
For the rest, San José is a capital that offers the best shopping, night clubs and restaurants that Costa Rica can boast and after weeks of trekking in the jungle and breathtaking views, perhaps a nice candlelit dinner, alone or in good company, that’s exactly what we need.
The post that tries to answer the question is San José dangerous? is finished. If you want to keep reading follow one of these links:
What to see in Lima, the capital of Perú
