This barrio (district) lies north of Barrio Amón [1], north of the Río Torres, and a hilly, 20-minute walk from the city center. Its main tourist draw is Centro Comercial El Pueblo (Avenida 0, tel. 506/2221-9434, www.centrocomercialelpueblo.com [2], 9 a.m.–5 a.m. daily), an entertainment and shopping complex designed to resemble a Spanish colonial village.
El Pueblo’s warren of alleys harbors art galleries, crafts stores, restaurants, and nightclubs. There’s free parking and 24-hour security. The Calle Blancos bus departs from Calles 1/3 and Avenida 5. Use a taxi by night. Taxis to and from El Pueblo often overcharge, so settle on a fee before getting into a cab. There’s free parking and 24-hour security.
Worth a browse, too, is the Spirogyra Butterfly Garden (Avenida 0, tel./fax 506/2222-2937, www.butterflygardencr.com [3], 8 a.m.–4 p.m. daily, $6 adults, $5 students, $3 children), a small butterfly farm and botanical garden 50 meters east and 150 meters south of El Pueblo. More than 30 species flutter about in the netted garden and are raised for export. Hummingbirds abound!
Bilingual tours are offered every half hour, or you can opt for a 30-minute self-guided tour; an educational video is shown.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/san-jose/sights/barrio-amon-and-barrio-otoya
[2] http://www.centrocomercialelpueblo.com
[3] http://www.butterflygardencr.com