This pleasant outdoor shopping square is where many of the town's good restaurants are located. It's adorned with multicolored bricks, potted plants and pretty lights. The restaurants all offer outdoor seating and the whole thing is very family friendly, with fountains, bike racks and a children’s playground. There's a decent craft brewery here too.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Jacó attractions

1. Royal Butterflies

5.73 MILES

This local butterfly farm run by American expat Dan is set on 1.2 hectares with 70 kinds of fruit tree and 15 species of butterfly, including the enormous…

2. Pura Vida Gardens & Waterfalls

9.73 MILES

Just before the village of Bijagual, this private botanical garden offers great vistas of Manantial de Agua Viva cascading down the side of a cliff, and…

3. Catarata Manantial de Agua Viva

10 MILES

This 200m-high waterfall is claimed to be the highest in the country. From the entrance, it’s a steep 3km (45-minute) hike down into the valley (an hour…

4. Parque Nacional Carara

11.73 MILES

Carara is the famed home of one of Costa Rica’s most charismatic bird species, the scarlet macaw. While catching a glimpse of this tropical wonder is a…

5. Crocodile Bridge

13.02 MILES

If you’re driving from Puntarenas or San José, pull over by the Río Tárcoles bridge, also known as Crocodile Bridge running over the Tárcoles River where…

7. Playa Doña Ana

24.92 MILES

The pair of beaches known as Playa Doña Ana are relatively undeveloped and have an isolated and unhurried feel. They are popular among Ticos on day trips…

8. Playa San Isidro

26.02 MILES

About 8km south of Puntarenas is Playa San Isidro, the first ‘real’ beach on the central Pacific coast. It's quite often empty, and preferred by…