Top 5 Sights in Cartago - Costa Rica
Posted: September 4, 2022 | Tagged: Costa Rica
I rode the El Tren Interurbano out of Estación Atlántico and backpacked the former capital of Costa Rica, Cartago.
And Cartago turned out to be quite a delight to backpack for a few hours.
Cartago was founded in 1563 by the Spanish Governor, Juan Vasquez de Coronado. It is the oldest city in Costa Rica and was the capital until 1823.
I rode the El Tren Interurbano out of Estación Atlántico to Cartago for 2 reasons.
In a former life, I was a trainspotter. We wore anoraks and had Ian Allen books in our pockets, where we'd put a line through each train as we saw them and to be honest, I still like to ride the trains!!
And the second reason I went to Cartago is that Costa Rica is one of the last countries in Central America to run a regular passenger service. It's a unique experience and I wanted to blog about it.
Cartago was founded in 1563 by the Spanish Governor, Juan Vasquez de Coronado. It is the oldest city in Costa Rica and was the capital until 1823.
I rode the El Tren Interurbano out of Estación Atlántico to Cartago for 2 reasons.
In a former life, I was a trainspotter. We wore anoraks and had Ian Allen books in our pockets, where we'd put a line through each train as we saw them and to be honest, I still like to ride the trains!!
And the second reason I went to Cartago is that Costa Rica is one of the last countries in Central America to run a regular passenger service. It's a unique experience and I wanted to blog about it.
Having missed breakfast, I made a beeline for McDonald's. In my opinion, the only 2 good things about McDonald's are the cleanish toilets and the coffee. In all these years, the coffee has only left me dissatisfied, twice.
But alas, you are not here for the coffee stories.
So I'll skip the details.
So I'll skip the details.
My 5 Top sights in Cartago
1. Ruins of Cartago:
Since the Evangelical period, all buildings on this site were dedicated to the first patron Saint of Costa Rica, Santiago Apostle and each time, they were destroyed by earthquakes.
The ruins as they stand today, date from 1870. Destroyed in 1910 and never rebuilt
The ruins as they stand today, date from 1870. Destroyed in 1910 and never rebuilt
2. Plaza Mayor:
The centrally located Plaza, opposite the Ruins of Cartago with the Monumento de La Independencia to mark 200 years 1821-2021 of Independence.
3. Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles - Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels:
The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles is a Roman Catholic basilica, built in 1636 but was destroyed by several earthquakes and has been restored using a mix of colonial architecture as well as the Byzantine style.
The current building dates back to 1939.
The current building dates back to 1939.
4. Parroquia María Auxiliadora:
I couldn't find any info on this one. Shame it was closed. I thought as a house of God, it would have been open 24/7?
5. Convento de Los Capuchinos:
The church dates from 1561, the year in which the first preachers arrived in Costa Rica to spread the Catholic faith across the country.
The schedule for the train is not so convenient so I rode the bus back to San José. Heavy traffic meant it took an hour. The fare was 680 CRC.
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