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San José · Costa Rica

Costa Rican Museum of Art: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

Residents in La Sabana trade downtown street noise for park walks and gallery rooms inside the former aviation terminal.

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The Costa Rican Museum of Art occupies the former airport terminal in La Sabana Metropolitan Park.

The institution operates inside San José within the aviation terminal that once handled passenger flights at La Sabana. International air traffic shifted to Juan Santamaría International Airport, leaving the older airfield to close and become public parkland. The government preserved the passenger station and later declared the structure an official architectural heritage site of the nation.

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Long-term residents encounter the permanent collection of paintings and sculptures directly at the western edge of the capital. Comprehensive renovations updated the interior galleries while retaining the historic terminal architecture. Because the building stands surrounded by the athletic fields and wooded paths of La Sabana Metropolitan Park, gallery visits integrate into daily neighborhood routines.

Associations
  • La Sabana Metropolitan ParkSurrounding public parkland replaced the original aviation runways.
  • Former airport terminalExhibition galleries occupy the historic passenger concourse.
  • Structural renovationsMaintaining the aging heritage building requires periodic public closures.
  • National art collectionThe institution curates the official public catalog of fine artworks.
Facts
  • The museum building originally functioned as the passenger terminal for La Sabana International Airport.
  • Commercial international flights transferred to Juan Santamaría International Airport while the older airfield handled domestic routes.
  • The government designated the former terminal building as official architectural heritage of Costa Rica.
  • The surrounding airfield grounds were converted into La Sabana Metropolitan Park after aviation operations ended.
Source: Wikipedia
Costa Rican Museum of Art in pictures4 photos
Rodtico21 · cc-by-sa-2.0 · Jul 18, 2013
Rodtico21 · cc-by-sa-3.0 · Jul 18, 2013
Emil Span · pdm
Tomás Povedano · pdm

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2 sources · As of November 3, 2026
Source: TravelHub · OurAirports (public domain)

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