National Museum of Costa Rica

Set in the former Bellavista fortress, this museum presents Costa Rica's natural history, archaeology and colonial past. The old barracks still bear bullet scars from the 1948 civil war, after which the army was abolished. Visitors enter through a glowing butterfly garden before galleries of pre-Columbian stone spheres, gold, ceramics and colonial furnishings. Terraces overlook the capital, and the yellow fortress with its corner turrets is itself a landmark of central San Jose.