The Museos del Banco Central include the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum and the Numismatic Museum, and both are located at the Plaza de la Cultura in downtown San Jose.

The Coin Museum and the Gold Museum are two of the better known museums of Costa Rica simply due to their location. The cultural plaza where they are found is a major hub of the city, and it is next to the National Theater, as well. There are also several downtown city hotels in the area. The Plaza de la Cultura is one of the main locations of several different annual events that bring people out for art festivals, museum openings and concerts.

The Pre-Columbian Gold Museum is home to some 1,600 individual pieces that are an example of the indigenous people of Costa Rica’s early lives and culture. There are guided tours, and audio tape guided tours of the gold museum that can be purchased additionally after the entrance fee. The gold pieces presented at the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum are dated between 500 AD and 1500 AD, and they are divided between two floors under the Plaza de la Cultura.

Museos del Banco Central is also where you can find the Numismatic and Philatelic Museum of Costa Rica (basically the coins, paper money and stamps museum). This museum showcases some of the earliest coins and bank notes of Costa Rica from colonial times to present. There are temporary exhibitions of current bank notes that dicuss the reasons behind their design and the political motivations for changing the bank notes. There are also permanent displays of coins, stamps and bank notes at the Numismatic Museum.

The Central Bank Museums of Costa Rica are open from 9:15 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon. Entrance to the museums is less expensive for residents and citizens of Costa Rica, but for visitors it is $11 for adults and $9 for students. There are certain times of the year when all of the musuems in downtown San Jose are opened for free entry such as Noche en Blanco.

Location: Under the Plaza de la Cultura, San Jose, Costa Rica
Hours: 9:15 am-5 pm Daily
Price: Adult=$11 Student=$9
Galleries: Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, Temporary Exhibition Galleries, Coins & Stamps