Zarcreo is a charming little town up in the mountains of Alajuela with a fantastic topiary garden and beautiful church, just a 1 hour drive away from San Jose.
If you’re looking for a small, local town to visit in Costa Rica, then Zarcero should be at the top of your list.
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Zarcero town
Zarcero is a small town in the canton of Zarcero in the Alajuela province with just a little under 5000 residents.
Famous for its topiary gardens and dairy farming, Zarcero offers an incredibly nice experience for tourists to see a local Costa Rican farming town.
When Jason was a kid in the 80s, his mom would take him and his sisters to Zarcero on the weekends to visit the gardens. It was a very popular spot for San Jose locals to visit.
They are well known for their dairy farming so you will see lots of farms on the outlying mountains.
The Topiary Gardens of Zarcreo
Zarcero is the most famous for their topiary gardens centrally located in front of the church, called Parque Francisco Alvarado.
Evangelisto Blanco created this park in the 1960’s, as he was inspired to trim the bushes into fun animals and characters.
Since then, the beautifully sculpted shrubs have become the main attraction.
Visitors and locals love to stroll through the arches and marvel at the various shapes that have taken form.
You can find monkeys, dinosaurs, elephants and many other animals.
The Church
Another attraction in Zarcero is the church, Iglesia de San Rafael located right at the topiary gardens.
This pink and blue church built in 1895 is an impressive one with beautiful paintings and decorations inside.
If you have a car, you can park in the parking lot behind the church.
They take donations (recommended to give 1000-2000 colones) and they also have bathrooms for a fee.
Location
Zarcero is 49 kilometers (30 miles) from San Jose and about a 1 hour drive.
Directions
By driving: Take Route 1 out of San Jose (from the airport) and exit onto Route 141 to start driving north. The road gets very windy and curvy when you turn onto Route 141 so go slow.
By bus: There is a bus company called Transportes Zarcero that leaves from the Coca-Cola station in San Jose at 915 AM, 1220 PM, 420 PM and 520 PM. This one is direct and takes 1.5 hours. An adult ticket is around 1200 colones (~$2.00)
You can drive a sedan to Zarcero, you don’t need a 4×4 or 4wd.
The road is a bit windy and curvy, so make sure you take anti-nausea medicine if you get sea sick and drive slowly.
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Other Attractions
Zarcero is also well known for their dairy products and local produce.
As you drive along the road to the town, you can see small stands with what looks like big white balls hanging outside.
Those are actually balls of cheese called queso palmito, a famous homemade product of this region.
Other yummy local delights are the cajetas (caramel candy), cheese crackers, natilla (sour cream) and various other produce.
Visiting Zarcero
Since the town is very small, there aren’t really many hotels in this area.
Hotel Hospedaje Alto Lechuza is one with three small casitas with beautiful valley views, just a 10 minute walk to the park.
Chayote Lodge is just a couple miles away and this gorgeous boutique lodge has beautiful views, excellent coffee and cozy rooms.
Here is a nice VRBO in Zarcero with beautiful views for a homey stay.
Many people stop by Zarcero if they’re driving through this area to visit Bajos del Toro.
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