Flores, Heredia

I visited the smallest canton of Costa Rica with just 7 kilometers of area. While the territory is not impressive in terms of extension, the economic and social development of this canton is very enviable.
Streets are fully paved, nice neighborhoods with old but well-maintained houses, good restaurants and stores, and a low crime rate.

Do not expect big malls or fancy buildings, Flores is like a time machine. Most of the canton is an urban area, with some houses still using an early 20th-century style. Meanwhile, other houses are made of wood and retain a middle 20th-century look.
Quiet streets, small cafeterias, the busy San Joaquin downtown, people doing sports activities on the soccer fields. This canton is where the old meets the new.

Sunset at la Morgue Street, San Joaquin — Calle La Morgue

A view of a street in Flores canton — Calle Viquez

View of a paved street in Costa Rica — Calle Viquez

View of a costa rican street with cars, mostly SUVs — Calle Viquez

A view of crowded road in Flores, Heredia — Calle Viquez

View of a street on a cloudy day — Calle Viquez

A view of a crosswalk and a peatonal traffic light — Crossing pass

Sign showing a welcom of Flores canton in Costa Rica — Welcome to Flores

View of a paved road, route 123, Costa Rica — Leaving San Joaquin, route 123

A view of a yellow painted catholic church — Llorente Church

A view of a quiet street in a cloudy day in Flores — Llorente

a view of a railway in Flores, Costa Rica. — Railway

A small river with plenty of vegetation — Rio Segundo River

A view of a street, calle Echeverria, on a cloudy day. — Calle Echeverria

Street in Costa Rica, with a sidewalk and transport containers — Calle Echeverria

A view of route 3 street on a cloudy day — Highway to Rio Segundo

A road bifurcation on sunset — Bifurcation on route 123

A shoot of a beautiful flowers and a paved road — Route 123

A street inside San Joaquin town — San Joaquin

A panoramic picture of San Joaquin soccer field. — San Joaquin

A view of a quiet street wite nice sidewalks — San Joaquin

a view of an old catholic church made of stone, next to a cortez three — San Joaquin

A close view of a cortez tree in full blossom — San Joaquin

A view of a crowded street, San Joaquin — San Joaquin

A view of a quiet street at night — San Lorenzo

A view of paved road, a bus stop at sunset — San Lorenzo

Road iluminated by electric bulbs at night — Calle Barrantes, San Lorenzo.

San Lorenzo de Flores Catholic church. A white building with colorful windows — San Lorenzo

A photo of a public school — San Lorenzo

A view of a soccer field in a cloudy day — San Lorenzo

Soccer field and a catholic church — San Lorenzo

Road in a quiet town, Costa Rica. — San Lorenzo Town

A view of a road in Costa Rica at night. — San Lorenzo Calle Barrantes

A glimpse of Flores Geography

The geography of the canton is quite even, very flat. Hence, some slopes here and there. This makes the place very attractive for joggers and cyclists.
The canton has lost almost all the coffee farms that used to be the economic engine of the zone, replaced by highly valued residential areas. The canton is close to everything, the capital city, the most important industrial area in Costa Rica, and plenty of commercial areas to choose from.

Only three districts make up the canton of Flores, San Joaquin, Barrantes, and Llorente. San Joaquin is the most important city, while Llorente and San Lorenzo remain locations with their schools, convenience stores, and parks.

San Joaquin contains some of the oldest buildings still in use in Costa Rica: The Catholic church, made completely of stone, from 1865 and the Public School “Estados Unidos de America” which building is being used since 1943. The church of San Joaquin is the only one in the country to still celebrate the mass in Latin often.

Visit Flores and its towns

The canton is the right destination for a Sunday afternoon family trip.
Take the kids to a nice restaurant in San Joaquin downtown. Then after flying a kite or kicking the ball for a while, get a coffee cup or an ice cream in any of the cafeterias in Llorente, San Joaquin, or San Lorenzo.
All these towns have places for these kinds of mild physical activities with kids.
If you look for culture, Flores possesses many old buildings including houses and public buildings.
If you are a jogger, runner, or cyclist looking for nice and safe places to develop these activities, I highly recommend San Lorenzo.
A bibliophile? A book lover? San Lorenzo and San Joaquin have quiet places where you can sit and read. Including public places or cafeterias where you will be barely disturbed if not at all.

How to get there?

Both Alajuela and Heredia has bus services to San Joaquin every 20 minutes. Once there you can go to San Lorenzo or Llorente on foot or get a taxi. You can explore the canton by bicycle in just one day easily.

Visit the official website of the Municipality of Flores by clicking here for more info.

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