Atenas punches above its weight for a town this size. The central park and church anchor daily life; the Friday market brings the surrounding farming communities together; and the coffee hills above town reward anyone willing to get out of the car and walk a finca. The wildlife rescue centre at Zoo Ave — actually closer to La Garita than Atenas proper, but the natural day trip from here — is one of the best places in Central America to see scarlet macaws at close range.
The town is genuinely pleasant to wander. Distances are short, the pace is slow, and locals are used to visitors without being overrun by them.