Costa Rica Transportation in Costa Rica

A word of advice: ask. Ticos are extremely friendly, and signs in Costa Rica are very limited (nonexistent in some places), so if you have any doubts, or carrying a map isn’t helping, just stop and ask. People are usually quick to help. Landmarks are the way of the wise in most of Costa Rica. Most mid-range and larger towns have streets in an orderly grid of avenidas (avenues) and calles (streets); avenidas typically run east-west and calles north-south. Usually, odd-numbered avenidas increase in number to the north and even-numbered to the south, while odd-numbered calles lie to the east of the grid’s center and even-numbered calles to the west. The grid is usually centered on some sort of parque central (central park), and its axes are usually called Av. Central and C. Central. An address given as Av. 3/5, Calle 2 means the building is between Avenidas 3 and 5, on Calle 2. Locations are often specified by a certain number of metros from the parque. Metros here refers to portions of city blocks, not actual meters, with 100 metros being the equivalent of one city block; 100 metros al norte del parque central indicates a building one block north of the parque . When it comes to walking, cars have the right of way, not pedestrians, so look twice before crossing the street, even if you have a crosswalk.

By Plane

Domestic air travel is more expensive but more convenient than traveling by bus. While smaller airlines do offer domestic flights, it is recommended that you use the two larger airlines, Sansa and NatureAir ...more

By Bus

The bus system is thorough, cheap, and reliable. From San José, you can travel almost anywhere in the country for under US$6. However, it’s not always immediately clear where the buses ...more

By Car

If you’re traveling by car, you’ll have a good network of highways at your disposal. A seat belt must be worn by the driver and any passengers. Keep your passport and driver’s license ...more

By Boat

Boat transportation is only necessary to enter and exit Parque Nacional Tortuguero . However, it is a fairly common mode of transportation along the Caribbean Lowlands. Ranging from panchas or water ...more

By Thumb

Let’S Not Go. Let’s Go never recommends hitchhiking as a safe means of transportation, and none of the information here is meant to do so. Let’s Go strongly urges you to consider ...more