Transportation

The main gateway is San José's Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), while Liberia's Daniel Oduber airport (LIR) serves the Guanacaste beaches. From the airport you can take an official taxi (orange at SJO), Uber, a shared shuttle or a rental car. Agree on the price or use a metered/app fare, and pre-booked hotel shuttles are convenient.

Costa Rica has an extensive and cheap bus network that reaches most towns, plus many intercity routes. San José has a dense city bus system, and a limited urban commuter train (Tren Urbano) serves parts of the metro area. Buses mostly take cash, so carry small colón notes and coins.

There is no unified nationwide transit IC card in Costa Rica. Most buses are paid in cash, so keep small colón notes and coins handy. Some operators have started introducing rechargeable transit cards, but coverage is limited, so cash remains the reliable option.

Official taxis are red (airport taxis are orange) and should use the meter, called the "maría". Make sure the meter is running or agree the fare first. Uber and DiDi also operate widely and are convenient and transparent, though their legal status is a grey area, so pickups sometimes happen away from official taxi ranks.

For getting between towns, long-distance buses are the cheap backbone, though different companies use different terminals in San José, so check where your route departs. For tourists, shared shuttle vans (colectivos) link popular destinations door-to-door and are faster and more comfortable, if pricier. Book shuttles ahead in high season.

Domestic flights save a lot of time over long, winding drives, for example between San José and the remote Osa Peninsula, Tortuguero or the southern Pacific coast. Carriers such as Sansa fly from San José (SJO) to small regional airstrips using light aircraft. Baggage allowances are tight, so pack light and confirm limits when booking.