Getting around Costa Rica takes longer than the map suggests. A rental car is the flexible choice, a public bus is the inexpensive one, and a domestic flight saves a day when the road crosses the mountains. Mountains sit between the valley and both coasts, so a drive that looks like two hours can take four. Choose how you travel for each region, not for the whole country.
You do not need a car for one beach town that has a bus from San José. You do need one if the days are split between towns, or if the road to the place is not on a bus line.
Public buses connect San José with almost every town in this guide, including Tamarindo, Jacó, and Puerto Viejo. They are inexpensive and they fill up on Friday and Sunday afternoons. Buy the return, or at least arrive early, on those days. Pay in colones, and keep small bills. A ride that looks like two hours on a map is often a long morning.
Shared shuttles cost more and run door to door between beach towns. They are the simpler choice with luggage, or when the public bus does not reach the last dirt road. City taxis use a meter, called a maría. In a rural taxi, agree on the fare before you leave town.
A rental car is the flexible choice for the Central Valley and the Pacific coast. Drive on the right. Expect speed bumps, called topes, at the edge of almost every town, plus narrow bridges and slow trucks. The posted time between two towns is usually wrong. Add time, and do not plan to arrive after dark on a road you do not know.
Rental desks usually ask for a passport and a valid license. Many set a minimum age of 21 or 25. Book the car for the regions you will actually drive. A sedan is enough on the highways. The dirt climbs are a different car, covered next.
On the paved highways, no. A regular car is enough for San José, Jacó, Liberia, and Tamarindo in the dry months. Take four-wheel drive once the road turns to dirt and climbs, especially toward Monteverde, Santa Teresa, Malpais, and the Osa. In the rainy season those same tracks rut, and a low car gets stuck. If the place says the last kilometer is steep, believe it.
The basic policy is already on the contract. Read the deductible before you add the extra coverage the desk will offer. Ask whether tires, glass, and the underside are included. The extra policy is what lowers the deductible if the car is damaged. It is optional, and it is often pushed hardest at the counter.
A credit card's coverage often does not apply once you decline the local policy, so check the card before you are standing there. Photograph the car in daylight, including the roof, the wheels, and any scratch already on it, before you leave the lot. Save the photos until the car is returned.
Do not plan a first drive after dark on a road you do not know. Shoulders are narrow, rain hides holes, and animals and unlit bicycles cross. The climb toward Monteverde and the dirt road into Santa Teresa are the ones that go wrong after sunset.
Friday afternoon is the slow direction out of the valley. Sunday afternoon is the slow direction back. If the flight lands late, sleep in Alajuela or Liberia and drive in the morning. When to visit is worth reading before a long mountain drive in the rainy season.
The Nicoya Peninsula is also reached by ferry from Puntarenas. The usual boat goes to Paquera. Another goes to Playa Naranjo. Both save the drive around the gulf, and both stop in the evening, so check the last sailing before you leave the valley.
Domestic flights from San José and Liberia save a full day when you are headed to the Osa or the far north. Pavones has no airport. Fly to Puerto Jiménez or Golfito, then drive.
Juan Santamaría (SJO) in Alajuela is the main international airport. Use it for the valley, the Central Pacific, and the Caribbean. Daniel Oduber (LIR) in Liberia is the easier arrival for the North Pacific: Tamarindo, Flamingo, Papagayo, and the road up to Monteverde. A ticket can say San José when the plane lands in Alajuela.
Do not land at the wrong airport and try to cross the country the same day. The mountains sit between them. If the week is split between a Guanacaste beach and the valley, fly into the beach and out of San José, or the other way around, instead of driving it twice.
