Know before you go
Costa Rica
General Information
Costa Rica is located in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the east. Its capital and largest city is San José. They drive on the right side of the road.
Visa
Holders of a EU passport don’t require a Visa. For holders of a different passport check out this link to see if you are required to apply for a visa or not or contact your ministery of foreign affairs.
Watch Geography Now!
The video will give you a good first overview of Costa Rica.
Power
Costa Rica uses Type A and B plug outlets. The voltage is 120 Volt and the frequency is 60 Hz.
Language
The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish. In touristy areas people do speak a good level of English though.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¡Hola! | Hello! |
| ¡Adiós! | Bye! |
| sí | yes |
| no | no |
| ¡Gracias! | Thank you! |
| ¡De nada! | You're welcome! |
| Disculpe! | Excuse me! |
| Salud! | Cheers! |
Weather Forecast
Climate
The climate of Costa Rica is tropical year round. However, the country has many microclimates depending on elevation, rainfall, topography, and by the geography of each particular region. The year can be split into a dry season, and the rainy season. The dry season goes from December to April, and rainy season goes from May to November. The mean annual temperature on the coastal lowlands is around 27 °C (81 °F), 20 °C (68 °F).
Average Temperature in San José
Average Precipitation in San José
Transportation
How to get there?
The biggest airport in Costa Rica is of course Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in San José. San José is located in the center of Costa Rica so it’s easy to reach every region of Costa Rica from here. Still, here you will find a list of all airports in Costa Rica.
How to get around?
Most cities are small enough to walk around the city center. Most attractions however are not to be found in cities but rather somewhere in the nature of Costa Rica. Local travel agencies offer excursions to these places (like hanging bridges, national parks etc.). Transfer is included, though it will increase the price compared to going there yourself. Depending on how many people you are travelling with it might be cheaper to rent a car, share the costs and go to the places yourself.
How to get from town to town?
Costa Rica has a bus network to travel between cities. But again: compare prices. If more people are travelling together it might be cheaper to rent a car which will also give you more independence. Just remember, not all roads are paved. You might have to drive on dirt roads. You don’t necessarily need a 4 wheel drive though. If it’s not pouring and you are going with reasonable speed, a regular car is fine.
Money, Money, Money
Currency
The currency of Costa Rica is the Colón. Check out the currency converter to find out about current exchange rates.
Accommodation
Depending on where you are staying prices will vary of course. Using a combination of a hotel and Airbnb, we paid an average of around 25€ per person per night.
Cash
Many touristy places within Costa Rica also accept the US Dollar. So if you are travelling from the US, you can just bring along Dollars. For travellers from other countries, I recommend withdrawing Colones. Prices in US Dollar will be slightly higher than in Colones and if you have to exchange money anyway, get Colones and therefore better prices. How much you will need of course depends on your spending habits. Retrospective I found I needed around 35€ per day. This includes food, transportation, activities and souvenirs.
