Air
Costa Rica has two international airports serving scheduled flights. The first is the Juan Santamaria International Airport and it in the capital, San José. This is generally the most popular with those arriving on holiday. The second is the Daniel Oduber International Airport, situated 217 kilometres northwest of the capital in the city of Liberia.
San José Juan Santamaria International Airport is a relatively busy facility seeing upwards of a million passengers per year. Major destinations served include Canada, North America and Spain with carriers such as Air Canada, Continental, Delta and Iberia operating flights.
The airport offers some limited parking facilities and essential facilities in the airport terminal include three ATMs and a medical centre located next to the smoking room. For dining and refreshments you’ll find a variety of outlets including Burger King, Church’s Chicken, Papa John's Pizza, the Johnny Walker Bar and two branches of the Nimbus Bar, one for smoking and one smoke free. For shopping, there are also a variety of options including a duty-free outlet, a jewellery shop and a book and magazine shop
Ground transportation into San José is available with a bus stop located outside of the airport. Alternatively, licensed taxis (orange in colour) can be taken from a rank outside the terminal building; most accept both local currency and US dollars. Unlicensed taxis can also be taken from outside of the airport but are generally more expensive.
Bus
Regular bus services operate from Panama City, Panama, and Managua, Nicaragua to the city of San José with deluxe and express options available. Always choose a direct service where possible as opposed to one which makes stops along the way. Services are provided by two companies, Panaline and Transnica who can be contacted on +506 255-1205 and +506 221-8954 respectively. From Panama City the journey takes 20 hours while from Managua it takes 11.
Car
Driving from North America to Costa Rica is possible but potentially fraught with problems and not altogether advisable. Border controls can be difficult at the best of times and even worse when manned by corrupt officials; internal crime and violence can also be experienced by US citizens making this journey. If however you decide to go ahead it’s best to go via the Gulf coast and cross into Mexico at Brownsville as this reduces the amount of driving required on the Mexican side, before passing through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua en route to Costa Rica.
Sea
The country is not served by any traditional ferry services; however, a large number of cruise companies dock at Limón on the Caribbean coast, and at Puerto Caldera and Puntarenas on the Pacific coast.
Bus
Bus services in Costa Rica are on the whole pretty reliable on account of the fact that most citizens don’t own cars. Buses run to most parts of the country, invariably using San José as a hub. Smaller towns and villages may only be served by a single bus per day so it’s wise to find out the time and make sure you don’t miss the service there or back.
Car
Visitors can hire cars easily in Costa Rica and in doing so are spared many of the restrictions associated with taking public transport. Driving conditions are a little dangerous and certainly some of the winding mountain roads can be hazardous at night. If you enter the country by private vehicle, you will need to have a valid driver’s license (from your home country) plus the vehicle registration and original title document.
Taxi
Licensed taxis are orange in colour and can generally be found easily in the busy areas of the towns. It’s wise for visitors to negotiate a rough rate with the driver before embarking on their journey. Unlicensed taxis are common but it’s not advisable to use them as they have no meters and generally charge inflated prices. It’s also possible to hire a driver for the day to take you around sightseeing; you can expect to pay $10 or more per hour for their services.
