Arriving in San Jose, Costa Rica
Before I backpacked through Costa Rica and began planning my trip, I had difficulty finding a cohesive guide for backpackers. After sorting through several websites, talking with friends that had been before and even figuring it out as I went, I decided to do my best to create a fully cohesive guide for backpackers and budget conscious travelers in Costa Rica. If you have any useful bits of advice, please, feel free to comment below and I will update this post. This is a multipart post, view the index here.
Arriving in Costa Rica
There are several airports in Costa Rica but the major one is Juan Santamaria located in San Jose. If you’re flying internationally, this is your best bet on with the major airlines.
Look for flights here:
Currency
The local currency in Costa Rica is called the Colon. If you are arriving at the airport with US dollars, don’t bother exchanging currency there or if you do, just do a small amount; the exchange counters are a rip off. Most stores and restaurants can accept Colones or dollars and will give you a more accurate exchange rate. If you need colones for the bus into San Jose, I was able to exchange a few dollars at the restaurant to the right of the airport exit. I always try to use my credit card when possible and stick to cash only when necessary so I can continue to rack up miles even while I’m traveling.
Getting from the Airport into San Jose
The airport lies outside the city to the northwest so if you’re planning to stay in San Jose, the cheapest way to get into San Jose is to take the city bus. To get to the bus stop, exit the airport, turn left and walk around the parking garage. Go right when you reach the street and you’ll see the bus stop just to your right. It should only take you 1-2 minutes to walk there from the airport exit.
Several buses stop there so you’ll want to make sure you get on the right one; if you dont speak Spanish just ask the drive “San Jose?” and he’ll answer yes or no(‘si’ or ‘no’). If it is the right bus, it’ll cost you 550 colones or about $1.
Know Where you are Going in San Jose
Unless you have cell service, my recommendation before leaving is to download an offline area in Google Maps that encompasses San Jose. You can do this by clicking on the menu, then ‘offline areas’ in the Google Maps app. Place a star at your hotel/hostel and keep an eye on your location on the bus, even if you’re in airplane mode, leave your wifi on and Google Maps will still show you where you are.
When you get close to your destination, use the stop requested button on the bus and the driver will make the next stop to let you off. Just navigate using the offline map to your destination.
