Costa Rica By Bus?

by Dirk
(Sacramento)

How easy is it to get around Costa Rica by bus? Is it necessary to rent a car?

Answer:
You can reach just about every town in Costa Rica by bus. For longer trips there are often two types of bus service. The faster buses or directos go from between destinations without stopping, while the normales or corrientes stop at all the places in between. Directos cost a little more, but you can get most places without spending much more than $10-14 for the long trips and the time savings is definitely worth while. For these buses you must buy your tickets or boletos ahead of time, and for popular destinations you should get them a few hours before departure to make sure they don't sell out.

Local buses are often of the school bus variety and you pay when you board. Fares are nominally priced.

As to whether or not you should opt to rent a car in Costa Rica, that's really a factor of time and budget. If you want to cover a large area in a short time, get a rental car. If time is less important than budget, then it's still really easy to see Costa Rica by bus.