Regions of Costa Rica

Jaco is the closest big beach town to San José, and these three hotels offer quieter alternatives to its busy main street…

Costa Rica's Central Pacific coast is the closest beach region to San José. Jaco is the busy surf-and-nightlife town, Manuel…

The Central Highlands, around the Central Valley and San José, are where most Costa Ricans live: a high valley of coffee farms…

The Central Pacific is the beach region closest to San José, from Jaco and Playa Hermosa down to Quepos and Manuel Antonio. It…

Guanacaste is Costa Rica's driest, sunniest province, in the northwest, with a long Pacific coastline, volcanoes inland and its…

La Paz Waterfall Gardens is a private nature park in Vara Blanca, between Poás and Braulio Carrillo national parks, with trails…

Nosara is a beach town on the Pacific side of the Nicoya Peninsula in Guanacaste, known for its surf, protected coastline and…

Playas del Coco is a lively, easy-to-reach beach town on Guanacaste's Gulf of Papagayo, about 30 minutes from Liberia airport. It…

San José is Costa Rica's capital and biggest city, in the Central Valley, and most international visitors pass through it. It's…

Tamarindo is a lively surf and beach town on Guanacaste's Pacific coast, about an hour's drive from Liberia airport, with plenty…

La Fortuna de San Carlos is the town at the foot of Arenal Volcano, in Costa Rica's northern lowlands, and a base for the…

Guanacaste, Costa Rica's dry northwest, has dozens of beaches, and these 5 cover the range: windy Bahía Salinas for kitesurfing…

Three hotels in and around San José that we first listed in 2012, rechecked in November 2026: Hotel Grano de Oro, a boutique…

Alajuela province has 16 cantons; its first 5 by official number are Alajuela, San Ramón, Grecia, San Mateo and Atenas. This…

Cartago province, east of San José, has 8 cantons; its first 5 by official number are Cartago, Paraíso, La Unión, Jiménez and…

Guanacaste, Costa Rica's dry northwest, has 11 cantons; its first 5 by official number are Liberia, Nicoya, Santa Cruz, Bagaces…

Heredia province, just north of San José, has 10 cantons; its first 5 by official number are Heredia, Barva, Santo Domingo, Santa…

Limón province, on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, has 6 cantons: Limón, Pococí, Siquirres, Talamanca, Matina and Guácimo. This…

Puntarenas province, along most of the Pacific coast, has 13 cantons; its first 5 by official number are Puntarenas, Esparza…

San José province has 20 cantons; its first 5 by official number are San José (the capital), Escazú, Desamparados, Puriscal and…

Five small hotels on Guanacaste's Pacific coast that we first listed in 2012, rechecked in November 2026: Los Altos de Eros near…

For a yoga trip, most people choose the Pacific coast: Nosara for a quiet, structured week with more retreat centers than any…