Costa Rica is a Central American country with coastal lines of the Caribbean Sea on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Bordered with Panama and Nicaragua, this country is famous for ecotourism and wilderness. Costa Rica is brimming with volcanic mountains, beaches, parks, bio-diverse wildlife, and forests, whereas its urban cities provide a great variety of museums, cathedrals, theaters, malls, zoos, parks, markets and shopping centers, which makes it your next perfect destination.
Whether you are a solo traveler, backpacker, traveling with family, couple, friends group, or a honeymooner, Costa Rica is a fantastic travel destination for you. With its famous mountains and beaches located in the central part and western coastline of the country, it is more convenient for you to make the most of your travel experience in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica has several charming cities with a variety of attractions for tourists. It’s important to plan your vacation accordingly so you can make the most of your trip with the allotted time. Cities like San Jose and Liberia are perfect, must-see destinations.
San Jose
Being the capital, largest and most populated city, San Jose is a primary destination for tourists in Costa Rica. Located in the heart of the country, San Jose is an urban city with a blend of historical and modern culture and traditions. The town takes pride in showcasing its magnificent museums, theaters, historic buildings, parks, and art galleries.
The National Theater is a highlighted tourist attraction, whereas Gold Museum tops the list of museums in San Jose. While you visit the famous tourist attractions, a visit to the bustling Central Market is essential to experience a pleasurable atmosphere and to understand local culture closely. With a variety of parks, zoos and art galleries, San Jose offers a magnificent travel experience to its tourists.
Liberia
As the capital of the Guanacaste province and home to the second-largest airport of the country, Liberia is a secondary destination for tourists after San Jose. As home to whitewashed colonial buildings and churches and Spanish colonial architecture, it is also known as “The White City.”
The city offers some intriguing attractions for tourists, but it is mostly famous for an active Volcano in Rincon de la Vieja National Park. The best time to observe lush scenery and experience outdoor activities like hiking and trekking on this gigantic volcano is from December to February. Amaze yourself with the startling sight of over 300 species of birds in Palo Verde National Park. It also includes the largest population of water birds.
Exploring Costa Rica takes a lot of traveling and multiple destinations. Therefore, it helps to stay in pocket-friendly, but comfortable hotels to relax and enjoy your trip. Costa Rica has very economical yet amazingly comfortable hotels to make your travel experience more pleasurable.
Since most of the traveling journey starts from San Jose and Liberia, here are three budget-friendly hotels to stay in each city:
San Jose Budget Hotels
| Liberia Budget Hotels
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Costa Rica has a variety of hotels for all kinds of tourists. From discounted motels, budgeted hotels to luxury and upscale hotels, Costa Rica meets the requirement of all travelers. However, with their vast number of incredible beaches and cloud forests, the country encourages its tourists to stay in their resort-style hotels and experience incredible comfort and delightful amenities.
San Jose Hotel & Resort
| Liberia Hotel & Resort
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Talk about natural attractions in Costa Rica, and all that pops in your head are active volcanic mountains, cloud forests, and beaches. While there are many, you should visit the most popular of them and thank the country for offering such jaw-dropping natural wonders.
Volcanic Mountains are a highlight among other natural attractions, and there are three them:
Cloud forests are typical in every other national park, but the one at Selvatura Adventure Park in Monteverde stands out remarkably. With over 425 species of birds, unique plants, and wildlife, including jaguars, pumas, monkeys, reptiles, amphibians, and all kinds of mammals, it is a perfect ecotourism destination.
There are many beaches throughout the country. With the Caribbean Sea on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west, the beaches are innumerable. However, the following list of beaches is eminent among all.
Top Airports
Costa Rica has a total of 14 airports, but only four of them are International Airports where tourist make their first perception of the country. Although, flights from the United States and Canada land daily on these two busiest International Airports of Costa Rica. San Jose is a capital city of Costa Rica, and its International Airport is a primary airport in the country. Another one is Liberia International Airport, also known as Daniel Oduber International Airport.
San Jose International Airport
San Jose International Airport is in a suburb known as Alajuela. It is 17 km to San Jose in the northwest. Since it is away from the city, the airport offers plenty of shops, cafes, and restaurants for munching or proper dining. Comfortable transportation is available for visitors to take their short ride to downtown San Jose or they can skip the capital city and crash into the adventure zone of volcanoes and jungles, which Costa Rica is all about.
Liberia International Airport
It is the second busiest airport in Costa Rica, named Daniel Oduber International Airport. It is named after Costa Rican President Daniel Oduber. Flying into this airport will be more convenient to reach tourist attractions like Tamarindo, Playa Hermosa, and Playa Flamingo. Even though the airport is 13 km west of Liberia, the airport has restaurants, cafes, and accessible transportation services.
Find answers to commonly asked questions about Costa Rica hotels
what are the best rated hotels in Costa Rica?
The best rated hotels in Costa Rica are the Holiday Inn Express San Jose Costa Rica Airport, also the Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton San Jose-Airport and the Best Western El Sitio Hotel & Casino.
what are the top budget hotels in Costa Rica?
The hotels where you will find the best rates in Costa Rica are the Hostel del Paseo, also the Hostel Maragato and the Selina Tamarindo.
what are the most luxury hotels in Costa Rica?
The most luxury hotels you will find in Costa Rica are the Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica, also the The Springs Resort and Spa at Arenal and the Villa Caletas & Zephyr Palace.
what are the top airports to flight to in Costa Rica?
The most popular airport in Costa Rica is the San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO-Juan Santamaria Intl.), also the Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR-Daniel Oduber Intl.) and the Golfito, Costa Rica (GLF).
what cities are worth visiting in Costa Rica?
The most popular cities in Costa Rica are Alajuela, also the San Jose and the Santa Barbara de Heredia.