The Puntarenas province is the biggest province in Costa Rica and its capital city, with the same name, is a popular place for tourists to pass through due to the Puntarenas – Paquera Ferry.
However, Puntarenas is not so much of a touristic destination.
Rather, it is a transit destination, as most people will go to Puntarenas town only to take the ferry to Paquera or Naranjo. Or dock for the day on a cruise.
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Puntarenas Province Facts
The biggest province in Costa Rica, encompassing 22% of the country.
Capital city is Puntarenas.
The province is so big, that it is home to the majority of Costa Rica’s tourist destinations, national parks and reserve.
Some of them are Manuel Antonio National Park, Cocos Island National Park, the Nicoya Penisula, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and Osa Peninsula.
Location of Puntarenas city
Puntarenas is about a 1.5 hour drive from San Jose.
The Town
Puntarenas, the capital city of the province is a very local, simple and humble town. It’s nickname is El Puerto since it used to be the largest fishing port in the country.
The town comprises of the entire peninsula and has one road going through the middle, called the Paseo de los Turistas.
They have a nice boardwalk running parallel to the shore and there are restaurants, hotels, shops and food stands up and down this road.
Puntarenas, Costa Rica Beaches
The main beach is Playa Puntarenas.
It’s not the prettiest beach and most people don’t swim in the ocean since it’s a fishing port so the water isn’t the nicest to swim in.
But sunsets here are really nice and you can walk along the shore to see birds and little fish.
People and Local Life
The “Puntarenense” or “Porteños” are very happy people and you will notice it as soon as you arrive.
At night, you will see them sitting outside their homes in rocking chairs, talking to family and neighbors all night long. They like to party, are super proud of their town and love their local team.
Unfortunately Puntarenas is not the prosperous fishing town it used to be back in the 70’s and 80’s.
Yeison’s father used to be the captain of a tuna fishing boat for many years in Puntarenas. Back then, the fishing industry was excellent before Costa Rica allowed the Chinese to fish in their waters.
You will still see lots of boats at the port but many are in bad shape, having been unused for so long.
Tourism is growing little by little, helping the locals find work other than fishing but it’s still tough.
Things to Do in Puntarenas, Costa Rica
When it comes to tourism in Puntarenas and things to do, the main attraction is the Puntarenas ferry to Paquera or Naranjo.
Tourists pass through the town to take the ferry, most of them don’t stay overnight.
Puntarenas is also where the two liveaboard companies sail to Cocos Island National Park.
There aren’t a ton of things to do in Puntarenas itself but it is a really nice little town to experience local life because it is not super touristy.
Most tourists just spend a couple hours in the town waiting for the ferry which is enough time to get a taste of this small town.
Puntarenas Cruises
Some cruises dock at Puntarenas, such as Holland America Kongsdam. Unfortunately, since the town does not have much to see or do, tourists will need to book a private tour or rent a car to sight see for the day.
If you would like to rent a car, please contact us to assist in the arrangements. We offer a car rental discount and our partners have an office near the Puntarenas dock, so they can deliver your car to the dock when you arrive, usually 8 or 9 AM.
For your return, you’ll return it to their office (4-430 PM) which is about 20 minutes away and then they will shuttle you to the dock.
You can rent a car for one day with this arrangement, without an extra fee.
Fiestas Civicas (Local Parties)
Puntarenas normally has local parties in February. Their parties are huge, with music, games and food all up and down the boulevard.
If you happen to be staying overnight nearby, this is a great local event to experience.
The dates of the parties change yearly. They are usually always either in February or March, but exact dates normally are not announced until a month or so before.
Isla Tortuga Cruise
Several companies depart from Puntarenas to do the one day Tortuga Island cruise.
It’s a nice day tour that cruises through the Gulf of Nicoya for 1.5 hours to Isla Tortuga which has a beautiful white sand beach.
You can read our experience on the Tortuga Island cruise and get $10 USD off the tour! If you have a car, you can meet the boat at the Puntarenas dock for the tour.
Churchills
This town is famous for churchhills, a shaved ice/ice cream dessert in Costa Rica.
In many beach towns, you will find vendors selling Costa Rican copos but churchills were created in Puntarenas and it’s a more intense version of the copo.
You will find several restaurants and shops selling churchills on Paseo de los Turistas.
Walk Paseo de los Turistas
The best thing to do is to walk the whole Paseo de los Turistas. You’ll see lots of Costa Rican families, get nice views of the ocean and try local food.
Weather
This area is very hot. It experiences typical tropical weather with a dry and rainy season.
Dry season is from mid December to end of April and rainy is from beginning of May to beginning of December.
In dry season, it can get up to 90°-100° F (32°-37° C) every day for months.
In rainy season, it normally rains at night and is sunny in the mornings.
The average day time and night time temperatures do not vary greatly. It drops a few degrees in the rainy season, but is still hot and very humid.
Puntarenas, Costa Rica Hotels and Restaurants
There aren’t any fancy hotels or resorts in town but you will find small cabinas and standard hotels.
We stayed at Puerto Azul Hotel, a couple kilometers out of downtown and it was a decent hotel with clean rooms, a pool and private parking lot.
Cabinas Madeleine is another option in Puntarenas.
You can find great seafood in Puntarenas. Popular places are Isla Coco’s Bar, Soda El Buen Sabor, and Restaurante Mar Abierto.
Read About Other Cities in Costa Rica Here!
Zarcero, Costa Rica: Really cute small town in the Central Valley with a beautiful church and topiary gardens.
Grecia, Costa Rica: Small town in the Central Valley that is popular with American expats.
La Fortuna, Costa Rica: Main tourism hub and town at the base of Arenal Volcano. One of the most popular tourist destinations with lots of adventure, wildlife, nature and more.
San Vito, Costa Rica: Small mountain town in the South with lots of wildlife and nature. Off the beaten path destination.
Tobias says
Is there a decent bus/shuttle connection to San Jose Airport? I have a flight from there at 4pm, and would rather spend a night in Puntarenas than San Jose and hope to arrive at the airport on time, is that easily possible?
Sammi says
You can check the Rome2Rio or Moovit app to see what the public bus schedule is like from Puntarenas to SJO AIrport
Eli R says
This is a wonderful article, thank you for the help! I am curious if you know the dates for the Puntarenas Carnival in February 2023. We will be travelling through the area and would love to attend if possible, however I think we will only have a couple of days. I wasn’t able to find anything on Google with exact dates, many sites just say mid- or late-February.
Thank you so much for all the wonderful info!!
(So sorry if this gets posted twice, I don’t think the first time I tried to comment worked).
Sammi says
According to the Teletica website (Costa Rican local news channel), it’s tentatively March 16-26 but will announce official dates in the next month or so