If you’re visiting any of these places in Costa Rica: Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Jaco or Montezuma, you’ll be visiting the Puntarenas province. The town, with the same name, is another popular place for tourists since this is where the ferry is.
Many Costa Ricans, including Yeison have a strong tie to the town since it used to be the largest fishing port and is a popular coastal escape for city locals. Yeison’s father was a fishing boat captain and he spent most of his childhood in Puntarenas so he has seen this small town go through many changes over the past few decades.
In this article, you’ll learn some important facts about the province and city including some useful travel tips.
This post has been updated February 2018.
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Puntarenas Province Facts
- The biggest province in Costa Rica, it is 22% of the country.
- Density: 83 per square mile.
- Capital city is Puntarenas.
The province has several natural reserves and national parks. One of the most important is Coco Island which is a World Heritage Site located 532 kilometers from the coastline.
The province is so large that it is home to the majority of popular tourists destinations such as Manuel Antonio, Osa Peninsula, Jaco, Nicoya Peninsula (Santa Teresa, Mal Pais and Montezuma) and Monteverde.
Location of Puntarenas city
Puntarenas, Costa Rica map
Puntarenas is about a 1.5 hour drive from San Jose. As the biggest beach town near the capital city, it’s a popular place for city locals to go for the weekend to escape the city life and get some fresh ocean air.
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.
To see what the town is like, we have a video driving through The Paseo de los Turistas you can watch below.
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 and the fishing industry was excellent before Costa Rica allowed the Chinese to fish in their waters. As soon as that happened, all the locals went out of work and many of them hit hard times, like Yeison’s father.
You will still see today 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. Fishermen constantly go on strike, protesting the government’s new laws since many of them work for the Chinese and the government has enacted many regulations and laws against shark fishing, over-fishing and any practices harmful to the environment.
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.
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.
But if you really want to experience staying in a small, non touristy Costa Rican coastal town, I recommend staying in Puntarenas for at least one night so you can walk on the Paseo de los Turistas, eat some delicious local seafood and observe local life.
If you go in February, Puntarenas becomes the party town in the country and it’s a great time to visit. They host famous carnivals, there are concerts with international artists and thousands of Costa Ricans go. It’s an excellent place to take your family since there are little kid rides and games.
Here are some more ideas of things to do.
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!
Chuchill
This town is famuos for churchhills, a shaved ice/ice cream dessert in Costa Rica. In many beach towns, you will find vendors selling Costa Rican copos but chuchills 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.
Watch a futbol match
There is the local futbol club and if you’re here during the season, you can watch a futbol match. he locals call the stadium La olla mágina (the magic pot) because it gets super crazy hot but the real name is Estadio Migue “Lito” Pérez. If you’re in town at the right time, you can watch a futbol match.
This stadium is very famous because when Costa Rica played in the snow against the US a couple years ago, the Costa Ricans wanted to change the stadium to the Puntarenas one when the US came to play in CR because it is so hot. It didn’t happen though!
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
Like I mentioned earlier, 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 degrees F (32-37 C) every day for months. In rainy season, it normally rains at night and is sunny in the mornings.
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 Marino and Resort, a couple kilometers out of downtown and it was a decent hotel with clean rooms, a pool and private parking lot. Michael’s Surfside Hotel, Cabinas Madeleine and Hotel Praiamar are other good hotels in Puntarenas.
When it comes to food, you can find great seafood in town. Check out Shrimp Shack, Isla Coco’s Bar & Grill, 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.
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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
Silvia Siren says
We are planning a trip to Costa Rica the last week of September. I have been reading your blog the last last couple of months and have learned so much. I truly appreciate all your videos and information about traveling in Costa Rica. We are planning to go from Monteverde to Puntarenas to take the ferry to Paquera in late September. How are the roads between Monteverde and Puntarenas during that time of the year? What route do you suggest? Any tips or advice?
Thank you!
Silvia
Sammi says
Hi, you can check our post Monteverde road conditions. for more information. I do recommend to rent a 4×4/4wd because of rainy season and the roads in Monteverde.
Dorie says
Hi. We are driving from Monteverde to a beach area. We would like to do a day trip to Tortuga Island. Would you be able to recommend a town or two to look for lodging where we could go to Tortuga Island & the beach??
Frederick L Maybaum says
We are going to San Jose for 8 days on Jan 2nd. Looking for a day trip to the coast. What do you recommend? We could also do an overnight trip if you have a suggestion for that.
We have traveled quite a bit but not to Central America.
Thanks,
Sammi says
hi Frederick, you can check our post Day trips from San Jose for ideas. I personally recommend Tortuga Island day tour!
Christine Rubick says
Hi,
My Spanish is pretty spotty and not great, will I still be okay overnighting here on our way to Monteverde?
Thanks!!
Christine
Sammi says
Hi Christine, that will be fine. If you stay at a hotel like Puerto Azul or a nicer one, the front desk speaks Spanish. The smaller hotels don’t really speak much but the basics.
Esther says
Hello,
I was wondering what were the dates for Carnival 2019?
Thank you,
Esther
Sammi says
I believe middle of February, you can Google it to find exact dates.
Ryan Yondola says
I am planning on studying abroad for a semester and puntarenas is one of my top choices. I am an environmental science and management major and I was wondering how the local wildlife is. Are there nearby forests?
Sammi says
Hi Ryan, is it Puntarenas the city or Puntarenas the province? The province is the biggest in Costa Rica and has the Osa Peninsula, South/Central Pacific and Monteverde which has a ton of wildlife. If it’s just Puntarenas the city, there isn’t too much there since it’s a fishing village.
Ryan says
It is Puntarenas the city. The wildlife around the city is not that great?
Sammi says
Not really in the town because the town is zoned and developed so you need to go outside the city to find the forests. There are several refuges not too far though, like Curu is right across Nicoya Peninsula and that has a great deal of wildlife.
Ryan says
Is there much within walking distance? Do you think I would get bored spending 5 months in Puntarenas?
Sammi says
To be honest, not really. The town is pretty small and it’s a very local town as it used to be the biggest fishing port (as you can see from the video in the post). You’d need a car if you want to explore the country or luckily Puntarenas is a pretty good bus hub so from Puntarenas you can go to Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Tilaran (on the way to La Fortuna), Liberia, San Jose from there. Then there is the ferry and you can go to the Nicoya Peninsula via ferry and bus.
Martha & Cabell Cropper says
Hi Samantha & Yeison – we enjoyed reading your information about Puntarenas. We live in town having retired from the USA. However, we were married in Puntarenas 40+ years ago and traveled frequently with our children to visit family. You’re right to say that there are efforts to upgrade and renovated tourist facilities and visitors can see the changes. In addition Puntarenas Beach has been recognized for cleanliness by qualifying for the “Bandera Azul” (Blue Flag) awarded by the Costa Rica Department of Health and the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism. Visitors should not be concerned about bathing off the beach. Also, the Parque Marino del Pacifico is open. One of the biggest attractions of this recreation park is its aquarium, which has an exhibit hall with animals from the Costa Rican waters, such as clownfishes, damsels, sea-horses, cat-sharks, crocodiles, marine turtles and many other animals indigenous to Costa Rica. Please contact us the next time you are in Puntarenas. We’d love to show you why we think Puntarenas is an undiscovered tourist destination.
Sammi says
Hi guys, thanks for your comments! Yeison actually grew up in Puntarenas as his father was a fishing boat captain there for many years so he knows it very well. It’s a nice little local town and hopefully more people visit it!
Marcela says
Hi Samantha & Yeison, myself and my family are visiting Costa Rica for the first time this coming August. I absolutely love your blog, there is so much information and knowledge from both of you that I’m a bit overwhelmed with what to do the 1 week we are visiting. We are staying in Puntarenas but rented a car because we definitely want to explore. Can you give us your suggestions, we love the beach, absolutely want to go to a volcano and zipline of course! Thank you for everything you do 🙂
Sammi says
Hi Marcela, I’m glad the blog has been helpful. For one week in Puntarenas, you can do a lot of things especially with a car and you’re in a good location to explore different parts of CR. I highly recommend the Tortuga Island day tour and we have a $10 discount for it. It’s a very nice day cruise through the Gulf of Nicoya. You can also do a day trip to the Nicoya Peninsula and take the ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera to visit the beaches close to Paquera like Pochote and Tambor.
You can also head down south to Playa Jaco Costa Rica, hike at Carara National Park or go a bit further to Manuel Antonio National Park. The one thing about staying in Puntarenas is that you will need to drive at least 1 hour to everything since there’s not much close except for the ferry and day cruise.
You can even do a day trip and visit Monteverde Costa Rica and go ziplining there. Monteverde has some awesome ziplining like at 100% Aventura. For volcanoes, the best one is Arenal Volcano National Park since Poas may or may not be open (it is slated to open June-ish but it keeps getting pushed back so we don’t know for sure).
Todd says
Hey I read the article, but I was a bit distracted when I read it, so I might of missed it, but isn’t there a maritime museum or some type of small aquarium in town? Also, I think I remember that the church has some type of aquatic motif, which I thought was interesting. Also, I think that I remember that the church entrance faced east, which must be one of the few that faces east because most church entrances in CR face west. I think it might be cool to showcase some beaches around Puntarenas, especially since your marido probably has some insider insight to some of them. Any way, just always wanted to say, great website! You’re the best!
yeison says
Hi Todd,
The aquarium is not longer open, it was part of project from the National University for research but it is close now. You are right about the churches in Costa Rica facing west but I didn’t know that the Puntarenas church is facing west.
Every time we go to Puntarenas it looks nicer, it seems that they community is finally getting more involved and now they want more tourist to visit. Thank you for the nice comments about the blog and have a nice day 🙂
Mary {The World Is A Book} says
I’ve always seen Puntarenas on cruise ship itinerary stops but it just doesn’t seem like the Costa Rica I want to see or experience. We’ve decided to skip on cruising to Costa Rica but instead spend a few days there soon (hopefully). Those churchills look delicious! That carnival crowd picture is crazy and a bit scary to think being in the at crowd.
Sammi says
We took a ferry ride from Puntarenas to Tambor and it was actually a gorgeous ride. Not sure about the cruise though… where are you guys going in Costa Rica? Glad to hear you are making your way over here ! 🙂