Travel Tips To ensure that your visit to Costa Rica will be a thoroughly enjoyable experience, please read the following:  Long distance buses have storage compartments abajo (below) but short distance and local buses have very limited storage space. Travel light. Use a soft bag you can squeeze into an overhead rack or under a seat if necessary. Smoking and alcoholic beverages  are not permitted. Buses usually leave promptly on-time, but arrival times may vary depending on the number of intermediate stops they must make to drop off or pick up passengers, delays due to road repair crews, and minor annoyances such as landslides or cows in the road. When using long-distance buses, buy your ticket in advance or you may be riding a pie (standing) to your destination. Never, never, put valuables in an overhead bus rack. Keep them with you.  In this guide, bus fares are given in Costa Rican colones, represented by the symbol "¢."  If you must bring cash from home, it must be in mint condition. Banks and businesses may not accept foreign currency with minor damage, even a small tear.   Banks and most hotels, restaurants, and stores accept VISA cards and usually Master Cards. American Express is accepted more frequently than Diners Club. Other cards, such as Discover, are generally unknown here. A growing number of banks have installed ATMs, but it is often difficult to find teller machines that will accept cards that use the Cirrus system. You can find Cirrus ATMs at Abonos Agro, near Coca Cola, on the second floor, rear, of San Pedro Mall, and on Avenida 2 across the street from the National Cathedral. Look for a "Total" or "Oath" sign. You can obtain cash with an American Express, Visa, or Master Card at Banco de San José on Calle Central bewteen Avenidas 3 and 5.  With an American Express card and your passport, you can cash a personal check in Banco San José, C-central/A3-A5. From the entrance, turn left to the American Express tellers.  Note that most coin-operated public telephones have been replaced by phones that accept only telephone cards. Furthermore, the government-owned telephone agency ICE (pronounced EEE-say) has adopted two systems, using three types of cards: 1)   "Chip" cards that you insert into the telephone. You then follow instructions displayed in Spanish only. 2)   "Colibrí" (also called "Servicio 197") and "Viajera" cards that you do not insert into the phone. Turn the  card over and follow the instructions (Spanish only on Colibrís and both Spanish and English on Viajeras). The Viajera (also called "Servicio 199") cards are for international calls but they can also be used for local calls. On arrival, buy a card of your choice from a newstand or from a bank or store (look for the yellow Tarjeta Telefónica sign) and keep it with you. Note however, that the types of cards accepted by telephones can vary with localities. It is a good idea to carry one of each type. You will also find some coin-operated phones although they are rapidly disappearing. These take only the old (silver) coins.   In San José most Avenidas have street signs but for inexplicable reasons, many Calles do not. Other signs have been painted-over or hidden by advertisements or awnings. If you plan to drive, note that most streets in San José are one-way but you will seldom see a one-way sign. They are even more rare in small towns. Costa ricans navigate via landmarks.  The "Coca Cola" area of San José (C16/A1-A3 -- the site of a Coca Cola plant, torn down years ago) where many buses arrive and depart, is a bad neighborhood. Watch your bags, wallet, and other valuables especially at night. Pickpockets and con-artists add to the local color. Be suspicious if anyone tries to distract you or bumps into you ... an accomplice may have his or her hand in your bolsa (pocket or purse). Never carry your wallet in your hip pocket and never use an open shoulder bag. Use a money belt, or better still, a neck bag that hangs under your camisa (shirt) or blusa (blouse).  Corriente (regular service) buses make unscheduled intermediate stops to pick up and let off passengers, but directo (direct) buses do not. If you want to get off before the final destination, take a corriente bus and ask the driver to let you off there.  Long-distance buses make few rest stops. Use the servicios (toilet facilities) before you board your bus.  Costa Ricans are friendly, polite, reserved people; they are placid, passive, and uncomplaining to a fault. But when driving a vehicle, particularly in San José, they undergo a Jeykyll - Hyde transformation and often become aggressive, even hostile, which may account for the country's high per-capita accident rate, one of the highest on earth. If you drive, do so with extreme caution. Pedestrians do not have the right of way; they are the primary endangered species in Costa Rica.  The Central Valley and other high-altitude regions can be cool, even cold. Don't plan on wearing sandals, shorts, "muscle shirts," or halter tops in San José; they are inappropriate even in warm weather. Pack slacks or jeans, a lightweight water- proof jacket, and a sweater. Save your beachwear for the beach.  Except on the Caribbean Coast, where English is spoken, Few Costa Ricans outside of San José speak a second language. Brush-up your Spanish! (At least basic words and expressions.) Because prostitution is legal in Costa Rica, some degree of sex tourism is to be expected; however, the goverment is cracking down on deviants who travel here to prey on children. A 16-year jail sentence is the rule. There are many beautiful, pretty, and attractive women in Costa Rica. Many of them strive to meet and marry extranjeros (foriegners) . Too often, unfortunately, their objective is to marry a "Godfather" who will provide financial and material favors for the extended family.  Violent crime is comparatively rare in Costa Rica, but theft is a problem in San José and at beaches. Guard your belongings. Never put valuables in your maletas (suitcases) or in an unlocked vehicle. At hotels, use the safe. And on buses, never put bags containing valuables on overhead  racks.  Ladrones (thieves) often hang-out in banks looking for tourists who are being dealt large sums of cash at teller windows. They follow their unsuspecting victims to a place where they can conveniently mug them. If you obtain a large sum of cash at a bank, take a taxi directly to your hotel or to a bank where you can deposit it. Do not walk the streets with bulging pockets. Pickpockets are adept at relieving you of your cash and credit cards and they frequently work in pairs on buses, especially on the Sabana/Cementario route.  At beaches, especially on the Pacific coast, beware of dangerous riptides. Costa Rica is a great place to retire but don't plan on working here unless an employer will certify that you have a special skill that they require. Otherwise, you must become a permanent legal resident (difficult), get a work permit (more difficult), or invest a substantial sum of money in a government-approved project (usually in tourism or conservation). If you qualify to work here, understand that you must be fluent in Spanish and that you will be competing with the natives of this country who have great difficulty finding a steady job with a decent income. For complete, detailed information on traveling in Costa Rica, see our guide. Click on the Order Now button below: Now, click your way to your major interests:   San José Beaches Parks and Volcanoes Cities and Towns Other Places ¡Disfrute su viaje! ... Enjoy your trip!