The new bus Terminal 7-10 in San José is now the hub for six different companies: Transportes Jacó, Transportes Cóbano, Empresa Alfaro, Transportes Arsa, Transportes Venecia de San Carlos, and Transportes Unidos. This mega station is now three stories and is almost like a shopping mall. Anything you could ever need can be found inside. Tickets are sold on the second and third floor.
San Jose to Jacó
Service with Transportes Jacó. Cost is 2395₡ and takes about 3hrs. For extra info, have a read through this great Blog post by the Costa Rica travel experts: Taking the bus from San José to Playa Jaco. But, have a look at the updated schedule in the photos below on this page.
San José to Cobanó, Santa Teresa/Mal Pais, Montezuma
Service with Transportes Cobanó. Bus leaves twice per day to Santa Teresa/Mal Pais, Montezuma, Cobanó. The cost is 7020₡ and includes ferry and takes about 5.5hrs. See photo of Schedule.
San José to Samara, Nosara, Nicoya
Service with Empresa Alfaro: Samara, Nosara, Nicoya, Santa Cruz. See photo of Schedule below. To Samara it’s about 5.5hrs and costs 4265₡ and to Nosara it’s about 6hrs and costs 4585₡ (prices May 2017)
San José to Tamarindo
Service by Empresa Alfaro has buses from San José to Tamarindo at 11:30am and 3:30pm.
From Tamarindo to San José buses leave at 3:30am (via Liberia) and 5:30am (via Puente la Amistad) and on Sundays there is an extra bus at 1pm (via Liberia).
This bus costs 5635₡ as of Feb 2019 and takes about 6hrs. The bus via Puente la Amistad is about 1/2 hr faster. Have a look at the Tamarindo page to see where you end up.
There is also bus service to Tamarindo from another company. Have a look at the Terminal Tralapa page for this information.
San José to La Fortuna
Service with Venicia de San Carlos to La Fortuna. The price is 2495₡ and takes about 4hrs. 6:15am, 8:40am, 11:50am See photos of schedule and prices below. **there used to be a 5am bus but a recent update on the 7-10 website shows that the 5am bus no longer exists. http://terminal7-10.com/en/rutas/san-carlos-2/
From La Fortuna to San José: There has been a bus schedule change that we are still confirming but we were told there is now only one direct bus all the way to San Jose at 2:45pm. The price is about 2495₡ and takes about 4hrs. The other buses route through Ciudad Quesada though we aren’t 100% sure of the schedule but it used to be 9:10am, 12:45pm, 4:10pm. The cost from La Fortuna to Ciudad Quesada is 1915₡ and the expresso from Ciudad Quesada to San Jose is 1245₡. The expresso leaves frequently when full.
San José to Monteverde
Service with Transportes Monteverde has buses twice per day at 5:30am and 2:30pm, both ways. The price is 3035₡ (Dec 2018). The trip takes about 4.5hrs. See photo of schedule below and have a look at the Monteverde/Santa Elena to see where you end up.
Want to go from Monteverde to Arenal? This may be the coolest way to go, check it out: Monteverde to Arenal – by horseback!
Not your station?
If you are travelling to Liberia you need the Pulmitan Station. If you are looking for Quepos, Dominical, Uvita, Paso Canoas or David (Panama) you need the Tracopa Station.
Empresarios Unidos with service to Puntarenas is listed as a company that operates within this station however it appears they are still at Calle 16 and avenida 12 which is about 10 blocks south.
The trip between Puntarenas to San José costs 2585₡ as of May 2017 and takes about 3hrs.
Headed to Nicaragua? You have a few options. There is the bus to the border from the Gran Terminal del Caribe or you can use Tica Bus, Transnica, Nicabus, or Central Line.
Help your fellow traveller
If you have taken any of the buses on this page, please drop us a comment below about how the trip went, what time you left, how long it took and what it cost. And, definitely let us know if we have anything wrong.
Lets help each other in our travels!
I live in Huacas. What is the best way to get to DT San Jose?
Hi Jordan, both the Alfaro (7-10 Terminal) and Tralapa buses take you to downtown San Jose. I believe they both pass Huacas though I have not taken the bus from there yet. They leave from Tamarindo so perhaps you could give them a call to find out if they have any specific directions for getting the bus in Huacas https://centrocoasting.com/costarica/tamarindo/. Have a great trip!
Bus from Jacó to Chepe will pass the Airport? Are you sure?
We are told the bus from Jacó to San José passes the airport on the way. You would likely need to make sure your driver is aware you want to stop. It is also mentioned in this blog post https://mytanfeet.com/costa-rica-travel-tips/taking-the-bus-from-san-jose-to-playa-jaco/ Does this answer your question though, as I am not sure where Chepe is.
I am trying to buy a bus ticket from Jaco to the San Jose Airport online, but I do not know what to put as my “Destination”. There is no option for “airport” so do you know what the actual stop name is called? Thank you!
Hi Mel, we aren’t connected to the transportation companies in any way so all I can do is offer my best advice here. The Jacó bus will pass in front of the airport on its way from Jacó to San José. If they don’t give you an ‘airport’ option for drop-off, I suspect you just choose all the way to San José and then when you leave Jacó you let the driver know you are getting off at the airport so he puts your bag in the airport destination compartment below. If you are in Jacó, I would suggest just going to the ticket window the day before (across from the Best Western) and buy one – if you really want to purchase in advance.
We need to get to La Cruz Guanacoste from either Alajuela or San Jose on Friday May 19th. Any help is appreciated.
Hi Mark, as long as we are talking about the same La Cruz, the bus heading to the border with Transportes Deldu will pass through La Cruz on the way. These buses leave 9 times per day from the here in San José – https://centrocoasting.com/costarica/san-jose-gran-terminal-del-caribe/ . I am not 100% sure if you will be able to get this bus in Alajuela or not. You could try posting this question in the popular FB page https://www.facebook.com/groups/CostaRicaByBus/ as someone else may have done it and can tell you for sure.
I want to take a bus from here to The doubletree resort in Puntarenas. Which bus would that be? Do you know?
From this station, the 7-10, you can take the bus heading to Santa Teresa/Montezuma at 6am or 2pm with Transportes Cobano and get off the bus in Puntarenas when it stops there. From there you can take a taxi to your hotel. You have to pay the full price of the ticket even if you are only going to Puntarenas. Have a look here to see the Puntarenas Station https://centrocoasting.com/costarica/puntarenas/. Have a great trip!
How can I get to the 7/10 from the airport (without paying $30 for a taxi?) There must be busses? 🙂
Hi! Yes you can take a local bus from near the 7-10 station to the airport. I am sorry that I don’t have specific information about local buses in the city. I have only taken the bus to the airport from a place a few blocks away. My best advice is to ask at the 7-10 station. They will be able to show you exactly where to stand. BUT, so you know, there is some major construction taking place on a bridge on the main route on the highway and it is causing significant delays. Have a look at this article http://amcostaricaarchives.com/2017/01/trip-to-the-alajuela-airport-now-can-be-called-ordeal-by-bus/. It is expensive to take a taxi, but right now, it may be a better option. I would try to find someone to share a taxi with. If you have a flight to catch then be sure to plan ahead and leave a few hours earlier to be safe. I would recommend sleeping at a hotel/hostel near the Airport the night before. I recommend a place called Maleku if you are looking for something inexpensive. http://www.malekuhostel.com/ Best of luck and if you do try the bus, I would love if you could follow up here and let everyone know how long it took. I am not in the city right now so I can’t try it myself.
In the lower level of the station there are no convenient places to set while waiting for a bus. Believe it or not, some people are not interested in shopping but are tired travelers who need to be as comfortable as possible while waiting for their bus.
Ah man thanks for this. very helpful. dave.
¿Porqué quitaron los asientos cerca de las filas para pasar a los buses? Mis eposo y yo somos bastante mayores y no había donde sentarnos para esperar que nos permitieran montar al bus nuestro. Una terminal debe ser un lugar de SERVICIO y al no tener ni bancos donde sentarse es una falta grande. Por favor, ayudar al viajero cansado y los padres con niños pequeños que necesitan donde descansar mientras esperan sus buses.