The Pulmitan de Liberia bus station in San José has several buses per day heading to Liberia, Playa del Coco, Cañas, Tilarán, Aguas Claras, Upala, Las Juntas, Santa Cecilia.
It looks like the company has a new website: Groupos Caribeños – and they have added a schedule. Finally!
San José to Liberia
See schedule below. Directo buses are about 30minutes faster. Time to Liberia: 4.5hrs. Price 4225₡ (Feb 2019). This bus should pass the SJO airport in Alajuela. But always double-check with the driver when you get on.
San José to Upala
See schedule below. Time to Upala: 5hrs. Price 4610₡. *told the 5:15am bus is now at 5am.
San José to Cañas
See schedule below. Time to Cañas: 3.5hrs. Price 2915₡.
San José to Playa del Coco
Three buses there and 3 buses back: 8am, 2pm and 4pm. Returning from Playa del Coco to San José at 4am, 8am and 2am. The price as of May 2017 is 4665₡. Travel time 5hrs. Also have a read through this great blog post by the Costa Rica travel experts, Mytanfeet for a play by play of their trip from San José to Playa del Coco. This bus should pass the SJO airport in Alajuela. But always double-check with the driver when you get on.
San José to Tilarán
See schedule below. Directo buses are about 30minutes faster. Time to Tilarán: 5hrs. Price 4020₡. 2017.
From Tilarán you can switch buses to one that heads to La Fortuna. The bus to Tilarán is 5hrs and, although it looks close on the map, the onward bus to La Fortuna is also a few hours. If you are heading from San José to La Fortuna, the better option is to go to the 7-10 Station and get the direct bus to La Fortuna.
San José to Agua Claras
See schedule below. Time to Agua Claras: 5hrs. Price 3650₡.
San José to Las Juntas
See schedule below. Time to Las Juntas: 3.5hrs. Price 1845₡.
San José to Santa Cecilia
See schedule below. Time to Santa Cecilia: 5hrs. Price 3935₡.
Trip Planning
If you are still planning for your upcoming trip, I am told this Trip Planner from Gecko Trail is quite useful to help you prioritize where you want to spend your time! Gecko Trail is a ICT certified Travel Agency that has great core values and gives back to the community. So much to see and do in this beautiful country!
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!
Hi !!
Is there a bus schedule from from pulmitan de Liberia station in San Jose near the airport till Liberia airport
Thank you
Hi Melissa, you can head from San Jose to Liberia and then when in Liberia either get a taxi to the air port – or, you can switch to the other bus station, which is 2 blocks away from where you arrive, and get on a bus headed to Nicoya or Tamarindo and that bus will pass the airport. https://centrocoasting.com/costarica/liberia-municipal/
Just did San Jose (CR) to San Juan del Sur (NI) three days ago. I used this site – ‘centro coasting’ – to do it. Can’t thank you enough. The information you provided was exactly as you stated.
Here is the info from my trip:
Used the Pulmitan bus from San Jose to Penas Blancas (about $9). Bus was super nice, double decker, air conditioned…etc. Ride is about 5-6 hours. It is direct – only one or two other stops. I cannot recommend this bus enough – definitely exceeded my expectations.
Next, I took the regular bus from the border (Penas Blancas) to La Virgin. This was about 20 – 25 minutes and cost about $2. You can also grab a taxi from Penas Blancas directly to SJdS for about $20.
If you take the bus, get out at La Virgin. Tell the bus driver where you are going. They are super awesome about making sure tourists don’t get lost and will tell you when to get off. If you walk up the street towards SJdS there is a bus stop about 1/8 mile up the road.
Lots of times you can catch a collectivo taxi (be sure to say “collectivo” to the driver and ask how much it costs before you get in the car). If you get in a regular taxi they will try to charge you $20 – which is nutz balls expensive considering you are only 15 kilometers away. A collectivo taxi will cost only $2. A bus from the bus stop will be about $1 and will pass every hour or so.
The biggest expense I had was in Costa Rica – a $25 taxi ride from the San Jose International Airport to the Pulmitan bus station. I was in a hurry and needed to get to the Pulmitan station before the last bus at 6pm. Except for that I spent about $12 on everything else.
This is the schedule of times for the Pulmitan bus. The website is impossible to find if you are searching in English. Doesn’t even have their name in the title…which is beyond weird.
https://grupocaribenos.net/2017/12/21/canas/
Thanks, Christina! Great tips for everyone. Thanks for all the extra information.
One thing I want to confirm is that you went to Penas Blancas from this station, not the Grand Caribe correct? https://centrocoasting.com/costarica/san-jose-gran-terminal-del-caribe/
Buenas voy para Villasol en playa hermosa, voy desde San José cuál bus pasa por ahí o que me recomiendan.
Gracias
Hola, creo que el bus por Playa del Coco pasa circa. Pero es mejor a llamar el hotel a preguntar. O, hay buses del Terminal Tralapa que pasa por playas circa tambien. https://centrocoasting.com/costarica/san-jose-terminal-tralapa/
Hi guys, Thank you for having this site! A while back I took a bus from Puerto Viejo de Limon to San Jose (airport) and for the life of me I can’t remember the name of the bus company. Any ideas? I see Pulmitan de Liberia goes to the Pacific Coast but not the Tropical side, or am I seeing this wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
HI! Check out this page https://centrocoasting.com/costarica/san-jose-gran-terminal-del-caribe/
Hi the cost is 4,205 as of July 9 2018. Thank you this was so helpful!
Hi
What is the bus from San Jose to Panama city?
Thank you
I would try Ticabus. https://www.ticabus.com/ It is a long way and there is a bus that goes from capital city to capital city.
Where can I wait for the bus to Liberia in Alajuela (Airport)
Hello! You need to get to the Pulmitan de Liberia station in San Jose and get the bus from there. You can take a taxi or take a city bus. Ask one of the taxi drivers or helpers at the bus stop in front of the airport for which bus takes you close to the Pulmitan Station. https://centrocoasting.com/costarica/san-jose-pulmitan-station/
Where can I buy tickets online in advance to go from San Jose to Liberia?
Hey there, you can’t buy this ticket in advance online yet.