The BEST ways to get from San Jose to Santa Teresa in 2025 🌴

If you’re landing in San Jose and planning to head to Santa Teresa, you’ve come to the right place! Santa Teresa is an awesome beach town with the coolest laid-back atmosphere, surf and yoga and parties options. Here are the best ways to get from San Jose to Santa Teresa.

Joining two destinations in Costa Rica is always an adventure, due to the country’s mountainous geography, vast expanses of protected nature and few roads…

But that’s also the exact reason we travel to this fabulously green country, right?

Having travelled extensively in the country, we’ve already explained how to get from San Jose to Monteverde and Monteverde to La Fortuna. Today, we’ve made it easy for you by breaking down the most convenient ways to travel from San Jose to Santa Teresa.

How to get from San Jose to Santa Teresa?

Whether you’re looking to save money, travel quickly, or enjoy the scenic journey, there are different ways to join these two places: by car, shuttle, buses… Let’s dive right into it!

Speaking of diving, did you know Tortuga Island near Santa Teresa is one of the best places to go scuba diving in Costa Rica?

Driving from San Jose to Santa Teresa 🚗

The most flexible option for getting from San Jose to Santa Teresa is by car. It’s the most convenient way to travel anywhere in Costa Rica, especially if you are on a Costa Rica 10-day itinerary or more!

You have two options while driving from San Jose to Santa Teresa.

Drive with a ferry crossing from San Jose to Santa Teresa ⛴️

The first option takes a little over 5 hours and includes a ferry. Drive to Puntarenas on Ruta Nacional Primaria 27 and 23 for about an hour and a half. 

Hop on the ferry with your car and admire the views as it crosses the Gulf of Nicoya for another hour and a half. The ferry service is operated by Coonatramar and offers multiple daily departures, both ways. You can check departure hours on Coonatramar official website.

It’s recommended to arrive 40 minutes before the departure, and the fare for a passenger and his car is about $20 USD.

Exit the ferry at Playa Naranjo. Then, it’s the final one hour and a half drive to Santa Teresa Beach on Ruta Nacional Secundaria 160.

Drive from San José to Santa Teresa avoiding the ferry ⛴️❌

If you don’t take the ferry, the drive will take you around 6 hours. You still have to drive to Puntaneras on  Ruta Nacional Primaria 27 and 23 for about an hour and a half. Then, follow Ruta 1 until Limonal.

At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Ruta Nacional Primaria 18 and follow that road for about 50 kilometers. You are now on Nicoya Peninsula land!

Turn left at Typical Food Guanacaste, on Ruta Nacional Primaria 21 until Paquera. Your final turn is on Ruta Nacional Secundaria 160, which will take you straight to the wonderful Santa Teresa beach!

Road Conditions for San Jose to Santa Teresa

The majority of the roads to Santa Teresa are paved and in good condition.

However, on your trip to Costa Rica, you’ll quickly notice that although most of the roads are in good condition, they’re not all flat. We recommend renting a powerful car to ensure a smooth ride.

3 Tips for Driving in Costa Rica

1. Rent a great car for your road trip

First, as we just said, rent a comfortable and powerful car to ensure a smooth driving experience. Due to the mountainous geography of the country, the journey from one town to another can get quite long.

We recommend renting a car in advance online. And that’s when Discover Cars enters the game! We can’t stress enough how helpful this online comparator is. It lists both international and local car rental companies, so you get the best rental deal and insurance.

2. Do not drive at night

Driving at night is not recommended in Costa Rica, and you will pass through many rural areas. Roads can be winding and poorly lit. In the event of a problem, it will be more difficult to get help nearby.

Furthermore, since Costa Rica is a very wild country, you’re more likely to encounter wild animals at night. Be very careful, day and night!

3. Don’t leave San Jose at peak time

Traffic around San José can be very heavy. We recommend that you start your journey to Santa Teresa before the morning rush, which takes place between 7 and 9 a.m.

If you’re traveling in the opposite direction, from Santa Teresa to San Jose, avoid being in the vicinity of San Jose when people are returning home from work, between 4 and 6 pm.

Shuttles from San Jose to Santa Teresa 🚐

For those who don’t feel comfortable navigating unknown roads on your own, Costa Rica has a very common way to travel, and it’s shuttles! Those minivans can either be a shared one with other travelers, or a private one for your fellow travelers only.

Private shuttles from San Jose to Santa Teresa

A private minivan is great if you are a large group of people traveling in Costa Rica. Let’s say you would like to go from the capital to the surf town of Santa Teresa with your family or friends, then a private shuttle can actually be cheaper if you manage to fully fill the car.

This option costs around $200 to $250 USD in total.

Another advantage is that you have less chance to have your shuttle cancelled, since it’s full. On the other hand, a shared shuttle will be cancelled if there are not enough people booking it. It happened to me, twice!

Shared shuttles from San Jose to Santa Teresa

This is the option I chose to get from Santa Teresa to San Jose during my Costa Rica trip. This is ideal if you’re travelling on a budget, yet still want to have a secured door-to-door service.

I don’t see any downside to sharing the car with other backpackers. Companies like Tropical Tours Shuttles and Interbus offer door-to-door services and typically depart in the morning and afternoon.

The trip usually lasts about 5 to 6 hours and costs around $50 USD per person. This is one of the safest ways to travel solo in Costa Rica, and also a great way to meet other travelers.

Bus from San Jose to Santa Teresa 🚌

Travelling by bus in Costa Rica is absolutely doable, yet it needs a bit of time and planning! Even if it’s not the most convenient way to travel, it’s a game changer for your bank account.

To go from San Jose to Santa Teresa, you first need to take a bus to Cobano. 

The company Transportes Cobano offers one daily trip leaving San Jose at 6AM and reaches Cobano 5 hours and a half later. The ticket costs $17 USD and it includes a ferry bound in the middle of the journey!

Then, from Cobano, look for the local buses for Santa Teresa Beach. The trip lasts around 45 minutes and costs $2 USD.

📜 Story time: I went from Monteverde to Santa Teresa by public transport, and I have very fond memories of it, even though it was quite a journey: I took a bus to Puntaneras, then shared a cab with travelers I met on the bus to the port, took the ferry, then another bus to Santa Teresa beach! I ended up spending all my time in Santa Teresa with the girls I’d met on the first bus.

Flights from San Jose to Santa Teresa (via Cobano) ✈️

Can we fly to Santa Teresa Costa Rica? While Santa Teresa itself doesn’t have an airport, you can fly into Cobano Airport, located about 30 minutes away by car or taxi. 

Flights from San Jose’s Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO) to Cobano (ACO) last about 30 minutes. Several small airlines, such as Sansa and Costa Rica Green Airlines, offer daily flights. 

From there, you can either rent a car, take a taxi, or book a shuttle to reach Santa Teresa.

We don’t recommend this option. First, it’s definitely not ecological to take a flight for such a short distance, and second, it can be pricier, with flights averaging $120 to $150 USD one-way.

Taxi from San Jose to Santa Teresa 🚕

We don’t recommend taking a cab, as the journey is particularly long.

As going from San Jose Airport to Santa Teresa takes at least 5 hours, it’s not certain that you’ll be able to find a driver willing to make the round trip without notice. Book a private shuttle instead!

San Jose to Santa Teresa FAQs

What is the cheapest way to get from San Jose to Santa Teresa?

The most affordable option is the public bus, though it does take longer and may not be as comfortable. But traveling in Costa Rica is all about making lifelong memories, right?

What is the fastest way to get from San Jose to Santa Teresa? 

The fastest way is to take a flight from San Jose to Tambor Airport, followed by a short drive to Santa Teresa. However, it’s also the most expensive and less-ecological option. We recommend taking a shuttle instead.

So, what is THE best way to get from San Jose to Santa Teresa?

The best way to get from Santa Teresa to San Jose, or the opposite way, is to book a shuttle! Everything is taken care of, you don’t need to drive and can enjoy the views, and it’s not that expensive.

Best time to travel from San Jose to Santa Teresa

The best time to make the trip from San Jose to Santa Teresa is during the dry season, which typically lasts from December to April. This will ensure better road conditions and a more comfortable journey.

If you’re traveling during the rainy season (May to November), don’t worry: the roads will be okay, just a bit muddy from time to time. Another tip for when you get out of your car: don’t wear your favourite shoes and don’t go anywhere without your rain jacket!

Where to stay in Santa Teresa?

We actually wrote a full on post on the best hotels in Santa Teresa, from affordable hostels to luxury treehouse hotels… Here are our top 3 accommodations.

Where to stay in San Jose?

Even if you weren’t travelling from San Jose to Santa Teresa, or the opposite, there is a high probably that you’ll be in San Jose, the capital of the country, at some point. Here are the best accommodations, near the airport or in the city center!

San Jose to Santa Teresa: Final Thoughts

Whether you’re seeking the quickest route or the most budget-friendly option, there are many ways to travel between San Jose and Santa Teresa. Each method offers its own set of advantages depending on your priorities.

Enjoy the journey, and once you arrive, you’ll be welcomed by the stunning beaches and surf culture of Santa Teresa! 

Explore more of the country, like the best hot springs in Costa Rica, the wonderful Rio Celeste Waterfall in the north of the country, or the unexpected… Costa Rica ancient ruins!

What is it that you love so much about Costa Rica? Its nature, beaches, culture, food…? Here are 15 places like Costa Rica to visit on our blue planet.