Alajuela
La Fortuna
Explore by geography
Costa Rica by Province
Start with a province, choose a city, then open its Visit guide or tour catalog. City hubs carry the deep planning content; provinces help you navigate.
Start here
Popular cities
Geographic hubs
Provinces with destinations
Each province page helps you pick a city — then jump into a Visit guide or live tour catalog.
San José
Capital gateway, day trips, and Central Valley culture
San José
Explore province→Alajuela
Arenal volcano, hot springs, and northern adventures
La Fortuna · Alajuela
Explore province→
Guanacaste
Pacific beaches, surf, and dry-forest wildlife
Tamarindo · Liberia · Playa Flamingo · Sámara
Explore province→
Puntarenas
Central Pacific beaches, cloud forest, and the Osa
Jacó · Los Sueños · Quepos · Monteverde · Santa Teresa · Drake Bay · Puerto Jiménez · Sierpe · Puntarenas
Explore province→
Limón
Caribbean canals, culture, and sea turtles
Tortuguero · Limón
Explore province→Coming soon
Cartago · Heredia — not indexed until city hubs go live.
Travel guide
How to choose a Costa Rica province
Costa Rica’s seven provinces are a useful map for trip planning — but most travelers book around cities and hubs (La Fortuna, Jacó, Tamarindo, Quepos, Monteverde), not province names alone.
A simple path
- Pick a region that matches your trip: volcano/adventure (Alajuela), Pacific beaches (Guanacaste or Puntarenas), or Caribbean canals (Limón).
- Open a city Visit guide for tips, dining, and logistics.
- Use city Tours pages when you are ready to compare live Viator experiences.
New to the Central Pacific? Start with Visit Jacó or the Puntarenas province hub for more coastal options.
Good to know
FAQs about Costa Rica provinces
Should I plan my trip by province or by city?
Plan by city hub first — that is where lodging, tours, and transfers cluster. Use province pages to discover which cities sit in the same region.
Which province is best for first-time visitors?
Many first-timers combine Alajuela (La Fortuna / Arenal) with a Pacific stop in Puntarenas (Jacó or Quepos) or Guanacaste (Tamarindo), depending on flight gateway.
Why are Cartago and Heredia marked coming soon?
Those province pages stay noindex until we publish destination city hubs worth ranking. Focus on provinces that already link to Visit guides and tour catalogs.