General Information About Costa Rica
Phone Code
The international telephone access code is 506. City and area codes do not exist. To place a direct-dialed international call from Costa Rica, dial 001 followed by the relevant country code and number; to reach an international operator, dial 116. To reach local information, dial 113. As of March 21, 2008 telephone numbers in Costa Rica have 8 digits. Cellphone numbers are prefaced by a '8' and land-line numbers are prefaced by a '2'. From the US, you would reach a cellphone by dialing 011-506-8xxx-xxxx
Time Zone
Costa Rican time is 6 hours earlier than Greenwich mean time (GMT) or 6 hours earlier than London, 14 hours earlier than Tokyo, and 1 hour earlier than New York. Costa Rica has no daylight saving time.
Business Hours
Banks are open on weekdays 9 AM–3 PM. Shops are open from 8 or 9 AM to 5 or 6 PM (closed for a lunch break), Monday–Saturday.
Holidays
Business holidays include New Year's Day (1 January), Saint Joseph's Day (19 March), Holy Thursday (late March or early April; date varies), Good Friday (late March or early April; date varies), Juan Santamaria (11 April), Labor Day (1 May), Corpus Christi (early June, variable date), Annexation of Guanacaste (25 July), Our Lady of Los Angeles (2 August), Mother's Day (15 August), Independence Day (15 September), Columbus Day (12 October), Immaculate Conception (8 December), and Christmas Day (25 December).
Note: Most businesses close for Holy Week—from Wednesday noon through Easter Sunday.
Weather
Although Costa Rica lies wholly within the tropics, it possesses at least a dozen climatic zones. In general, the coastal regions are hotter than the central valley (for instance, in San José), where temperatures average 19° C (66° F) in January and 21° C (69° F) in July. The rainy season stretches from May to November, while the dry season runs from December to April.
Money
The Costa Rican Colón (C) is divided into 100 centimos. There are coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, and 50 colones and notes of 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, and 5,000 colones.
Money can be changed only at banks and hotel cash desks or at the airport upon arrival. Banks will usually cash traveler's checks, though they may accept only certain brands. Some small towns may not even have banks, so visitors are advised to change money before traveling to these areas and to carry small bills. Visitors from countries outside the United States may want to consider buying U.S. dollars before arriving, as those are the easiest form of foreign currency to change in Costa Rica. Changing money on the street is common but illegal.
Major credit cards are accepted by most larger hotels, car rental companies, and stores. Some of these establishments also accept U.S. dollars as payment.
Tipping
It's not customary to tip in restaurants (a service charge is included in the bill), nor is it customary to tip taxi drivers. Porters in nicer hotels usually expect about C100 per bag, and tour guides normally receive a tip of C300–400 per person per day.
Measurements
Although the metric system is established in most of the country, some of the old Spanish measurements still survive in vernacular usage. Street directions, for example, are often given as 100 varas (the Spanish "yard," equivalent to 83 centimeters/33 inches).
Electricity
Electrical current in Costa Rica is 110/220 volts AC, 60 Hz. Plugs with two flat, parallel pins are standard, though you may also see three rectangular pins. Visitors from abroad who wish to operate personal small electronic items should bring a plug adapter and a transformer.
