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Costa Rica travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Arenal Volcano
Arenal Volcano. Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
11hflight from London
Colóncurrency
No visafor UK passports
Type A, Bplugs

Cloud forests, sloths and pura vida

Don't miss

  1. Arenal Volcano
  2. Monteverde cloud forest
  3. Manuel Antonio
Good forWildlife & safariAdventureBeaches

Best time to visit Costa Rica from the UK

Best value: May, Nov. Dec–Apr: dry season; Jul–Aug has a short dry spell. Busiest and priciest: Dec–Apr.

22.7 C23°J23.5 C24°F24.8 C25°M25.2 C25°A24.3 C24°M23.5 C24°J23.4 C23°J23.4 C23°A23 C23°S22.6 C23°O22.5 C22°N22.5 C22°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in San José, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in San José for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: May and NovemberThe warmest of the best-value months (22–24°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Dec–AprUsually 22–25°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: Jun–OctAround 23–24°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, though often because of rain or heat.
  • Warmest: April (25°C) · coolest: November (22°C)Temperatures barely change through the year, so the season matters more than the weather.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
22.723.524.825.224.323.523.423.42322.622.522.5

Festivals and events

  • Envision Festival Feb–Mar · Uvita
  • Fiestas de Palmares Jan · Palmares

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 11h
Distance
8,705 km
Main airport
SJO

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Costa Rica to your bucket list Search flights to SJO

Practical info and travel guidance

ColónCapital: San José
Type A, B · 120VBring a UK adapter; check chargers say 100-240V
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
911
EmergencyPolice, fire, ambulance
Safe in citiesBottled elsewhere
  • VisaNo visa neededUp to 180 days
  • HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
  • LGBT+ travellersLegal and broadly accepted
  • Women travellersFCDO warns of sexual assault or harassmentTake extra care at night and with drinks.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Costa Rica, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 19 May 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Costa Rica before you book and again before you go.

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