Finding Your Way Around Costa Rican Towns

In Costa Rica there is only one vision of urban planning: the grid system. However, there are a number of peculiarities that are essential to come to grips with if you want to find your way around with the ease. Getting around in Costa Rica towns especially if you are planning to have a Costa Rica real estate is essential. The following rules apply to all cities except Limon.

Typically, you'll see addresses written as follows: Bar Esmeralda, AV 2, C 5/7. This means that Bar Esmeralda is on Avenida 2, between Calles 5 and 7. Bar Lotto, C 5, Av 2, on the other hand, is on the corner of calle 5 and Avenida 2. Apartado (Aptdo) means "postbox", and bis means, technically, "encore": If you see "AV 6 bis" in an address it refers to another Avenida 6, right next to the original one.

Many directions, in both written and verbal form, are given in terms of meters rather than blocks. In general, one block is equivalent to 100m. Thus, "de la Escuela Presidente Vargas, 125 metros al sur, cincuenta metros al oeste", translates as "from the Presidente Vargas School, 125 meters south and 50 west". More confusingly, verbal directions are commonly given in relation to landmarks which everyone - except the visitor - knows and recognizes. Frustratingly, too, some of these landmarks may not even exist any longer. This is something to get the hang of fast: taxi drivers will often look completely bewildered if given street directions, but as soon you come up with a landmark, the proverbial light bulb goes on.