Bus:
To Atenas
Direct buses depart the Coca-Cola Terminal in San Jose for Atenas every hour, Monday through Sunday, usually from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. The trip lasts approximately one hour and 15 minutes and costs ¢585, or just over $1. Buses travel via the Autopista and stop at the international airport on request.
Direct buses from Alajuela leave the El Pacifico station located one block south of the TUASA bus terminal roughly every hour from 6 a.m. until 10:30 p.m., Monday through Sunday. The trip takes 45 minutes and costs ¢410.
Leaving Atenas
The bus station in Atenas is located a couple of blocks west of the Catholic Church. Direct buses depart Atenas for Alajuela and San Jose every hour, usually from 4:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased either in advance or on the bus a few minutes before departure.
For all Atenas bus inquiries call Coopetransatenas R.L. Tel: 506-2-446-5767
Car:
Take Highway 1 (the Autopista) from San Jose or the airport.
Route 1 - follow signs to San Ramon, and continue straight ahead for ten to fifteen minutes and take the exit for Jaco and Quepos/Manuel Antonio. There is a sign here for Punta Leona and for Atenas (14km). Take this exit and turn left at the stop sign, crossing back over Route 1. Reset your trip odometer here to follow our detailed directions.
The road from here on out is relatively good, but very curvy and steep in some of the mountain passes. Passing should be done with extreme caution, though there are several long, straight sections. There are no lines on the road, so assume it is two ways at all times.
Note: About two kilometers from the Autopista is the Fiesta del Maiz (The Corn Party) which serves good Costa Rican food and specializes in corn dishes. They have a tall sign with a triangular tip that rotates around when they are open. This is a great place to stop for a snack along the way. On Sundays, there is often a traffic jam at this popular restaurant.
The road gets curvy shortly after this and as you descend, the 1st bridge goes over Río Grande. (It is one of the first and oldest bridges in Costa Rica.)
A few winding kilometers after the bridge brings you to Atenas.
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