Top attractions and things to do in Puntarenas
Puntarenas is a special city and region with plenty of options to entertain you for a few days. You will find beautiful beaches, special activities, cultural activities and undiscovered places. Puntarenas should definitely be in your itinerary.
#1 Discover the docks
It has to be said that Puntarenas’ streets exude a certain melancholy charm, and the local economy is starting to improve.
The southerly promenade is optimistically called Paseo de los Turistas. From fits eastern end, the old dock crooks out into the gulf. This is where bananas and coffee were loaded, before all the big shipping traffic shifted 18km down the coast to Puerto Caldera.
These days it's used by giant cruise ships and lined with street vendors. The docks on the northern, estuary side, are a jungle of ketches and sturdy mini-trawlers testifying to a thriving fishing industry.
Despite the aura of hot lassitude, plenty of business is conducted in the few blocks surrounding the docks, especially in the hectic Mercado Municipal.
One block west (Av 3, at C 3), the Casa Fait is the city’s most attractive building, a delicate Art Nouveau home completed in 1925.
#2 Uncover history at Casa de la Cultura and Museo Histórico Marino
In the centre of town, the pale orange colonial-style Casa de la Cultura — the former police headquarters and jail — exhibits evocative fin-de-siècle photographs documenting Puntarenas’s former prosperity.
Sepia images of tough fishermen hang alongside photos of white-clad ladies whose husbands made their wealth from coffee exports.
The Casa’s Museo Histórico Marino has a rundown of the region’s archaeology, biology and history, focusing on the town’s relationship with the sea that virtually surrounds it.
#3 Meet marine-life at Parque Marino del Pacífico
Two blocks east of the bus station, Parque Marino del Pacífico is a small, well-maintained aquarium and rescue centre dedicated to Costa Rica’s marine life.
Among the species here are clown fish, nurse sharks, seahorses, eels and anemones.
There’s also a (marine life-free) swimming pool for children.
Best areas to stay
If you’re catching an early ferry to Paquera or Playa Naranjo, you may find the budget hotels around the north-shore docks quite handy. That said, be warned that at night this area can be seedy — at some of the more dismal hotels the clientele might not be there to sleep.
Even considering Costa Rica’s tropical climate, Puntarenas stands out as an exceptionally hot town. As a result, wherever you stay, make sure your room has a fan (or even better a/c) that works. Otherwise, you’ll be as baked as a ceramic pot by morning.
- Hotel Alamar: the spacious rooms in this family-friendly hotel have a/c, free wi-fi, and private bathrooms, plus there are two pools, a hot tub and restaurant.
- Hotel Las Brisas: a cheerful, clean waterfront hotel on the peninsula’s southwestern tip. Some rooms have balconies overlooking the Gulf of Nicoya.
Explore more places to stay in Puntarenas.
Best restaurants and bars
Puntarenas is known for its seafood, best experienced at the beachside sodas near the old dock.
Alternatively, pick up an inexpensive meal in the market, but avoid drinking anything made with the local water.
- El Shrimp Shack: especially well known for its buffalo shrimp in blue cheese sauce, ceviche, curry coconut shrimp and hefty shrimp burgers.
- Soda La Macarena: this small soda with ocean views serves up cheap, delicious dishes, from fruit plates to toasted sandwiches.
Find out more about eating and drinking in Costa Rica.