The lighthouse
Red and white at the tip.
Rodtico21 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Andrés Berrocal Soto — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Balou46 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rodtico21 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Federico Mata — CC BY 3.0 · Andrés Berrocal Soto — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Paseo de los Turistas is the seafront of Puntarenas, on a long sand spit in the Gulf of Nicoya on the Pacific. It runs beside the water with a pier, a lighthouse and small kiosks, and it is the easiest place to spend an hour or two in this old port town, near sunset or between ferry trips. The city's name means point and sands. The European Gil González Dávila reached it in 1522, but it developed only from 1840 with coffee exports, which came by oxcart over the mountains. The railway to San José was completed in 1910. The new port of Caldera was built to the south in the 1980s, yet the town stayed a popular stop on the coast. You walk a paved way beside waves and rock breakwaters, with the mountains of the Nicoya Peninsula on the horizon. At the tip of the spit is a small red and white lighthouse. The tourist pier reaches into the water, and large cruise ships sometimes call there. Well-known local food includes ceviche and the Churchill, a snow cone, so check ingredients if you avoid anything. The seafront is about 83 km in a straight line west of San José and 38 km south of Monteverde. Regular ferries leave the city for the Nicoya Peninsula. It is hot, at 30 to 35 °C by day, so morning and evening are best. The beach may not suit swimming, so ask about water conditions. Watch your belongings in crowds.
Red and white at the tip.
A long walk into the water.
Colours over the Nicoya mountains.
Seafront, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Yes, regular ferries leave for the Nicoya Peninsula.
Near sunset, when the heat eases.