La Fortuna Central Park
Downtown La Fortuna
The heart of town, with benches and gardens. On clear days Arenal Volcano rises behind the church, and that photo costs nothing.
History and culture
Places in this category
Arenal Dam (Sangregado Dam)
Dam and eastern lakeshore · 17.3 km · 21 min
The road to Nuevo Arenal and Tilarán runs over the dam that created today's Lake Arenal. From there you can see the reservoir and, on a clear day, the volcano behind it.
Nuevo Arenal
Nuevo Arenal · 45.6 km · 58 min
The town built for the families of old Arenal when the reservoir covered their original village. It sits on the lake's northern shore, roughly an hour's drive from La Fortuna.
Ciudad Quesada Municipal Market
Ciudad Quesada and around · 46.6 km · 45 min
The downtown municipal market, which the ICT recommends for trying the area's traditional food. Walking around is free; eating is paid.
Ciudad Quesada Central Park
Ciudad Quesada and around · 46.7 km · 45 min
The main square of San Carlos' head town, with a 1953 bandstand, play areas and, from time to time, fairs and free shows. The cathedral stands opposite.
Ciudad Quesada Cathedral
Ciudad Quesada and around · 47 km · 45 min
A modern concrete-and-steel cathedral opposite the central park. Inside stands a Christ the Redeemer about 7 metres tall by sculptor Édgar Zúñiga.
Zarcero Park and its cypress topiaries
Zarcero · 74 km · 79 min
Hand-clipped cypress arches and figures in front of the church of Zarcero, a mountain town on Route 141. A good stop if you travel between La Fortuna and San José.
Tilarán central park and cathedral
Tilarán · 74.5 km · 94 min
Tilarán's central park, built from 1966, opposite the cathedral of San Antonio de Padua. It is the starting point for the walk up to the Parque del Viento lookout.
Under review in this category
La Fortuna Farmers' Market
Downtown La Fortuna
A local produce market that older sources place downtown. Under review until we can confirm the day, time and place.
Why it's under review: The only source with a day, time and place is from 2022, and the bullring it used as a landmark was going to be demolished for a convention centre. An agro-ecological market ran on Mondays in the park in 2018. We found no current source confirming either one.
Viejo Arenal
Tronadora and Viejo Arenal ·
The site of the old village of Arenal, most of which ended up under the lake. The municipality recommends it as an outing with views of the lake and the volcano.
Why it's under review: The Tilarán Municipality recommends it for an outing, but we do not know the state of the road or whether the shore is public or private. It is also far away, about 80 minutes by car from La Fortuna according to the OpenStreetMap router.