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By car · 2 days

Two free days, La Fortuna, the lake and Ciudad Quesada

A weekend without paying admission, with the volcano and the lake on day one and Ciudad Quesada and its views on day two.

It combines several of this guide's plans into two days. Day one stays near La Fortuna; day two is about 45 minutes away. The only unavoidable cost is transport.

Step by step

  1. Day 1: La Fortuna and the lake.

  2. La Fortuna Central Park

    Free

    Downtown La Fortuna

    Early on, the photo of the church with the volcano, before the clouds roll in.

    View page · Directions with Google Maps

  3. Arenal Dam (Sangregado Dam)

    Free with conditions

    Dam and eastern lakeshore

    17.3 km · 21 min from the previous stop

    Look at the lake from the dam.

    View page · Directions with Google Maps

  4. El Castillo

    Free with conditions

    El Castillo

    12 km · 21 min from the previous stop

    Walk up the village streets to see the lake and the volcano from the other side. Head back to La Fortuna (23 km).

    View page · Directions with Google Maps

  5. Day 2: Ciudad Quesada.

  6. Ciudad Quesada Central Park

    Free

    Ciudad Quesada and around · 46.7 km from the central park

    The park and its bandstand, 47 km from La Fortuna.

    View page · Directions with Google Maps

  7. Ciudad Quesada Cathedral

    Free with conditions

    Ciudad Quesada and around · 47 km from the central park

    Opposite the park.

    View page · Directions with Google Maps

  8. Ciudad Quesada Municipal Market

    Free with conditions

    Ciudad Quesada and around · 46.6 km from the central park

    A few blocks away, to watch city life.

    View page · Directions with Google Maps

  9. San Vicente above Ciudad Quesada and its volcano views

    Free with conditions

    Ciudad Quesada and around

    9.1 km · 17 min from the previous stop

    If it is clear, drive up to see the volcanoes before heading back to La Fortuna.

    View page · Directions with Google Maps

Route map

The plan's stops. Distances are driving estimates calculated with OpenStreetMap.

Before you set out

  • It rains almost all year in the Northern Zone. Keep an indoor option (the cathedral and the market) just in case.

Sources

  1. ICT — Mini guía La Fortuna (flipbook, p. 3) Official

    ict.go.cr · checked on

  2. Costa Rica Vibes Travel guide

    costaricavibes.com · published · checked on

  3. San Carlos Digital – El parque de Ciudad Quesada cumplió 70 años Local media

    sancarlosdigital.com · published · checked on

  4. Teletica – San Vicente de San Carlos, la joya turística que da sus primeros pasos National media

    teletica.com · published · checked on

  5. IMN – Clima de la Zona Norte (PDF) Official

    imn.ac.cr · published · checked on

  6. Enrutador FOSSGIS/OSRM sobre datos de OpenStreetMap (routing.openstreetmap.de) Map

    routing.openstreetmap.de · checked on

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