This Halloween, be a part of Costa Rica’s fun and free costumed tradition — fling yourself into the contagious festivals and parades that flood the streets during…

(In this monthly column, schoolteacher and mom Ilana Long explores fun things to do in Costa Rica that cost absolutely nada.) As each weekend approaches, I like to…

Craft beer lovers in Costa Rica have a new place to imbibe while mingling with kindred spirits, listening to great music and trying out some of Costa…

Editor’s note: With this story, Tico Times Travel launches a monthly column called “Fun and free in Costa Rica,” by Ilana Long — short dispatches on interesting…

While recently perusing Facebook I noticed an upcoming event that piqued my attention: a tour of the Grand Masonic Lodge of Costa Rica, organized by a group…

PRUSIA, Cartago — On the way home from visiting Sanatorio Durán, the abandoned old hospital said to be the most haunted place in Costa Rica, I received…

SARCHÍ, Alajuela — Sarchí is the birthplace of the brilliantly painted oxcarts that are a national symbol of Costa Rica, and the Eloy Alfaro oxcart factory is the epicenter.…

Every city has its secrets, every history its dark side. Scandals! Crimes! Duels! But there are also hidden treasures and heroes. Walking tours of Alajuela with historian…

SANTA ANA, San José — Suppose you had only one day to spend in the (usually) sunny valley of Valle del Sol. What to do? We asked…

CIUDAD COLÓN, San José — Home to the University for Peace, a unique graduate school founded by a U.N. treaty, Ciudad Colón has been called the most…