10 Things You Must Know: San Carlos

La Fortuna De San Carlos Catholic Church | Photo by Gerwin Filius

San Carlos, Costa Rica

1. Name of city in its Native Language: La Fortuna de San Carlos
2. Official Language: Spanish
3. Currency: Costa Rican colón ₡
4. Time Zone: Central Standard Time (CST)
5. Closest Airport: Juan Santamaria Intl Airport or Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport
6. Getting Around: The airport is a few hours away, so you'll need to get to San Carlos by bus or car rental. Once you arrive, you can take advantage of tourist charter buses, metered taxis, public buses, or bike rentals to visit the sights. TripAdvisor gives a pretty thorough list of relevant links and information in their article Costa Rica: Transportation.
7. Climate: Tropical (more detail)
8. Tipping: Included in the bill for restaurant waiters; 25-50 cents per bag for hotel porters and $1 a day for housekeepers; small amount to cabbies if you have luggage, $5-10 for full-day drivers.
9. Entry Requirements: Passport required; Tourist Visa is not required for stays of 90 days or less, but tourists must present a return ticket. Visitors must pay a departure tax of 29 USD when leaving. Yellow fever vaccinations are required if arriving from some countries in South America or Sub-Saharan Africa.
10. Culture Tip: Costa Ricans are very polite, so always say please and thank you, and try not raise your voice in anger. It is common to say hello and goodbye to friends and acquaintances with a light kiss on the cheek, or an air kiss accompanied by a kissing sound. Note that women kiss women and women kiss men, but men do not kiss men; instead, they either shake hands or give each other a one-armed hug. 

What did we miss? What kind of essential information do you look up while planning a trip? Tell us in the comments!