I am thinking about going to Costa Rica for about 10 days during the summer with 4 friends. I have never been south of the border so forgive my naivete. We'd like to get a feel for the country. Would it be a good idea to stay in San Jose, or somewhere along on the coast (and if so where) or to do both? Is 10 days too short a time to be there? I realize the summer is the rainy season; would it be better to scrap this trip for the summer or would it be worthwhile? (We are planning to go the first 10 days in July).

There is no problem at all with traveling to Costa Rica during the rainy season. The rains only come in the middle to late afternoon and don't last very long. They are usually light. Especially in the northwest area. 10 Days is an ideal time. It would help to know what your interests are. A good rule of thumb is to spend a couple of days in the central valley exploring the outlying areas around San Jose (Poas Volcano, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, little towns of Sarchi, Grecia, larger towns of Heredia, Alajuela, up to the Sarapiqui area, areas to the southeast--Cartago, Turrialba, Orosi Valley)--much to choose from here, then perhaps check out 2 of the following areas:

Arenal Volcano (north and west of San Jose)

Manuel Antonio Park (central Pacific coast

Beaches of Guanacaste (north Pacific coast)

Caribbean coast

Osa Peninsula (WAY down south--you do have time to do this)

Buy yourself a good guide book (Lonely Planet has a fairly recent edition out) and you can discover the areas you might be most interested in). It is very difficult to go wrong with whatever you choose as every area of the country has something wonderful to offer!

Thanks shillmac. Would we be able to stay in one central location (like San Jose) and do day trips of the places you mentioned. Also, what is the best way to get around. Would we need to rent a car, or are there tours or public transportation available?

While exploring the central valley, you would want to base yourself somewhere (hopefully outside the city amidst the natural beauty) for 2 or 3 days. There are many folks who, on this forum, can suggest great places to stay. One that comes to mind is Hotel Bouganvillea. The prices range all over the place, but most are clean and neat with good service even if the accomodations are more basic. We prefer to rent a car and do it ourselves, but others prefer to hire the driving--you are sure to hear great suggestions regarding that method of transportation! Others (and this is a particularly desirable option, I think) hire a driver/guide to show them all the best places around the central valley. Read some of the other posts, the info is already here for you!

Ten days is a short time in Costa Rica but, then again, 1 month is a short time there to me. It would give you the opportunity to get a good feel for the country though. The Costa Ricans, for the most part, are a very nice people. Petty theft is a problem so don't leave your personal items in a car unattended. Don't wear jewelry, don't flash a lot of cash.

Keep in mind that a 10 day trip usually translates into 8 good days in country. With such a short time, I would pick 2 or possibly 3 places.
The end of June-early July is considered little summer so you should have some good weather.

Depending on what you like you could spend the night near the airport (depending on when you arrive), rent a car (have it delivered to your hotel the next morning to save airport taxes), and take a slow ride through Zarcero, Sarchi, Grecia (not in that order) and make your way to Arenal for 2 or 3 nights. There are lots of options for day trips from there.

From there it would be a 5-6 hr drive to Manuel Antonio where you would see monkeys and all kinds of things. Lots to do there. 3 nights in Manuel Antonio and then you could go to San Jose (or one of the burbs like Heredia or Alajuela) and take some day trips from there. Visit a coffee plantation, La Paz waterfall garden, Cartago, Poas, Irazu, Sarapiqui-lots of options.
Another option which I am sure Neta will address is to spend a night near the new Turubari park as you head back towards San Jose. You would only be about 1 1/2 hr from San Jose I believe so you could easily get back to San Jose on the day you leave if you leave later in the day. If not, you should spend your last night in or near San Jose. El Pueblo can be a fun place at night if you are in the city.

Obviously, if you have the whole 10 days to travel, you could add another place.

The above ideas would take you to a live volcano, hot springs, 3 lovely little towns as well as others that you will be driving through, beaches, rainforest and the central valley.
Other transportation options which could influence your time tables in different places would be to hire a driver as was mentioned, use the private buses (Fantasy Bus, Interbus) or even the public buses. The public buses, once you get out of San Jose are not that bad to use. San Jose can be tricky because there are several bus stations.

Hey Suzie - you make me sound so predictable ;-)
I really have very little to add, as I think Suzie and Shillmac have mentioned the best way to go about a 10 day trip. The only think I want to suggest is that you read an old post called "some thoughts about planning a trip to Costa Rica", which you may find helpful. Turubari Park's website, by the way, is www.turubari.com.
Have a great trip! Feel free to write me directly as well, for more information.
Pura vida,
Neta Talmor

Hi, I too am planning a trip and have been reading this board for over a month. I suggest you spend a few hours reading old messages from this board and you will get more info than you can use. All your questions have been answered many times. Good luck!

Regarding the old post regarding thoughts about planning a trip....I would like to make a few other points.
When asking for itinerary advice on this board, it would save you (and us) a lot of time if you would include the times of day you arrive and depart. That makes a HUGE difference. We can help you so much better if we know those. Also, not to be nosey, a general idea of your price range. Costa Rica has places for every budget so it would help us if you could narrow it down just a bit. Some people just don't want to pay those $300-$400 a night costs. There are even places as cheap as $10 a night.
Also, as Bobby just mentioned, many of the more general questions asked on a regular basis have been answered. It is very easy to just type in a keyword or two and get the answers.
No two trips are going to be identical so individual advice is always needed and advice gladly given by all of us. After your first trip you will be on here giving advice because CR is a very easy country to get to know.