# Things to see in Cartago, Costa Rica (Costa Rica): 12 places and when to go > Cartago, Costa Rica is a city in Costa Rica with around 197,000 inhabitants, and this site lists 12 places in and around it, mainly Nature (8), Mountains (4), Wildlife (3). The best known are Irazú Volcano, Guayabo National Monument and Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, Cartago. The best time to come is December to March; also possible: April to August and November. In June there are 12 h 34 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 26. Here is what there is, when to go, how to get there and what else is nearby. - Address: https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/cartago/ - Reviewed on: 2026-10-08 - Language: en ## In a nutshell - **Where:** Costa Rica · 9.87, -83.93 - **Population:** About 197,000 - **Places:** 12 places on this site, in the town and around it. - **What people come for:** [Nature](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/naturaleza/) (8) · [Mountains](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/montana/) (4) · [Wildlife](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/fauna/) (3) · [Temples](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/espiritual/) (2) · [History](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/historia/) (1) · [Museums and art](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/museos/) (1) - **Best time:** December to March. - **Also possible:** April to August and November. - **Nearest airport:** SJO San José (Alajuela), 34 km as the crow flies - **Highest point:** Irazú Volcano, at 3,432 m. ## What to see in Cartago, Costa Rica The places in and around Cartago, Costa Rica, best known first, each with its own page: what it is, when to go and what is next to it. Distances are from the centre, as the crow flies. - [Irazú Volcano](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/irazu-volcano/): Mountain in Costa Rica · 15 km - [Guayabo National Monument](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/monumento-nacional-guayabo/): Protected area in Costa Rica · 28 km - [Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, Cartago](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/basilica-de-nuestra-senora-de-los-angeles/): Church building in Cartago, Costa Rica · 2.0 km - [Irazú Volcano National Park](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/irazu-volcano-national-park/): National park · 14 km - [Orosi Church](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/iglesia-colonial-de-orosi/): Colonial church in Costa Rica · 12 km - [Cerro Cabeza de Vaca](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/cerro-cabeza-de-vaca/): Mountain in Costa Rica · 12 km - [Cerro Gurdián](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/cerro-gurdian/): Mountain in Costa Rica · 13 km - [Cerro Carpintera](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/cerro-la-carpintera/): Mountain in Costa Rica · 6.1 km - [Cerro Vueltas](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/cerro-vueltas/): Mountain in Costa Rica · 29 km - [Vueltas Hill Biological Reserve](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/reserva-biologica-cerro-las-vueltas/): Protected area in Costa Rica · 29 km - [Museo Municipal de Cartago](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/museo-municipal-de-cartago/): Museum · 1.2 km - [Termales Hacienda Orosi](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/termales-hacienda-orosi/): Hot spring · 15 km ## When to go to Cartago, Costa Rica The best time to visit Cartago, Costa Rica is **December to March**; also possible: April to August and November. This comes from its own places: a month counts as the town's best time when it is the best time for half of what there is to see. | Mes | Época | Hours of daylight | | --- | --- | --- | | January | Best time | 11 h 29 | | February | Best time | 11 h 41 | | March | Best time | 11 h 56 | | April | Possible | 12 h 13 | | May | Possible | 12 h 27 | | June | Possible | 12 h 34 | | July | Possible | 12 h 31 | | August | Possible | 12 h 20 | | September | Better not | 12 h 03 | | October | Better not | 11 h 47 | | November | Possible | 11 h 32 | | December | Best time | 11 h 26 | In June there are 12 h 34 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 26. In January, 12 of the 12 places are at their best. When to go to Costa Rica in general, with its festivals and peak seasons, is in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/#cuando-ir). ## Getting to Cartago, Costa Rica The nearest main airport is Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO, San José (Alajuela)), 34 km as the crow flies. How to get around Costa Rica (train, car, bus) is in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/#moverse), and what to sort out before you leave is in [its checklist](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/#antes-de-salir). - [Where it is](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=9.87%2C-83.93) - [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=9.87%2C-83.93) ## Other towns nearby - [San José, Costa Rica](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/san-jose/): 39 places · 19 km - [Heredia, Costa Rica](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/heredia/): 12 places · 25 km - [Guacimo](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/guacimo/): 6 places · 35 km - [Alajuela](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/alajuela/): 11 places · 37 km - [Quesada, San Carlos](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/quesada/): 11 places · 76 km - [Puntarenas](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/puntarenas/): 8 places · 100 km And all of Costa Rica, in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is there to see in Cartago, Costa Rica? The best known: [Irazú Volcano](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/irazu-volcano/), [Guayabo National Monument](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/monumento-nacional-guayabo/), [Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, Cartago](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/basilica-de-nuestra-senora-de-los-angeles/), [Irazú Volcano National Park](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/irazu-volcano-national-park/), [Orosi Church](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/iglesia-colonial-de-orosi/). In all, 12 places in the town and around it, all on your trip map from day one. ### When is the best time to visit Cartago, Costa Rica? December to March; also possible: April to August and November. In June there are 12 h 34 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 26. ### How do you get to Cartago, Costa Rica? The nearest main airport is Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), 34 km away. From there, [directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=9.87%2C-83.93) opens the route on the map. ### How do I add it to my trip? Create a trip with Cartago, Costa Rica as the destination and these 12 places are on your map, each with its category. The ones you like go into a day's plan with one tap, and Kokai reminds you when you pass nearby. Data from [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright), licensed under the ODbL, from [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0, cities from [Natural Earth](https://www.naturalearthdata.com/) and airports from [OurAirports](https://ourairports.com/data/). Daylight hours are calculated from the latitude. More in [credits](https://kokai.app/en/aviso/#creditos).