There is no through bus from Guatemala to Costa Rica: the trip is two or three Tica Bus tickets with a night in San Salvador, and the day you leave Guatemala decides which route you can take. This page lays out the days, the two routings, what each border asks for, the Panama leg and the return. Tica Bus’s terminal, baggage rules and contract are on our Tica Bus page; the León and Managua options are on Guatemala to Nicaragua. All times and fares below are from Tica Bus’s routes table, checked October 21, 2026; Tica Bus says the fares are for online purchase only and that arrival times are approximate.
Quick summary
- Leg 1, Guatemala City → San Salvador: 05:30 and 14:00 daily (USD 35, Servicio Diamante), 06:30 daily and 16:30 Monday to Friday (USD 20). About 6 hours on the timetable.
- Leg 2, the direct: San Salvador → San José at 03:00 on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, USD 81, arriving 03:00 the next day. Leave Guatemala on Monday, Wednesday or Saturday.
- Leg 2, any day: San Salvador → Managua at 00:30 daily (USD 55), then Managua → San José at 06:00, 07:00 or 12:00 daily (USD 33).
- Total fare: USD 101-116 with the direct, USD 108-123 via Managua, before border taxes.
- Costa Rica entry, per Tica Bus: exit ticket, USD 100 per month of stay in funds, USD 8 exit tax on leaving.
- Panama: San José → Panama City 23:50 daily, USD 58, with a return ticket required at the border.
Which day to leave Guatemala City
| You leave Guatemala City | Night in | Bus from San Salvador | Arrive San José |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | San Salvador | Tuesday 03:00 direct (USD 81) | Wednesday 03:00 |
| Wednesday | San Salvador | Thursday 03:00 direct (USD 81) | Friday 03:00 |
| Saturday | San Salvador | Sunday 03:00 direct (USD 81) | Monday 03:00 |
| Any day | San Salvador, then Managua | 00:30 to Managua (USD 55), Managua 06:00, 07:00 or 12:00 to San José (USD 33) | Third day; 06:00 departure listed to arrive 18:00 |
The 03:00 direct leaves before dawn, so the night in San Salvador is a short one. On the Managua routing, Tica Bus lists the 00:30 from San Salvador arriving in Managua at 14:00; the next San José departures it lists are the following morning, so that routing adds a night in Managua. Tica Bus also lists a 05:30 from Managua, marked as subject to availability.
The legs and borders, southbound
| Leg | Departs | Arrives | Fare | Days | Borders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guatemala → San Salvador | 05:30 / 14:00 | 11:30 / 20:00 | USD 35 (Diamante) | Daily | Valle Nuevo and Las Chinamas |
| Guatemala → San Salvador | 06:30 / 16:30 | 12:30 / 22:30 | USD 20 | Daily / Monday to Friday | Valle Nuevo and Las Chinamas |
| San Salvador → San José (direct) | 03:00 | 03:00 next day | USD 81 | Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday | El Amatillo / El Guasaule / Peñas Blancas |
| San Salvador → Managua | 00:30 | 14:00 | USD 55 | Daily | El Amatillo / El Guasaule |
| Managua → San José | 06:00 / 07:00 / 12:00 | 18:00 / 19:00 / 23:00 | USD 33 | Daily | Peñas Blancas |
| San José → Panama City | 23:50 | 17:00 next day (Panama time) | USD 58 | Daily | Paso Canoas |
| San José → Panama City | 12:00 | 04:00 next day (Panama time) | USD 58 | Friday | Paso Canoas |
Through to Panama City, the sum is USD 159-174 on the direct routing, adding the Panama leg to the Costa Rica total.
What each border asks for
Tica Bus publishes a migration-recommendations page for each country on its network and says the rules are those set by each country’s immigration authority. Read October 21, 2026:
| Country | Taxes listed | Documents and conditions listed |
|---|---|---|
| Guatemala | None to enter or leave | Passport valid 6 months; CA4 nationals may use their ID card |
| El Salvador | None to enter or leave | Tourist card of USD 12, cash only, at land borders, for citizens of a listed group of countries that includes the United States, Canada, Mexico and Belize |
| Honduras | USD 3 entry tax, all nationalities | Children from 12 months to 10 years must show a measles vaccination card |
| Nicaragua | USD 14 entry, USD 4 exit (CA4 nationals USD 1 each way) | Customs declaration form; no binoculars, professional cameras, drones or sharp objects |
| Costa Rica | USD 8 exit tax | Exit ticket from the country; funds of USD 100 per month of stay; yellow fever card if arriving from listed South American countries or Africa |
| Panama | None listed | Passport valid 3 months; return or onward ticket; funds of up to USD 1,000 at the officer’s discretion; yellow fever card if continuing north |
Guatemalan passport holders fall in Tica Bus’s Costa Rica category two: passport valid at least 3 months, stay of 30 days, extendable to 90. Passports in its category one, which includes the United States, Canada and Mexico, can stay up to 90 days. For Nicaragua’s rules in more detail, see Guatemala to Nicaragua.
Coming back: Costa Rica to Guatemala
| Leg | Departs | Arrives | Fare | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panama City → San José | 07:00 | 23:00 | USD 58 | Daily |
| Panama City → San José | 22:00 | 14:00 next day | USD 58 | Saturday |
| San José → San Salvador (direct, via Managua) | 03:00 | 03:00 next day | USD 81 | Monday, Thursday, Saturday |
| San José → Managua | 00:30 / 06:00 / 07:30 | 11:00 / 16:00 / 17:00 | USD 33 | Daily |
| San José → Managua | 03:00 | 13:30 | USD 33 | Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday |
| Managua → San Salvador | 02:00 | 17:00 | USD 55 | Daily |
| San Salvador → Guatemala City | 05:30 / 14:00 | 11:30 / 20:00 | USD 35 (Diamante) | Daily |
| San Salvador → Guatemala City | 07:00 / 17:00 | 13:00 / 23:00 | USD 20 | Monday to Friday / Daily |
Northbound, the direct runs on different days from the southbound one: Monday, Thursday and Saturday. On the timetable it reaches San Salvador at 03:00, before the daily 05:30 departure to Guatemala City (and, on Tuesday and Friday arrivals, the weekday 07:00), though Tica Bus warns that arrival times vary with border and traffic delays. On the Panama to San José leg, Tica Bus notes that every foreigner is asked for a ticket out of Costa Rica.
Flying instead
Flights between Guatemala City and San José are on our direct flights page. If you only need El Salvador, the bus operators on that leg are compared on Guatemala City to San Salvador.
Sources
- Tica Bus, Rutas, horarios y tarifas, checked October 21, 2026
- Tica Bus, Recomendaciones migratorias (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala tabs), read October 21, 2026
