SACSA run frequent local buses to Cartago from their San José terminal on C 5, Av 18/20 (after 8.30pm, buses leave from in front of the Grand Hotel Costa Rica ), running along Av 2 to C 19, then along Av Central and out through San Pedro - a journey of around 45 minutes. In Cartago, buses sometimes do a bit of a tour of town, stopping at virtually every block; wait to get off at the Parque Central. Like the other provincial capitals in the Valle Central, Cartago has no tourist office. The Banco de Costa Rica, Av 4, C 5/7, and Banco Nacional, C 1, Av 2, will change travellers' cheques , but it'll take a while. The correo (Mon-Fri 7.30am-6pm, Sat 7.30-12pm) is ten minutes from the town centre at Av 2, C 15/17. Taxis leave from the rank at Las Ruinas.

There's just one decent hotel in Cartago, the Los Angeles Lodge (tel 551-0957; US$15-25), on the square by the cathedral. Other accommodation in the town is frequented by commercial travellers and best avoided - in any case, getting stuck overnight in Cartago is an unlikely scenario, as there's a 24-hour bus service to San José. Of the town's few restaurants , the carvernous La Puerta del Sol , handily located by the cathedral, has a decent, reasonably priced menu and attentive staff. To get back to San José , hop on whichever bus happens to be loading up in the covered area on Av 4, C 2/4. Buses leave every ten minutes between 5am and midnight, and about every hour otherwise.