There are public phones available almost everywhere in Costa Rica.
They can be used to make calls anywhere in the world. These telephones function by using public telephone ICE cards. Buy them in 500, 1000, 5000 colones denominations at many authorized dealers – Universidad VERITAS book store, mini-markets, pharmacies, and liquor stores – that display the blue and yellow ICETEL sign. It is best to bring a US calling card that has a local Costa Rican access number. You can call collect by dialing 1116 for the local English speaking international operator, but it is EXPENSIVE!
Costa Rican phones operate similarly to those in the US. In all Costa Rica, the area code (lada) is 506 and a number is usually written like this: 2246-4646. If you want to dial this number from the US, first dial “011” + 506 (area code) + number.
