Juan Santamaría International Airport

Juan Santamaría International Airport is about 20 kilometers northwest of downtown San José. The public bus takes about 35 minutes without traffic, and a taxi takes roughly the same time, since both use the same roads. Rush-hour traffic in the Central Valley can make the trip noticeably longer.

The airport is in Alajuela Province, next to the city of Alajuela, not in San José itself. It is the main airport for the capital and sits beside Route 1, the highway that links Alajuela with San José, about 20 kilometers from downtown San José.

Juan Santamaría has two terminals. The Main Terminal handles international flights, with immigration, customs and baggage claim. A separate Domestic Terminal, opened in 2018, handles flights within Costa Rica and is about a five-minute walk from the Main Terminal. There is one runway for both.

Domestic flights with Sansa and Costa Rica Green Airways use the Domestic Terminal, a separate building about a five-minute walk from the Main Terminal. If you connect from an international flight, clear immigration and customs first, then walk over, and arrive at least 30 minutes before your domestic departure.

About 26 airlines serve Juan Santamaría International Airport. They include Avianca, Copa Airlines, Volaris, American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Air Canada, Iberia, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and Edelweiss. Sansa and Costa Rica Green Airways fly domestic routes from the separate Domestic Terminal.

After customs, go to the taxi representative outside arrivals, who assigns you an official orange airport taxi. Check that the meter is reset at the start of the ride. Licensed taxis accept Costa Rican colones and US dollars but no other currencies, so change other money before you need a ride.

Yes. TUASA's red buses stop on the main road beside the airport, a short walk from arrivals, and run to a terminal near Merced Park in downtown San José. The trip takes about 35 minutes without traffic, and buses run frequently during the day. Large luggage can be awkward on board.

Uber operates in the San José area, but standard rideshare cars are not allowed to pick up at the terminal curb, so you have to walk a short distance away from the building. A pilot program lets licensed orange airport taxis accept rides through the Uber app, but availability varies by time of day.

You need a valid, machine-readable passport, and officers may ask for proof of a return or onward trip, such as a flight or bus ticket out of the country. There is no online entry form for most visitors. The officer sets how long you can stay, up to 180 days for some nationalities.

From San José, the drive to La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano area takes about 2.5 hours, Manuel Antonio about 3 hours, Jacó about 2 hours and Monteverde about 3.5 hours. Times vary with traffic, weather and road conditions. Sansa also flies from SJO to La Fortuna and Quepos, near Manuel Antonio.

The airport area has mild weather all year, with daytime highs of about 77°F to 86°F (25°C to 30°C) and nights around 63°F to 66°F. The dry season runs from December to April, and the rainy season from May to November brings sunny mornings and afternoon showers.

Costa Rica is on UTC−6 all year and does not use daylight saving time, so it matches US Central Standard Time in winter. The currency is the Costa Rican colón, but US dollars are widely accepted, including by licensed airport taxis, which take only colones or dollars.

The airport is operated by AERIS Holding Costa Rica under a concession from the government. It handled 6,403,220 passengers in 2025, a 3 percent increase over the previous year, and AERIS is expanding the western side of the terminal under the airport's master plan.

We provide private transportation from any airport to any hotel at the best price, and we are licensed with complete insurance liability.

Airport Transportation provides private transportation only, in vans, luxury SUVs, or semi-buses.

Prices on our website are per vehicle, not per person, based on a range of passengers.

Regular vans carry up to 9 passengers, semi-buses up to 16, and luxury SUVs up to 6 passengers.

Walk all the way out of the airport. You'll see representatives holding boards. Look for the Airport Transportation logo or your name.

Commonly Toyota Hiace, Volkswagen Transporter, Mercedes Sprinter, Volkswagen Crafter, Chevrolet Tahoe, and Chevrolet Suburban.

Yes. We carry insurance with complete liability for all passengers while using our services.

Baby seats are provided with prior notice, subject to availability, one seat maximum per vehicle.

You can book any time in advance; we suggest one week to one day ahead. Same-day reservations are available.

PayPal is our main payment method; a cash option is also available when booking through our website. Credit cards are accepted through PayPal.

Yes. For your comfort all our units have air conditioning.

During booking we ask for your airline and flight number so we can track delays and wait for you.

Yes, you can add an extra stop to your service during the booking process.

No. Prices are set per passenger range or per vehicle, not per age.

Yes. Cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before your pick-up and you are refunded in full. Cancellations made less than 24 hours before service are not refundable.

Yes. While their English may not be native-level, drivers have the skills to communicate with passengers.

Tips are not mandatory but are highly recommended; drivers earn them through service quality.

All prices are in USD. Via PayPal you can pay in almost any currency; cash payments accept USD only.

We can transport domestic pets kept in cages that fit in a normal vehicle.

Yes. There is plenty of room for one suitcase and one carry-on per person.

Every private transfer includes a professional, licensed driver; an insured, well-maintained vehicle; real-time flight monitoring; meet-and-greet service at arrivals; and door-to-door service with no hidden fees added after booking. Your fixed price covers the full route to your destination.