Costa Rica’s main international airport is Juan Santamaria International Airport, commonly known as the San Jose International Airport in Alajuela.
It’s much bigger than its fellow international airport, Guanacaste Airport and offers the most international flights.
If you’re flying into San Jose International Airport, check our guide below to help you navigate through the main international airport in Costa Rica.
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San Jose International Airport Location
San Jose International Airport is located in the province of Alajuela, about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from downtown San Jose, Costa Rica.
This is extremely important to know if you are looking to book an airport hotel as downtown San Jose is around a 30 minute drive to the airport without traffic.
If you’re looking for an airport hotel, the closest hotels will be in the Alajuela province. Don’t look for one in downtown San Jose, as that is at least 30 minutes away from the airport.
Check our list of best San Jose International Airport hotels here.
About San Jose International Airport and Airport Code
The name Juan Santamaria is after a drummer boy who died helping Costa Rica prevent getting taken over by the United States in 1856.
The San Jose International Airport airport code is SJO.
IMPORTANT!!! Do NOT get SJO confused with San Jose, California whose airport code is SJC. Or San Juan, Puerto Rico whose airport code is SJU.
In 2024, San Jose International Airport welcomed 2.6 million tourists.
San Jose Airport has 20 gates servicing 24 airlines from North America, Latin America and Europe. They have expansion plans to accommodate the many new flights, especially in high season.
Getting to Juan Santamaria International Airport
That being said, if you are not staying at an airport hotel that offers free airport shuttle, then there are a couple of easy ways to from your hotel to the airport.
Uber: Uber is readily available in the Central Valley cities (Heredia, Alajuela, San Jose and Cartago). We have been able to call an Uber at at all hours of the day to catch a ride to the airport.
However make sure you give yourself at least 20-30 minutes to call your Uber since during rush hour, there is a lot of demand and traffic. I recommend to schedule your Uber the day before if you need to get to the airport for your flight home.
From downtown San Jose, an Uber X costs around 9000 CRC (~$17 USD).
Private shuttle: Book a private shuttle at the time of your choice. Your driver will show up right at your designated time, help your group to load the vehicle and whisk you away straight to the airport departures gates. As a private shuttle, you won’t be waiting around for anyone else.
Contact us if you want to book your private airport shuttle. For up to 8 passengers plus luggage, the private shuttle costs ~$60 USD.
For departures, you should arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before your departure time.
Exit tax: The $29 USD exit tax is now included in most of the airline tickets. Some airlines do not though (some Canadian and budget airlines). You can check the billboard in the check in area to see if you need to pay it.
Arriving at San Jose International Airport
One you land at the San Jose International Airport on an international flight, all visitors must go through immigration and customs. Remember, immigration is for people, customs is for luggage.
You will go through immigration first where you need to supply the officer your details such as name, occupation, length of time in Costa Rica, first destination in Costa Rica and date of departure.
Then you will collect your luggage to go through customs. Put EVERYTHING except duty free on the scanners.
Next to baggage claim 5, there is a Claro SIM card stand in case you need to purchase a Costa Rican prepaid SIM card. Open everyday from 5 AM to 9 PM, sometimes 11 PM on weekends. There is also one 24/7 duty free store with alcohol.
After clearing customs, you will exit the airport terminal where you can then look for your tour company, car rental agent, private shuttle driver or catch your Uber, book a taxi or get picked up.
You can check our customs and immigration at San Jose International Airport and Guanacaste Airport guide for more details.
Leaving San Jose International Airport
From San Jose Airport, you can find many ways to get to your next destination.
Bus: There is a public bus stop down the ramp from arrivals that goes into downtown San Jose. It runs fairly frequently and is very cheap.
If you plan to take this bus, we highly recommend to exchange like $5 USD into local currency at the airport to pay for the bus. There are ATMs at baggage claim and a money exchange.
Private shuttle: If you pre-booked a private shuttle, your driver will be waiting for you outside the airport terminal, holding a sign with your name on it.
Shared shuttle: If you booked a shared shuttle, most shared shuttle companies will have you meet them at the Denny’s Restaurant, Fiesta Casino or Rostipollos Restaurant which is 1.5 km away (~1 mile).
The fastest way to get there is just to grab one of the official airport taxis right outside. Get 10% off your Interbus shared shuttle in the link!
Taxi: Official taxis in Costa Rica are red and orange for airport taxis. There is an official taxi stand right when you exit the airport.
Uber: We personally prefer taking Uber in Costa Rica. Some Uber drivers will have you meet them at departures upstairs or by the Malinche restaurant at arrivals. They may also ask you to sit in the front seat.
San Jose Airport Car Rentals
If you made a car rental reservation, then you need to look for your agency’s agent who will be waiting for you outside the exit terminal, holding a sign with the company logo on it.
Meet them, and they will bring you to their shuttle to take you to their off-site airport office to get the car.
Some companies may offer a VIP direct airport service, but for an extra charge and not all.
Read more about renting a car in Costa Rica and get our Costa Rica car rental discount here.
If you did not pre-book a car, you will see car rental stands in the baggage claim area. You can go up there to check availability and prices.
However, since the airport is not big enough to accommodate all the car rental companies’ offices, they will take you to their satellite airport office nearby to pick up the car.
We have a partnership with Adobe Rent a Car to give car rental discounts and extra benefits (free cooler, free prepaid SIM card, etc.).
You can click here “Costa Rica car rental discount” to make a reservation. Adobe will pick up passengers from the airport and take them to their close by airport office via complimentary shuttle. You can watch the process below.
Flying Out of SJO Airport: San Jose Airport Food, Shopping and Other Services
You should arrive at the airport 3 hours before your departure time.
San Jose International Airport has free Wi-Fi, restaurants, souvenir stores, luggage packing services, bathrooms, duty free shopping and VIP lounges.
There is only one level in San Jose Airport so after you clear security, go up an escalator. You’ll be at the level where all the gates, food and shops are.
There is a Starbucks, Cafe Britt stores and a couple of restaurants. If you have an early flight, there is a place that is 24/7, the Starbucks opens from 4 AM to 130 AM everyday.
There are two VIP Lounges. The VIP lounge for BAC Credomatic is at Gate 19-20 everyday from 430 AM to 430 PM. The VIP Lounge for Star Alliance passengers is at Gate 5, superior level from 430 AM to 8 PM.
Parking
San Jose International Airport has its own parking lot. It costs $2.48 USD per hour, $35 USD per day and $200 USD per week. It is under roof parking.
If you are leaving the country for a trip and need to park your car close by but do not want to leave it at the airport parking garage (it is expensive), there are options.
Many airport hotels will allow you to leave your car for either a small fee or free if you stay as a hotel guest before or after your trip.
Some hotels that offer parking for hotel guests are Mango Hotel, Pura Vida Hotel, El Rodeo Estancia Boutique Hotel and the Fairfield by Marriott San Jose Airport Alajuela.
If you stay a night (or more) at the Fairfield by Marriott either before you leave or when you come back, you can leave your car there for free in their secure parking lot. Same with El Rodeo Estancia (20 minutes to SJO Airport).
San Jose Airport Hotels
There are many hotels around San Jose Airport with free airport shuttles included. You can read our post “Best hotels near San Jose Airport” for recommendations.
San Jose Domestic Terminal
For those flying on a local airline to take a domestic flight with Sansa, Aerobell or Green, you need to go to the Domestic Terminal SJO for your flight.
This is a separate terminal, about a 5 minute walk from the international terminal. On Google Maps, it is called “Terminal Domestica SJO.”
Should You Fly Into Liberia or San Jose Airport?
San Jose and Guanacaste Airport are hubs for different parts of the country. Find out which you should fly into before booking flights.
- You should fly into San Jose Airport if you are going to San Jose, Heredia, Alajuela, Cartago, the Central Valley, Jaco, Manuel Antonio, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Tortuguero, Uvita, Dominical, Puerto Jimenez, Ojochal, Sierpe, Drake Bay, Golfito, San Gerardo de Dota, San Isidro de Perez Zeledon, San Vito, Turrialba, Vara Blanca (La Paz), Bajos del Toro, or Sarapiqui.
- Those destinations are closest from San Jose than Liberia.
- If you are going to La Fortuna or Monteverde, both destinations are around 3-3.5 hours from Liberia and San Jose. H
- If you are able to, I would choose Liberia over San Jose if you’re going to La Fortuna/Monteverde right away.
Read more about which Costa Rica international airport is best for you.
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
- First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
- Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
- Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
- Check our Costa Rica destinations map and Costa Rica restaurant map
- Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
- Stay connected by purchasing a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica.
- Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels and our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.
Adrian says
Hi guys, we will be arriving at 00:55 in the morning, so assuming nothing will be open at the airport.
Are there atms or currency exchange at the airport so we can get some colones, as we will have to get a taxi/uber to reach our accommodation.
Thanks
Adrian
Sammi says
I’m not sure if the currency exchange is open at that hour, but you can pay via the Uber app and if you take a taxi, you can pay in USD. There is an official taxi stand right outside the airport terminal exit.
Leslie Stevens says
I am flying to SJO. What is the best way to get from there to Arenal? Would it be better to fly to Liberia?
Thank you.
Sammi says
Hello, we have a section on how to get to La Fortuna in our La Fortuna guide
Gabyliz Machado says
Hi!
Do you know if I can take an Uber from La Fortuna to SJO?
Sammi says
I have seen a few Ubers in La Fortuna, they can take you to SJO if they accept it.
AGL says
Hello, Kudos on the great, informative blog. We have been using it to plan our upcoming trip. We are flying into the San Jose International airport in Mid July and will be heading to Manuel Antonio area immediately after we land. Is it best to take a shared shuttle or Uber both in terms of cost and convenience?
Sammi says
If you take a shared shuttle, make sure to check schedules because there aren’t very many so you will need to check if the timing works out.
Cai B. says
Hello! Great blog! We are flying into SJO at 12:30 PM and have a domestic flight on Sansa leaving about 4 PM. Do you know if there is a restaurant/bar in the domestic terminal, or if we should wait in the international terminal before going to domestic terminal?
Thank you!
Sammi says
There is a cafe/restaurant called Malinches that’s outside the airport (but part of the same building, just the entrance is from the outside). In the domestic terminal, they have a very small cafe/convenient store.
Mary says
Hello!!! Thank you for all your informative blogs!! I’m searching for an answer to this question: We are departing from SJO back to the US and our flight departed at 8:30am. How early should we arrive at the airport to make the flight? (We will be using an airport shuttle and need to make a timed reservation for it). THANK YOU!
Sammi says
You need to be at the airport at least 2 hours before your flight.
Susan says
Where is the shuttle pick up for Hampton Inn after arriving in SJO? Thanks
Sammi says
I would assume it’s after you exit the airport but I would ask the hotel
David says
Hi there,
We are arriving from Canada to SJO on a Saturday around 13h30. We were hoping to get to Tambor asap. There’s an Aerobell flight at 15h30. Do you think that gives us enough time to cross customs and make the connection? Thank you so much.
Sammi says
Hi David, San Jose Airport on the weekend is really busy, it’s hard to say because you need to check in to Aerobell at least 1 hour before and I’m not sure if they have their station in SJO Airport or Tobias Bolanos. I would talk to Aerobell to see what they recommend.
Emmi says
Hello!
Love your blog, it has helped me so much when it comes to planning my trip to CR! When landing at SJO airport, are we able to purchase alcohol in duty-free and then take it with us through customs/immigration?
Thanks!
Sammi says
Yes you can! 🙂
Rebecca says
We are planning on Flying in to SJO then heading to the Arenal Area… since we aren’t going into the city of San Jose, should we still expect a lot of traffic on that route? We would arrive in SJO around 11. Just wondering if it’s worth the extra cost to fly into Liberia instead.
Also, had used the request form on your site to get info about boating with Marcy in Papagayo and haven’t heard back. Is there a better way to contact you/him?
Thanks!
Sammi says
Unfortunately there is always traffic in the Central Valley cities including the SJO Airport but you hopefully it won’t be too much as you just need to get out of the airport onto the highway and not all the way through the city.
I’ll send you an email regarding the boat tours.