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There are two airports serving San Jose; Juan Santamaria Airport, and Tobias Bolanos Airport. The Santamaria Airport is the primary airport serving San Jose with many airlines operating from the airport. It is far from the city centre but well connected by public transportation services.
Tobias Bolanos Airport is San Jose's main airbase for chartered domestic travels, and also it is the third most popular airport in Costa Rica. Our summary will give you solid information about the airports with the tips you need to know when travelling to San Jose.
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Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO) |
Tobias Bolanos Airport (SYQ) |
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| Airport Maps | Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO) Map | Tobias Bolanos Airport (SYQ) Map | |
Getting To The Airports From The City Centre |
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| Distance from City Centre | 12 miles (20 kilometres) | 4.9 miles (8.1 kilometres) | |
| Public Transport Operating Hours | 24-hour services | Last Interbus Shuttle: 23:30. | |
| Train | N/A | N/A | |
| Bus Services |
TUASA (Transportes Unidos Alajuelenses) from the airport to Downtown Alajuela, 15 minutes- $1.00 USD. To Downtown San José, 35 minutes- $1.00 USD. To Downtown Heredia, 40 minutes- $0.95 USD. |
Interbus to San Jose- adult $10, Child $5 from 6:00 a.m. to 23:00 p.m. |
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| Shuttle | Several hotels provide airport shuttle services from the airport to the hotel | Shuttle bus services are provided by Nature Air between Tobías Bolaños and the Juan Santamaria International Airport. | |
| Taxi | United Taxis, Gorilla Taxi Airport, and COOPETRANSTURA: fare is $31.80-60 one-way. Journey time: 16 min. | Taxis are available at the airport; fare starts from $25-$45. Journey time: 10 min. | |
| Uber |
Available on demand UberX $10.28-14.90 |
UberX $6.06-7.85 |
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Which Airport Is Most Suitable For Me? |
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| How Close to San Jose City Centre |
Juan Santamaria International Airport is 20 kilometres from the city centre. It is the primary airport serving San Jose in Costa Rica. Many airlines operate from this airport. The airport is not too close to San Jose's city centre but it is not too far from top attractions such as the Juan Santamaria Historical Cultural Museum and many more. It takes about 16-35 minutes to the city centre. |
Tobias Bolanos International Airport is the second airport serving San Jose, it is the main hub for domestic and international charter, private flight operations, and tourism flights. It also has aviation schools, and it is the main base for NatureAir which handles the domestic flights. The airport is 8 km from San Jose's city centre and it is well connected by road to various parts of the city by taxis and Buses. It takes about 25 minutes trip to the city centre. |
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| Cost Factor |
Juan Santamaria International Airport is the main airport serving San Jose with over 5,092,060 million passengers annually. Hotelsclose to the airport are higher in price than at SYQ. Flight fares and hotel rates are more expensive at SJO than SYQ. Transportation is also slightly higher than at Tobias Bolanos Airport
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Tobias Bolanos Airport is closer to the city centre at just 8 km. The airport is the main hub for general aviation and chartered domestic flights. It handles mostly domestic flights. Hotels, transportation, and flight fares are cheaper when compared to Juan Santamaria International Airport. Hotels are close to the airport and range from cheap to expensive rooms. It is a better choice to choose from when travelling as there are no delays, transportation, hotels are cheap and it is close to the city centre and its attractions. |
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| Airport Delays |
Juan Santamaria International Airport is the main airport serving San Jose in Costa Rica. Therefore, the high number of travellers results in flight and security delays. Avg Security & Immigration Delays: High Avg Flight Arrival Delays:30 minutes. |
Avg Security & Immigration Delays: Low Avg Flight Arrival Delays: 10 minutes. |
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| Flight Fares | Fight fares at Juan Santamaria International Airport are more expensive than at Tobias Bolanos International Airport. | Tobias Bolanos' airport flight fares are lower by than SJO by 30-40% depending on the destinations. | |
Hotel Prices Per Day From (01-11-2018 to 02-11-2018) Searched on 16-10-2018 |
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| Hotel |
Courtyard by Marriott San Jose Airport Alajuela(3.5-star)at $157per night Holiday Inn Express San Jose Costa Rica Airport(3-star) Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton San Jose-Airport (3-star) at $166 per night. |
Hotel Casa Roland(3-star)at$78 per night |
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Car Hire Cost Per Week (01-11-2018 to 07-11-2018) |
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| Car Hire |
$111.23 - $430.73 |
$111.23 - $430.73 |
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| Car Hire Companies | Alamo, National, Enterprise, Budget, Apex, Economy, Dollar, Hertz, Firefly, Payless and Solid, Nu. | Alamo, National, Enterprise, Budget, Apex, Economy, Dollar, Hertz, Firefly, Payless and Solid, Nu. | |
| Online car hire |  |
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Airport Facilities |
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| Shopping and Dining |
Duty-Free Luggage, Deli Malinche, Sky Pharmacy, Spa Mioderma, Cafe Lavazza, Bar Imperial, and Brioche Dorée. |
N/A | |
| Lounges | American Express Platinum Lounge, MasterCard Black Lounge, Santamaría VIP Lounge, and Copa Club (VIP Lounge Costa Rica). | N/A. | |
| Wi-Fi Services |
3 Wi-Fi networks available. Free SJO Wi-Fi by Samsung: 3 hours limited broadband with advertising videos, Premium Wi-Fi by Sitsifi: advertisement-free connection but time depends on fees paid by travellers, Professional Wi-Fi: specific to customers of corporate sponsors. |
N/A | |
How To Transfer Between Airport Terminals? |
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| Transfer in and Around The Airport |
1 Main Terminal Building divided between four Concourses known as A, B, C, and D. |
1 terminal divided into two concourses known as domestic and international passenger terminals. |
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| Currency Exchange & ATM cash Points |
Global Exchange, BAC bank branch, and ATMs are all located in the main lobby, baggage claim and gate 4. |
N/A |
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| Important phone numbers | Airport No.: +506 2437-2400. | N/A | |
| Major Operating Airlines | Volaris, Wingo, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Nature Air, SANSA, Air Transat, Cubana Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue, Interjet, Iberia, Delta, Copa, Condor, American Airlines, Air Canada, Air Panama, Aeromexico, Avianca, WestJet, VivaAerobús, Lufthansa, LATAM Perú, KLM, Edelweiss Air, Albatros Airlines, Air France, and more. | Nature Air. | |
| Major Connecting Destinations | Panama City, Houston, Miami, San Salvador, Mexico City, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, Madrid, Newark, Guatemala City, Orlando, Bogotá, Los Angeles, Dallas, Managua, Lima, Charlotte, Tegucigalpa, Frankfurt, Toronto, Phoenix, Santo Domingo, Havana, Cancún, San Pedro Sula, Zürich, Drake Bay, Golfito, La Fortuna, Liberia, Nosara, Puerto Jiménez, Quepos, Tamarindo, Tambor, Tortuguero, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and more. |
Liberia, Managua, Tamarindo, La Fortuna, Tortuguero, Golfito, Palmar Sur, Puerto Jimenez, Drake Bay, Quepos, Tambor, Punta Islita, Nosara, Liberia, Managua, Nicaragua, and Bocas del Toro in Panamá. |
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Tourist Information Centre |
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| Tourist Info Centres | Interbus, Marriot and Gray Line Costa Rica have info centres at the arrivals hall of the airport | N/A | |
| Official website | https://sjoairport.com/ | N/A | |
Tobias Bolanos Airport is the main airbase for chartered domestic travels in San Jose, and the third most popular airport in Costa Rica. The airport is served by low-cost carriers and located 4.9 miles away from the city, making it the closest to central San Jose. As a traveller, it will take you 10 minutes by taxi, which is the fastest means of transportation. Shared rides are also available but drop-off is door-to-door meaning journey time depends on your destination. Juan Santamaria Airport is the primary airport serving San Jose, it is served by many airlines to many destinations. It is the farthest from the city centre but well connected by public transportation services. The fastest public transport takes 35 minutes to central San Jose.
Distance to Central San Jose:
Tobias Bolanos Airport: 4.9 miles / 8.1 km
Juan Santamaria Airport: 12 miles / 20 km
Tobias Bolanos Airport to Central San Jose Journey Times:
By Bus: 25 minutes
By Taxi: 10 minutes
Juan Santamaria Airport to Central San Jose Journey Times:
By Bus: 35 minutes
By Taxi: 16 minutes
Tobias Bolanosairport(SYQ) is a better airport to fly into San Jose for both business and adventurous travellers, families and groups of people because of its nearness to the city centre.In just 10 minutes, you get to see the Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica (National Theatre of Costa Rica), La Sabana Metropolitan Park and many more for $12-$15 using the airport taxi. There are no public transport services available at the airport so taxi is the best way to get into San Jose. The nearest train station requires passengers to walk 12 minutes outside the airport before boarding a train which is very inconvenient for groups with a lot of luggage or children, but it is cheaper just $1-$5.
Tobias Bolanos has a single terminal with two concourses, one for international flights and the other for domestic flights as opposed to Juan Santamaria's single terminal with four concourses A, B, C, and D which can be stressful moving around the airport. Tobias Bolanos see fewer crowds and queues at immigration which means fewer security and flight delays. Nature Air operates from this airport with domestic and international flights within Costa Rica and around South America.
SJO (Juan Santamaria Airport) is the main hub for air travel in San Jose with major airlines serving the airport with domestic and international flights across Europe and America. Airlines like British Airways, American Airlines, Avianca, Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, and many more serve this airport. Due to the distance from the airport to central San Jose, it is the furthest by road but is linked to the city centre by good public service such as bus, and shuttle services. Travel time from this airport is longer compared to SYQ. It will take you 35 minutes by bus to the city center, where you will see Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica (National Theatre of Costa Rica), La Sabana Metropolitan Park, San José Central Market, Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, Central Park, National Craft Market, and to other parts of the city. It is important you know that you'll experience more crowds, queues, security and flights delays at the airport.
Considering the fact that Tobias Bolanos is closer to the city centre with a short transfer time, it is a better airport to SJO. The airport also sees fewer crowds and queues with less to no flight delays. SJO is the main airport serving the city, it is bigger than Tobias Bolanos airport with a single terminal and four concourses. Moving around SJO is not as easy as at Tobias Bolanos. Travellers on a business trip or vacation will generally prefer to fly into Tobias Bolanos because it is closer to San Jose, cheaper on flight deals and transfer fares around San Jose
Tobias Bolanos airport is the closest to the main attractions in San Jose such as Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica (National Theatre of Costa Rica), La Sabana Metropolitan Park, San José Central Market, Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, Central Park, National Craft Market, and many more which are just 9.8km away. You can get to these attractions from the airport using a taxi from $13-$17 for a 12 minutes journey.
From Tobias Bolanos Airport by:
Bus (Interbus shared shuttle): $10per person - https://www.interbusonline.com/shuttle-service Available on demand from 6:00 a.m. to 23:00 p.m.
Taxi: $25-$45 - Call +506 2254 3211Available 24/7.
But Private taxes are cheaper than Airport taxis, here to Book at
From Juan Santamaria Airport by:
Bus (TUASA): $1 single - http://www.sanjosecostarica.org/custom_files/rutas-y-horarios-buses.pdf Buses run every 10 minutes daily from 5:20 - 22:30.
Taxi: $32-$60 - http://www.taxiaeropuerto.com/ Available 24/7.
Uber: $11-$15 - https://www.uber.com/global/en/price-estimate//Available on demand.
But Private taxes are cheaper than Airport taxis, here to Book at
Hotel prices can vary greatly depending on how far in advance you book, the demand for rooms, and which hotel you book but the prices below will give you a rough idea and you can do further research and hotel booking at https://www.tripindicator.com/hotel.html
Tobias Bolanos Airport Hotels: From $39 per night
Juan Santamaria Airport Hotels:: From $129 per night
All of the airports mentioned offer competitive prices and a range of cars to suit your needs. Prices are based on the type of car, driver age, length of hire, and demand but you can get a rough idea for each airport below.
Tobias Bolanos Airport Car Rental:
Budget Cars (Ford KA, Fiat Panda etc) Prices starting at $75.47 per day
Compact Cars (Ford Focus, VW Golf, etc) Prices starting at $159.02 per day
Compare prices here -
https://www.tripindicator.com/
Juan Santamaria Airport Car Rental:
Budget Cars (Ford KA, Fiat Panda etc) Prices starting at $75.47 per day
Compact Cars (Ford Focus, VW Golf, etc) Prices starting at $159.02 per day
Compare Prices here -
https://www.tripindicator.com/
Both airports (San Jose Intl &Tobias Bolanos Intl Airport) handle domestic flights. San Jose International Airport (SJO) is the mainhub serving San Jose, it is faster, cheaper,& easier, to travel from.
Tobias Bolanos Airport is the closest if you are traveling to Costa Rica. It is convenient for international charter flights and domestic flights because it is the main hub for charter flights in the country.
There is Free WiFi available at Juan Santamaria Airport. Travellers can connect to “Free SJO Wi-Fi by Samsung” network, which is available for 3 hours with advertising videos.
Despite heavy protest from taxi drivers in Cost Rica, Uber is still running strong. Travellers can order Uber taxis in Costa Rica because it is quick, cheaper and more comfortable.
For Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO) Terminal Maps visit https://www.tripindicator.com/sjo-juan-santamaria-airport-terminal-map.html
For Tobias Bolanos Airport Terminal Maps visit https://www.tripindicator.com/syq-tobias-bolanos-airport-terminal-map.html