Planning a Trip to San Jose

SJO International Airport    If you’re flying to Costa Rica, chances are you’ll be arriving into the capital city of San Jose. The majority of international flights depart and arrive from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San Jose. The rest fly through Liberia in the north. SJO is located 20 km from the city of San Jose and 3 km from Alajuela. The airport is on the small side, but has all the amenities of a major airport, including bars, Duty Free and American fast food joints. Sansa Air, one of the two airlines that flies domestically in Costa Rica, also uses SJO as it’s home base of operations. The airport is small enough that if you’re changing planes you won’t have too many problems finding your connection but since Costa Rica is such a popular tourist destination be prepared for long lines at the ticket counters and customs. If you are connecting to a flight on Nature Air (the other domestic airline in CR) you will need to take a taxi to the Pavas International Airport in the city of San Jose. It’s approximately a 30 minute ride between the airports. Also know that if you’re flying from SJO into the United States you can buy liquor at the Duty Free, but you’ll need place the bottles in your checked luggage once you get to the USA if you’re on a connecting flight.