Search Flights from San Francisco to San Jose (Costa Rica)

Located 21 km from the city center, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is a major transit center for passengers, particularly those traveling from Asia. San Francisco International is the second busiest airport in California, following Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Every year SFO handles a significant number of both domestic and international flights. There are a variety of transportation alternatives passengers can utilize to get to and from the airport.  

San Francisco International Airport stands out for the comfortable and exceptional services it offers. The airport features services aimed at meeting your every need, from comfortable passenger lounges, to restaurants that offer a wide variety of cuisines and a vibrant array of stores where you can go shopping.

San Francisco International Airport is accessible by taxi, bus, train, rental car, and personal car as the airport contains parking lots that offer short-term and long-term parking options.

Train

There are two rail systems that you can use to get to San Francisco International Airport from the city center. The first is the rapid-rail system, the BART. The BART starts running in the early hours of the morning, providing easy and fast transportation between SFO and the northern and southern parts of the city.

The other rail system that you can use to get to SFO is the CalTrain. This train departs on the hour, every hour, every day of the week, until 10 pm. This train provides transportation between San Francisco and San Jose and SFO.

Taxi

One of the most convenient and fastest transportation alternatives to get to SFO from the city center is by taxi. Taxi fares are calculated based on the kilometers traveled. A taxi from downtown San Francisco can cost between 42 and 62 dollars and takes about 20 minutes. For more information on taxi companies and their contact information please visit San Francisco International Airport’s website.

Bus

SamTrans buses provide transportation between the San Francisco city center and the airport. These public buses are operated by San Mateo County and run between San Mateo, various parts of San Francisco and San Francisco International Airport. SamTrans lines KX, 292, 397, and 398 run directly to the airport terminals. Buses stop at the arrivals and baggage claim level of Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 and at Level 1 of the International Terminal.

Rental Car

Renting a car is another transportation alternative to get to the airport. There are many rental car companies located in the city. You can drop off your rental vehicle at the Rental Car Center before your departure. From the Rental Car Center the AirTrain Blue Line provides access to the airport terminals and it operates 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Rental car companies that you can choose from include Alamo, Dollar, Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, National, Budget, Fox and Thrifty.

Bike

San Francisco International Airport contains bike assembly stations and parking areas for those who want to access the airport by bike. The BART and SamTrans rapid rail systems provide passengers with bike/transit options and the airport features marked bicycle routes. Bike lovers can easily access the airport by bicycle.   

Airport Information

San Francisco International Airport is located 21 km from the city center. The airport covers an expansive area and operates domestic and international flights out of 4 terminals, Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, and the International Terminal. The AirTrain automated system provides free transportation between each terminal, as well as the Rental Car Center and BART station. The AirTrain Red Line links all terminals, terminal garages and the BART Station. The AirTrain Blue Line links the Rental Car Center with all terminals, terminal garages, and the BART Station. SFO also contains a variety of services and amenities to meet passengers’ pre-flight and post-flight needs.

The airport features health services in the terminals, rental car offices, banks, a lost and found, wireless internet, charging stations, clothing stores where you can go shopping, restaurants and cafes, the Aviation Museum & Library, rotating exhibitions, spa services, children’s play areas, free yoga rooms, a market, and much more. 

Juan Santamaria International Airport, which is located near the city center of San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, is one of the busiest airports of the country. If you are travelling with your private car, you can follow the highway General Cañas while travelling to the city center from the airport, which is located 11 miles of San Jose. You can also benefit from the transportation alternatives such as taxi or bus which carry passengers to San Jose city center by departing from the airport terminal. If you want to travel in the city comfortably or travel to different parts of the city, you can rent a car before leaving the airport terminal. The shuttles of tour operators are generally preferred by crowded groups who want to travel to the city center from the airport. If you plan to use the shuttles which are more budget-friendly for crowded groups, you should make a reservation in advance. If you consider renting a car for your transportation, it would be a good idea to get in contact with the car rental company in advance and make a reservation before your travel. In this way, your car will be ready for you at the airport and you won’t have any trouble in finding a car especially during busy seasons. You don’t have to make a reservation in order to use taxis or buses. At any time of the day, you can easily find a taxi at Juan Santamaria Airport. There are also buses operating frequently and carrying passengers to the center.

Bus

TUASA buses, which start operating at 04:30 am, carry passengers to San Jose city center from Juan Santamaria Airport until 11:00 pm. You can get to the center of Alajuela in about 15 minutes by getting on a bus for an affordable price. If you need to travel in the direction of Heredia, your travel will last 40 minutes by bus. If you need to travel to Jan Jose, it will last about 35 minutes. Buses departing from the airport terminal offer a fast and economical transportation. Station Wagon buses operating for 24 hours offer service between the city centers and the beaches located in Guanacaste and Puntarena. You can benefit from these vehicles in order to travel to Alajuela and San Jose. If you want to get information about TUASA buses, you can call (506) 2442-6900. For Station Wagon buses, you can call (506) 2441 1181 and get detailed information.

Car Rental

At Juan Santamaria Airport, many international car rental companies offer service for passengers wanting to rent a car. You can get in contact with Dollar, one of the car rental companies located at the airport, by calling (506) 2443-2078 or make a reservation for the car you want to rent over the internet and receive your car when you arrive at the airport terminal. If you choose Payless for renting a car, you can contact (506) 2430 4647 or (506) 2256 0101 and get detailed information about car reservation. In addition, there are many other companies at the airport such as Hertz and Firefly Rent a Car, Economy, Solid, Advantage, Nu, Solid, Alamo, National, Enterprise, Budget and Apex and you can also contact one of these companies for your transportation. In order to rent your car from Hertz and Firefly, you can call (506) 2221-1818 or (506) 2258-4343 and (506) 2430-7707. National, Enterprise and Alamo can be reached from (506) 2242-7700. In addition, you should keep in mind that you can speed up your car rental process by reserving your car through the internet. All of these companies offer online services for their customers. In order not to confront any problem while receiving your car from the car rental office located at the terminal, you should have your travel documents such as international driver’s license and passport with you.

Taxi

You can easily distinguish the orange-colored taxis waiting in front of exit door of the airport terminal. Taxis Unidos vehicles offer service for 24 hours at Juan Santamaria Airport. If you want to get in contact with the taxi office located at the airport, you can call (506) 2443-7544 and get information. Furthermore, taxis are one of the fastest transportation alternatives that you can use for travelling to San Jose and other important centers located near it. In addition, the fare you will pay for travelling to San Jose from the airport is not very high. The distance between these points is 11 miles. You can get on these in front of the airport terminal and reach your destination in the city center within minutes. There is not much chance to bargain with the driver but you can get in contact with the drivers in advance and learn how much you need to pay for travelling to your destination. If you need to travel as a crowded group or have heavy luggage, you can prefer one of the bigger vehicles. The cost of travelling to the center from Juan Santamaria Airport by taxi is not very high but you can travel to the center by using a means of public transportation such as bus. After reaching the city center by bus, you can continue your travel by getting on a taxi from the center and in this way, you can reduce your travel cost.

Tour Operator Shuttle

Another transportation alternative offered to the passengers travelling to the center from Juan Santamaria Airport is the shuttles of tour operators. You can choose one of the two different companies offering service in this field. These companies are Gray Line Airport Express and Interbus. When you come to the shuttle rental points located in baggage claim area, you can get information about the fares which can vary depending on your route and travel date. After getting detailed information, you can make your decision. If you decide to benefit from the shuttle service offered by the tour operators, you can contact Gray Line Airport Express by calling (506) 2220-2126 and (506) 2291-2222 and make a reservation after you ask the questions coming to your mind. For Interbus, which is the other alternative offering service at Juan Santamaria Airport, you can call (506) 4100-0888 and get information about these shuttles. You can use the shuttles of the tour operators for travelling in Costa Rica or to any other destination abroad. These shuttles are one of the most ideal transportation vehicles for those travelling in group or trip organizations.