Car Rental at 'San Jose - International Airport'

Airport location, terminals and transportation

Juan Santamaría International Airport is considered to be the main airline hub of San José, the capital of Costa Rica. The airport is located near the city of Alajuela. It was named after Juan Santamaría, a national hero who died at a very young age. The airport serves regular flights to America, Europe, and Caribbean countries. The technical characteristics of the only runway allow serving heavy passenger airbuses and freight aircrafts. The airport handles over 5 million passengers a year and is the second busiest airport in Central America. The passenger complex consists of two terminals — the main terminal and the domestic terminal.

There’s a highway near the airport. Buses circulate between the airport and the city centre 24/7. The bus stop is situated at the airport. You can use the services of certified taxi companies (red & yellow and orange cars) near the terminal. You can also order transfer in the taxi office at the airport.

Rental offices, how to find them, where to return car

It’s easy to rent a car at the airport. Several large international agencies offer car rental: Alamo, Hertz, Firefly, Economy, Dollar, Budget, Apex, Enterprise, National, Payless, Solid, Nu. The car rental companies’ stands are located near the exit from the baggage reclaim area close to baggage carousel 5. Rental offices are situated near the taxi office. The rental agencies are open from 5 am till 11 pm.

To book in advance, you can contact the agencies by phone during the working hours. The phone numbers can be found on the airport website. Also, you can use an online form on a company website and make an order whenever you want.

You can take the car from a parking lot near the terminal. Return is done on the same lot.

There are several more car rental agencies in the vicinity of the airport: TT Tricolor car rental (200 metres from the Holiday Inn Express hotel, Provincia de Alajuela, Rio Segundo, 20109), Mapache rent a car (300 metres westward from Holiday Inn Express). Car rental offices of the following companies are also situated in the area: Fox, Thrifty, Service car rental, U-save car rental, Adobe car rental.

Long-term and short-term parking, hotels nearby

A two-level car park is situated near the main terminal. It’s open 24/7. You can pay for the services through parking meters or cash desks using two currencies.

There are three large hotels near Juan Santamaría Airport: Holiday Inn Express, Courtyard by Marriott, Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton.