Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [68]
Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría (Map; 2437-2400; Alajuela) handles international air traffic in its main terminal, which is stocked with the usual airport facilities: sundry stores, duty-free outlets and a grim selection of fast-food outlets. Immediately to the north of the main terminal, a small blue building houses the operations of Sansa (2290-4100; www.flysansa.com), one of the country’s two domestic airlines.
Aeropuerto Tobías Bolaños (Map; 2232-2820; Pavas), which lies in the San José suburb of Pavas, services domestic flights on NatureAir (2220-3054; www.natureair.com), the country’s other domestic airline.
INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
International carriers that have offices in San José are listed here. Airlines serving Costa Rica directly are marked with an asterisk; they also have desks at the airport.
Air France (2220-4111; www.airfrance.com; Oficentro Ejecutivo La Sabana, 7th fl, Edificio 6, Sabana Sur; 8am-noon & 1-5pm Mon-Fri)
American Airlines* (Map; 2248-9010; www.americanairlines.co.cr; Edificio Centro Cars, across from Crown Plaza Corobicí, Sabana Este; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat)
Avianca* (2441-2827/2776; www.avianca.com; Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría, Alajuela; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri)
Continental* (2296-4911; www.continental.com; No 2, Oficentro La Virgen, Zona Industrial, Pavas; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat)
COPA* (Map; 2222-6640; www.copaair.com; 1st fl, Torre Mercedes Benz, cnr Calle 24 & Paseo Colón, La Sabana; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat)
Cubana de Aviación* (Map; 2221-7625/6918; www.cubana.cu; Calle 40 btwn Avs 2 & 4, La Sabana)
Delta* (Map; 2256-7909; www.delta.com; Edificio Elizabeth, 100m east & 50m south of Toyota on Paseo Colón, La Sabana; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri)
Grupo TACA* (Map; 2299-8222; www.taca.com; cnr Calle 40 & Av Las Américas, across from Nissan dealer, La Sabana; 8am-8pm Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm Sat, 9am-5pm Sun)
Iberia* (2431-5633; www.iberia.com; Oficentro Tical, 1km east of Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría, Alajuela; 8am-noon & 1-5pm Mon-Fri)
Mexicana* (Map; 2295-6969; www.mexicana.com; 1st fl, Torre Mercedes Benz, cnr Calle 24 & Paseo Colón, La Sabana; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri)
United Airlines (2220-4844; www.united.com; Oficentro Ejecutivo La Sabana, 1st fl, Edificio 2, Sabana Sur; 8am-10pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat)
CHARTER AIRCRAFT
Sansa and NatureAir both offer charter flights out of San José, as do the companies listed below. Most charters are small (three- to five-passenger) aircraft and can fly to any of the many airstrips around Costa Rica. Each listing below indicates which San José airport the company operates from.
Aero Bell (2290-0000; aerobell@racsa.co.cr; Tobías Bolaños)
Aviones Taxi Aéreo SA (2431-0160/0293; www.airchartercentralamerica.com; Juan Santamaría)
Helicópteros Turísticos Tropical (2220-3940; Tobías Bolaños)
Pitts Aviation (2296-3600; Tobías Bolaños)
Viajes Especial Aéreos SA (Veasa; 2232-1010/8043; Tobías Bolaños)
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Bus
Bus transportation in San José can be bewildering. There is no public bus system and no central terminal. Instead, dozens of private companies operate out of stops scattered throughout the city. Many bus companies have no more than a stop (in this case pay the driver directly); some have a tiny office with a window on the street, while some operate from a terminal. The bigger stations service entire regions. These include the following:
Gran Terminal del Caribe (Map; Calle Central, north of Av 13) A roomy station on the north end of town is the central departure point for all buses to the Caribbean.
Terminal Coca-Cola (Map; Av 1 btwn Calles 16 & 18) A well-known landmark. Numerous buses leave from the terminal and the four-block radius around it to points all over Costa Rica; in particular, the Central Valley and the Pacific coast. This is a labyrinthine station with ticket offices scattered all over.
Terminal Musoc (off Map;