Last Updated: October 23, 2025
Costa Rica is a small country, but it still takes a while to get from place to place. When designing an itinerary, choosing the right airport to fly in and out of can be crucial to saving hours of travel time. In this post, we’ll tell you about Costa Rica’s two international airports. We’ll cover their locations and give you an idea of which destinations they’re convenient to.
Costa Rica’s International Airports
San Jose International Airport
The largest and busiest airport in Costa Rica is Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO).
SJO is located in the city of Alajuela near San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital.
San Jose is the middle of the country, in the mountains, in a region known as the Central Valley.
The majority of the population lives and works in this area. San Jose and its surrounds are the economic center of the country and not known for tourism, though there still are plenty of things to do for visitors. Popular attractions include museums and theaters, which will show you the country’s vibrant culture. Our post How to Spend 1 or 2 Days in San Jose has more information.
SJO has the most flights coming and going and is the most popular airport. Often, it has the most economical flights as well, especially if coming from farther destinations like Europe.
For information on arriving and departing from San Jose Airport, read our posts Arriving at SJO and Departing from SJO.
Guanacaste Airport
The other international airport in Costa Rica is Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport also known as Guanacaste Airport. This airport is in Liberia. Liberia is the biggest city in the Guanacaste region, though it is still relatively small.
Guanacaste is a large swath of land in northwestern Costa Rica. It stretches along the northern Pacific coast from the Nicaragua border south and goes inland through some volcanic areas.
Guanacaste Airport is small but many airlines in the United States, Canada, and Europe do fly into it.
Major European airlines include KLM, Edelweiss, and TUI Airways.
Map of Costa Rica’s International Airports
View our interactive map below to see San Jose Airport and Guanacaste Airport in relation to popular destinations.
Which Costa Rica Airport Is Best?
Overview
San Jose often makes the most sense for visitors to fly in and out of, as it is centrally located and allows you to travel in any direction. But there are some destinations where it’s better fly into Guanacaste Airport.
A great example is if you are planning to visit a beach town in Guanacaste like Tamarindo, Playa Flamingo, Playa Hermosa, or Playas del Coco. In this case, you should use Guanacaste Airport, which is much closer than San Jose.
Sometimes it is best to fly into one airport and out of another. This can really save on travel time.
Specific Regions/Destinations
Below, we give a list of popular destinations in Costa Rica and which airport is closest. For some destinations, the airports are about equidistant, making them equally good choices.
In general, if you’re planning to visit Guanacaste, Guanacaste Airport is closest. If you’re planning to go to the central or southern Pacific coast, San Jose Airport is best. For the Caribbean coast, San Jose is also the closest.
La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano
LIR or SJO (both are about 2.5 hours away)
Monteverde Cloud Forest
LIR or SJO (both are about 2.5 hours away)
Jaco
SJO (about 1.5 hours away)
Herradura & Los Suenos Marriott
SJO (about 1.25 hours away)
Manuel Antonio/Quepos
SJO (about 2.5 hours away)
Dominical
SJO (about 3.5 hours away)
Uvita
SJO (about 3.5-4 hours away)
Drake Bay (Osa Peninsula)
SJO (4.5 hours away + boat taxi tide). SJO is about 4.5 hours from Sierpe, where you catch the 1-hour boat taxi to Drake Bay. For more information, check out our Drake Bay post.
Puerto Jimenez (Osa Peninsula)
SJO (about 6 hours away)
Tamarindo
LIR (about 1.25 hours away)
Playa Grande
LIR (about 1.25 hours away)
Playa Flamingo
LIR (about 1.25 hours away)
Potrero
LIR (about 1.25 hours away)
Playa Hermosa (Guanacaste)
LIR (about 30 minutes away)
Playas del Coco
LIR (about 30 minutes away)
Papagayo Peninsula
LIR (about 40 minutes away)
Nosara
LIR (about 2.5 hours away)
Samara
LIR (about 2 hours away)
Santa Teresa
LIR (about 4 hours away). SJO is about 4.5-5 hours. If flying into SJO, the trip to San Jose includes a 1-hour scenic ferry ride across the Gulf of Nicoya.
Montezuma
LIR (about 3.5 hours away). SJO is about 5 hours, including a 1-hour scenic ferry ride across the Gulf of Nicoya.
Bijagua/Rio Celeste
LIR (about 1.5 hours away)
San Gerardo de Dota
SJO (about 2.5 hours away)
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui
SJO (about 2 hours away)
Poas Volcano Area
SJO (about 1-1.5 hours away)
Tortuguero (Caribbean Coast)
SJO (about 3.5 hours + boat taxi ride). SJO is about 3.5 hours from La Pavona, where you can get the boat taxi to Tortuguero. The boat taxi takes 1-1.5 hours. See our Getting to Tortuguero post for more information.
Cahuita (Caribbean Coast)
SJO (about 4.5-5 hours away)
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (Caribbean Coast)
SJO (about 5 hours away)
Itineraries & Which Costa Rica Airport to Use
Here are some sample itineraries for a first-time visit, with which airports to fly in and out of.
Itinerary 1 – Classic Itinerary to Costa Rica’s Most Popular Destinations
Suggested Itinerary: LIR or SJO Airport – La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano to Manuel Antonio – SJO Airport
For a breakdown of this itinerary, including what the areas are like and available activities, read our post Costa Rica: Your One-Week Itinerary.
Itinerary 2 – Best of Costa Rica – Volcano, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Wildlife, and Beach
Suggested Itinerary: LIR or SJO Airport – La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano to Monteverde to Manuel Antonio – SJO Airport
Itinerary 3 – Volcano, Rainforest, and Guanacaste Beach Town
Suggested Itinerary – Option A: LIR or SJO Airport – La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano to Guanacaste Beach Town – LIR Airport
For more about this itinerary, including different options for beach towns in Guanacaste, read our post Costa Rica with Kids: A 10-Day Itinerary. Although it is focused on family travel, it covers activities that most travelers would be interested in.
Suggested Itinerary – Option B: LIR or SJO Airport – La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano to Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste – LIR Airport
This itinerary is good if you’re looking for a small, relaxed beach town. Our Costa Rica Itinerary from Liberia Airport has all the details.
Itinerary 4 – Volcano, Rainforest/Wildlife, and Beach (with off-the-beaten path)
Suggested Itinerary: LIR or SJO Airport – La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano to Manuel Antonio to Drake Bay (Osa Peninsula) – SJO Airport
Our post Costa Rica: Your Two-Week Itinerary has details on this option.
Alternatives: (1) Swap out the remote Drake Bay for the easier-to-access Uvita-Dominical area with our 10-Day Jungle Hopping-Waterfalls Itinerary.
(2) Add a stop in the cloud forests of San Gerardo de Dota on the way back to San Jose with our Costa Rica Itinerary with Osa Peninsula.
Itinerary 5 – Volcano + Caribbean Coast Beaches and Wildlife
Suggested Itinerary: LIR or SJO Airport – La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano to Cahuita or Puerto Viejo de Talamanca – SJO Airport
Itinerary 6: See Both Coasts (Pacific & Caribbean)
Suggested Itinerary: SJO Airport – Tortuguero to La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano to Playa Hermosa (Guanacaste) – LIR Airport
This sample itinerary is in our Costa Rica Rainy Season Itinerary: Coast to Coast.
Travel to Remote Destinations – Small Planes
Some destinations are remotely located and far from both international airports.
These include Drake Bay and Puerto Jimenez on the Osa Peninsula, and Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast.
Costa Rica does have small plane carriers that connect the international airports to airstrips around the country. These can save travelers a lot of time.
Although most flights go on without any problems, we are reluctant to recommend taking them right now for safety and reliability reasons. Our post on Taking Domestic Flights has more information.
What we usually recommend instead is that you strategically plan your itinerary to limit the amount of driving to the remote destination.
For example, if you’re going to Drake Bay on the southern Pacific coast, you could stay in Manuel Antonio or Uvita/Dominical for a few days before to get closer to Drake. Itineraries usually can be designed so that most drive times are manageable, especially with strategic stops to break up the travel day.
Conclusion
Although it has only two airports, SJO and LIR are convenient to most of the sights in Costa Rica. With some careful planning, you can easily limit your time in the car so that you can enjoy everything this country has to offer.
Pin It for Later
Have a question about which airport to fly into in Costa Rica? Ask us below.
Looking for more information to plan your trip? Check out these links:
Arriving at SJO Airport: What to expect when flying into San Jose Airport.
Transportation: Learn the different ways to get around once you arrive, including shuttle, rental car, small plane, and ferry.
Traveling to Costa Rica: The Basics – More general information about visiting Costa Rica, including visas, climate, money, and lots more.
Travel Planning Tips: These articles give a country overview and tips for first-time visits, saving on travel, and best times to come.
Practical Travel: Get more travel basics on packing, security, beach safety, transportation, best restaurants, and lots more.
