Search Flights from Quito to San Jose (Costa Rica)

Approximate Travel Distance
Approximate Flight Duration
Popular Airlines
Popular Airport
1,284 Km
1 hour 30 min
Juan Santamaria Intl. Airport

Transportation to Quito Airport from the City Center

You can benefit from a few transportation alternatives for travelling to Mariscal Sucre Airport, which is located approximately 37 kilometers of Quito city center. City buses, private buses and shuttle buses are among these options. If you want a more comfortable transportation, you can visit one of the car rental companies or use one of the taxis that you can find at many central points of the city. Whichever transportation option you choose, you can arrive at Mariscal Sucre Airport in maximum 1,5 hours.

Bus

You need to know that travelling to Mariscal Sucre Airport from the city center can take about 2 hours and it is better to take the road a bit earlier in order not to miss your flights. You will be offered to alternatives about Quito buses and one of these alternatives is more budget-friendly but its transportation duration is longer. You can buy your ticket by paying 2 dollars (by 2016) from the ticket machines in order to use the city buses passing through almost all of the stops in Quito city center. You can reach the airport in 2 hours in this way. However, the buses operating under the transportation company called Aeroservicios offer faster transportation service for its passengers. These buses have a capacity of 46-52 passengers. These buses can be easily found in the city and they pass through many central points. You can get your ticket by paying 8 dollars for benefitting from these buses. The reason why these buses cost more compared to other buses is that they offer service for 365 days of the year and at every hour of the day. It is possible to arrive at Mariscal Sucre Airport in about 1 hour by using these buses.

Taxi

The use of taxis in Quito city center is quite common and they are among the favorite transportation vehicles since they offer affordable travel. You can arrive at Mariscal Sucre Airport in maximum one hour by getting on one of the taxis that you can easily find in the city center for 24/7. Most of the taxis use taximeter and drivers demand about 25-30 dollars for the transportations to Mariscal Sucre Airport from the city center. However, this amount can increase to 45 dollars depending on your location. If you want to have a more affordable transportation, you can use Uber system or find a few passengers travelling to the airport and share the amount with them. In this way, you can travel to the airport in a comfortable way by paying less.

Car Rental

If you want to rent a car for your transportation to Mariscal Sucre Airport, which is only 37 kilometers away from Quito city center, you can make an online search about the car rental companies before your travel in order not to lose time in the city center trying to find a private car for your transportation. If you make a reservation in advance, you can also benefit from the discounts. You will see the offices of many global car rental companies in the city center but if you choose a local company, you can rent your car for a more affordable price. Some of the car rental companies offering service in Quito city center; Hertz: +(593-2) 281 8410, Avis: +(593-2) 601-6000, Locate: +(593-2) 600-2975, Budget: +(593-2) 281-8040, Thrifty: +(593-2) 222-8688. After renting your car, you need to follow the highway E28 through Cumbaya and Tumbaco roads which are in the east of Quito city center. Then, you need to drive northwards and follow the highway E35. You can reach Mariscal Sucre Airport in about 1-1,5 hours with the car you’ve rented.

Airport Information

Mariscal Sucre International Airport, which is the main airport of Quito, was put into service in 2013. Located 37 kilometers east of Quito city center, the airport offers many services for its passengers. Mariscal Sucre Airport is an international airport. While waiting for your flight, you can have a snack in the eating and drinking areas, or do shopping by visiting some of the stores at the airport. Mariscal Sucre Airport is one of the busiest airports of South America and Ecuador. At the airport, you can find many privileged services such as the duty free shop where you can find the products of many world-famous brands, Amazonia Cafe, Famiglia Pizzeria, Darwin's Bar, Fly Chicken Fly, Guacamole Grill, Johnny Rocket mağs, Outback Steakhouse, De Volado / To Go, T.G.I. Friday’s, De Volado/on the fly and Tres Trio, offices of many car rental companies and travel agencies, foreign exchange office, ATMs, bank, VIP and recreation rooms, free internet access etc.

Last Updated: 05 Dec 2016

Transportation to San Jose (Costa Rica) City Center from Airport

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.

Last Updated: 12 Jun 2017

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Wingie offer the cheapest Quito-San Jose (Costa Rica) flights?

When you search for Quito-San Jose (Costa Rica) flights, Wingie directly gathers and compares instant data from all airlines. You can see all Quito-San Jose (Costa Rica) flights together for the date you are looking for and choose the most suitable flight.

Which airports can I use for Quito-San Jose (Costa Rica) flights?

For Quito-San Jose (Costa Rica) flights, you can use Mariscal Sucre Intl. Airport as departure airport, and Juan Santamaria Intl. Airport, Tobias Bolanos Intl. Airport for arrival.

How many kilometers is the flight distance from Quito-San Jose (Costa Rica) and how long does the flight take?

The flight distance between Quito-San Jose (Costa Rica) is 1284 kilometers in total. The flight between the two cities takes 1 hour 30 minutes.

Which day is the most convenient for Quito-San Jose (Costa Rica) flights?

When the average prices are examined, the most suitable day for Quito-San Jose (Costa Rica) flights is Friday.

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