San Jose Airport (Costa Rica)

The airport of the Costa Rican capital is 17 kilometers northwest of San José, by the city Alajuela. The airport is officially called Juan Santamaría, after the soldier who was killed in the battle against the Americans in 1856 (Battle of Rivas). The airport was recently privatized, the new owner, Alterra, is starting to expand and renovate the airport.

The local currency is the colon (CRC), but in Costa Rica you can also pay with American dollars in many outlets, but you receive the change in colons, CRC 100 = €0.14, CRC 700 = €1.00 (December 2006).

You must pay a tax of $26.00 when you leave Costa Rica, this amount is not included in your ticket.