At the check-in counter at home, or at the keyboard with two flight tabs open, the same choice comes up: land in the Central Valley, or fly straight to the northwest? Costa Rica has two international airports that most visitors use, San Jose (SJO) and Liberia (LIR). The right one depends on where your first night will be.
Which airports serve Costa Rica?
Two international airports serve most visitors: Juan Santamaria International (SJO), near San Jose in the Central Valley, and Daniel Oduber Quiros International (LIR), at Liberia in the northwest. They sit on opposite sides of the country and open very different first days, so the choice shapes the whole shape of a trip more than any other booking.
Costa Rica stays on one clock all year, UTC-6, with no daylight saving time. In winter that matches U.S. Central Standard Time and sits one hour behind the East Coast. When the U.S. moves its clocks forward in summer, you are one hour behind Central and two hours behind the East Coast, which is worth remembering when you plan a pickup or a call home.
| Airport | Code | Where it is | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juan Santamaria International | SJO | Near San Jose, Central Valley | San Jose, the central Pacific coast, mountains and volcano country, the Caribbean side |
| Daniel Oduber Quiros International | LIR | Liberia, northwest | The Guanacaste beaches |
San Jose (SJO): the gateway to the middle of the country
SJO is the natural choice when your plans start in the highlands or run across several regions. From the Central Valley, roads fan out to the central Pacific beaches, to the cloud forest and to the Caribbean lowlands. If your trip mixes a volcano, a coffee farm and a few beach days, landing here keeps every option open.
Jaco, a lively beach town with a long dark-sand beach, surf, bars and restaurants, is about two hours by road from San Jose. Monteverde and Santa Elena lie in the other direction, up a last stretch that is steep, bumpy and partly unpaved, so the drive is slower than the map suggests.
Liberia (LIR): straight to the northwest coast
LIR is the closest airport for the Guanacaste beaches, and that is its whole appeal: you step off the plane and you are already in beach country. Travelers who come mainly for sand, sunsets and surf lessons often fly here and skip the long road from the capital entirely.
Tamarindo, a surf and beach town with restaurants, shops and nightlife along its main street, is about an hour’s drive from the Liberia airport.
Flying into one airport and out of the other
Because the two airports are on opposite sides of the country, an open-jaw ticket can keep you from doubling back. You might arrive in San Jose, spend a few days in the mountains and on the central coast, then leave from Liberia after a week on the Guanacaste beaches. The route follows the geography instead of doubling back, and it gives you a trip that feels like a line rather than a loop.
Which airport is closer to the beaches?
Liberia is closer to the Guanacaste beaches, while San Jose is closer to the central Pacific beaches around Jaco. Which one is nearer depends on which coast you mean, so start from the beach town and work backward.
Guanacaste: fly into Liberia
The Guanacaste coast is the reason LIR exists for most travelers. Tamarindo, about an hour from the airport, gives you a main street of restaurants and shops, surf breaks for beginners and old hands alike, and evenings that drift from sunset on the sand to a late dinner. Nearby coves are quieter, and a rental house or a resort a short way up the coast keeps the transfer short.
Choosing San Jose for this coast turns arrival day into a long road trip. If you have only a week, those hours are better spent on the beach.
Central Pacific: fly into San Jose
Jaco sits about two hours by road from San Jose, which makes it the easy beach add-on to a trip that starts in the capital. The beach is long and dark-sand, the town is lively with surf shops, bars and restaurants, and it works well for travelers who want a beach evening without committing to the far northwest.
It suits people who like a town with plenty going on after dark. Surfers appreciate the steady waves, and others come for the walkable strip of cafes. If you want a quieter stretch, you can keep going along the coast once you are there.
Remote beaches: Santa Teresa and Tortuguero
Some of the most loved places take effort whichever airport you choose. Getting to Santa Teresa takes most of a day from San Jose by road and car ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera, followed by a long drive on partly unpaved roads. The alternative is a short flight to a nearby airstrip, which trades a long day for a small plane.
Tortuguero, a small village on the northern Caribbean coast among canals and rainforest, has no roads in. You reach it only by boat or small plane, so it is a destination you plan around rather than add on. Both places reward travelers who accept that the journey is part of the trip.
How do you get from the airport to your hotel?
The drive after landing is usually the part to plan most carefully. The distances look short on a map, but the roads set the pace.
Choosing how to travel
From Liberia, Tamarindo is about an hour away, so a shuttle or taxi to a beach hotel is a manageable first leg after a flight. From San Jose, Jaco is about two hours by road, long enough that you will want a meal and a rest at the other end. If your hotel is in the mountains, expect more time than the distance suggests.
Others rent from the airport right away, which makes sense when your route has several stops. Either way, confirm your pickup details with the hotel ahead of time, so nobody is searching the arrivals hall for a name.
If you drive yourself
The U.S. State Department notes several things that matter on Costa Rican roads. Bridges, even on heavily traveled roads, may be only one lane, and visibility at intersections may be blocked by vegetation or other obstacles, so drive with extreme caution. Motorcyclists may not follow road rules, often passing on the right or weaving through traffic.
Some places, especially beaches and rural areas, may only be accessible with a four-wheel drive vehicle. During the rainy season, some roads may be blocked due to landslides. Travelers should try not to drive outside of urban areas at night, so plan to reach your hotel in daylight when you can.
The last stretch to the mountains
The road to Monteverde and Santa Elena ends in a steep, bumpy, partly unpaved climb. It is scenic, with the air cooling as you rise, but it is slow, and the final miles take far longer than the distance suggests. Arriving with the afternoon still ahead of you is far more pleasant than creeping up in the dark.
If that climb sounds tiring after a flight, a transfer driver who knows the road takes the strain off you. Plan a gentle first evening there, with dinner nearby and a long sleep before any early walk in the forest.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates Costa Rica Level 2, ‘Exercise increased caution,’ due to crime; it says petty crime is common throughout Costa Rica and that violent crime also affects tourists, including armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault.
Keep valuables out of sight in parked cars and at the airport curb, since petty crime is common throughout the country, and keep your bags close while you wait for a shuttle. Build a cushion into the day you arrive, because roads, weather and rural routes can all add time.
Sources
- U.S. Department of State, Costa Rica Travel Information, Traveling and transportation (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/CostaRica.html), checked October 8, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Costa Rica Travel Advisory, issued April 1, 2026 (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/costa-rica-travel-advisory.html), read via the State Department open data API on October 8, 2026
To plan your stay
- Best Time to Visit Costa Rica: Dry and Green Seasons, Weather by Region and Festivals
- Things to Do in Costa Rica: Volcanoes, Beaches, Wildlife and Day Trips
- Where to Stay in Costa Rica: Beach Towns, Cloud Forest, Volcano Views and Which Base Fits Your Trip
- Know Before You Go to Costa Rica: Entry Rules, Money, Getting Around and Local Customs