Getting from Juan Santamaria International Airport to the city

Orange, not red

This is the single fact worth carrying off the plane.

• The official taxis at Juan Santamaria are orange.
• Red taxis are the ordinary San Jose city taxis and are not the airport service.
• The orange ones operate on fixed zone fares, agreed at a desk or stated before you set off - typically USD 25 to 30 into central San Jose.
• Anyone approaching you inside the terminal is not the official service.

Uber

• Uber operates in Costa Rica and is used heavily by residents and visitors.
• Its legal status has been disputed for years, which in practice means drivers avoid the official rank and ask you to meet them elsewhere.
• It is usually cheaper than the orange taxi.

Where you are actually going

Most visitors to Costa Rica are not staying in San Jose.

• The airport is in Alajuela, about 20 km from the capital and rather well placed for heading elsewhere.
• Hire cars are the standard way to see Costa Rica, and the desks are at the airport. Book ahead; the mandatory local insurance is a well-known source of surprise charges, so confirm what your quote includes.
• Shared and private shuttles run from the airport to La Fortuna, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio and the Guanacaste beaches, and are booked in advance.
• If your first night is on the coast, going into San Jose is a detour.

A note on money

• Prices are quoted in both US dollars and colones and both are accepted almost everywhere.
• You will usually get a better rate paying in colones; paying in dollars means accepting the vendor's exchange rate.