jdbird

Has anyone taken the public bus from SJO airport to downtown San Jose? Does the bus accept US dollars? Is the final stop Ave 2 calles12/14? Will the bus make other stops on request? Thanks for any help, we leave in a couple weeks and bus routes have been hard to locate.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Time of day? Where do you want to go?

The bus has a few fixed stops along the highway between the airport and the city as well as along Paseo Colon, the east-west avenue that connects the highway with downtown San Jose. The bus terminal on Ave 2 is in kind of a sketchy neighborhood. I'd be relunctant to take the bus there at night.

I honestly don't know if the driver will take U.S. dollars. Maybe. If you try, don't pay with anything larger than $1 bills. The fare isn't that expensive, so don't try to pay with a large bill.

jdbird

My husband and I will arrive mid afternoon. Our hotel is on the NW side of San Jose, which is not very close to the bus station. We travel light (small backpacks)so I was planning to walk a bit, maybe hop in a cab from the bus station. I don't have a feel for how big/walkable/safe San Jose is...

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Can you be more specific about "NW side of San Jose"?

jdbird

Oops, actually, I should have said NE- Calle 19, Ave 11/13.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

That's going to be about 25 blocks from bus terminal to hotel. No, you shouldn't attempt to walk that. The bus from the airport to San Jose will pass nowhere near there.

If your flight arrives mid-afternoon, it will be the height of the rush hour by the time you get to downtown San Jose. That's never a good time to find a taxi. It gets dark about 5:30, another reason you shouldn't attempt to walk from the bus terminal.

A taxi from the airport to the hotel should run about $25-$30 one way. That would be the total cost for the two of you together. I'm all for trying to save money when I travel, but this is one area where I wouldn't try to cut corners given the dicey neighborhood where the bus will drop you off and the fact that it'll be getting dark.

jdbird

Jeff, thanks for the advice. Can anyone else comment on the safety issue? I tend to underestimate the possible danger of various situations...And I've never been to San Jose.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I'm serious: Take an taxi directly from the airport to your hotel. It'll be a lot safer.

Here's what I'm afraid will happen to you if you try the bus: It'll be a crowded bus that time of day. Even though it stops at the airport, it isn't really designed to be an airport bus and is difficult to take if you have luggage. It's a commuter bus that runs between two cities. You'll get to downtown San Jose around 5 or 5:30 and it will be getting dark. You'll have trouble finding a taxi there because it's the height of rush hour. The terminal is in a dicey neighborhood and you've never been to San Jose before.

Take a taxi from the airport directly to your hotel.

volcanogirl

San Jose is big, not a very pretty city for the most part, lots of razor wire, etc. I'd listen to Jeff's advice. Common advice is to take taxis at night, not wear nice jewelry, etc.

tully

I really would listen to Jeff. The few dollars you will save are just not worth it.

volcanogirl

How are things after the earthquake? Has any damage been reported? Hope everyone is okay.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

6.1 earthquake at 4:55 a.m. this morning. Epicenter 25 miles off the coast at Quepos. No reports of damage or injuries, although many people on the Pacific coast report things falling off the shelves.

I'm in the U.S. right now.

James_Travel

I am wondering about the times the local bus that goes from SJO to central San Jose. Also I was wondering where it makes stops. I am staying at the Holiday Inn and I need to get to the Caribeno Bus station by about 8:30 am. Is this travel time possible with the local bus then walking/taxiing to the bus station?
Thanks

Jeff_Costa_Rica

The airport bus travels a fixed route with fixed stops. It's really more a commuter route that happens to stop at the airport. There isn't even a proper rack for luggage. It does not serve area hotels. It does not go anywhere near the Holiday Inn. You'd have to take a taxi from the terminal downtown to the hotel.

I'll ask the same question I asked two years ago: What time does your flight get in? The neighborhood where the bus terminal is located is dicey.

Holiday Inn to Caribeno bus terminal is 5-10 minutes by taxi. Definitely take a cab. Walking would take you through a rough neighborhood.

James_Travel

My flight will get in around 12:30 at night. We are planning on either staying in the Holiday Inn for a couple hours or sleeping in the airport for a couple hours to get an early start to make it to Caribeno.
Any idea how the airport is about people sleeping there?
I read above the the Taxi from the hotel to downtown would be about $25-30 one way? Is that pretty accurate?
Also, is there some way I can look up the bus route/times to try and gauge if this is possible or if we should just take a taxi?

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I don't believe the airport is open 24 hours. I think it closes after the last flight of the night (probably your flight) and reopens at 4 a.m. When your flight arrives, you are sent directly to immigration and customs, and then you exit and you are outdoors. I doubt you would be let into the departure area of the terminal upstairs.

The bus runs once an hour after midnight. Who knows how that will coincide with your flight arrival? Remember, as I mentioned above, it is not really an "airport bus." It's a commuter bus that just happens to stop at the airport. It deposits you downtown in a neighborhood where you should NOT be at that hour. I've been in Costa Rica for years and know San Jose well. Even I wouldn't attempt this plan with the bus.

Please: Take a taxi to the hotel.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Let me also ask where you are going from the Caribeño bus terminal. There have been some changes in terminals in the past 1+1/2 years. I just want to be sure you are going to the correct one.

James_Travel

Sounds like a taxi is the way to go. Thank you!
Any idea how prices would be for just a couple hours at the Holiday Inn? I have been reading that they may charge a smaller fee for just a couple hours.

And we are taking a bus from San Jose to Matina, on our way to the Pacuare Nature Reserve.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I asked about your destination because, for years, the buses to Puerto Viejo and Cahuita left from the Caribeños bus terminal. That changed about 18 months ago, but I've heard of people still trying to find those buses there.

A discounted rate is something you'd have to talk to the hotel about. There are a few lodgings in downtown San Jose that rent by the hour for the obvious reasons. I'm preaching safety here, so you don't want to go to those.

AllegraTravels

My daughter and I need to take the bus from San Jose to Cahuita in July. Can you please tell us what bus terminal we need to go to, and how do we find the correct bus?