Popular Airport | Juan Santamaria Intl. Airport |
---|---|
Popular Airlines | |
Approximate Flight Duration | 16 hour 40 min |
Approximate Travel Distance | 13373 Km |
The airport, which is approximately 6 kilometers of the city center, is located on Bole Road. In the city where public transportation is not very developed, you can use minibuses to reach the airport. Taxi is another transportation alternative that is frequently preferred by visitors. In addition to these, you can get to the airport from the city center by renting a car or by benefitting from the airport shuttle service in case your hotel offers this service.
You can reach the airport by getting on a minibus from the minibus stops located in the city center. Minibuses generally carry passengers to the airport from 5:30 am to 09:00 pm. Although it is relatively cheaper compared to taxi, you should remember that drivers may demand higher amounts from tourists. The fare is about 5 Birr. They may also charge extra amount for each baggage.
Hotel shuttle service is the most comfortable alternative for your travel to the airport. In Addis Ababa city center, there are both small hotels and accommodation centers of chain hotels such as Hilton, Radisson and Sheraton. Some of these hotels offer airport shuttle service. If your hotel offers this service and you want to benefit from this service for your travel to the airport, you should definitely make a reservation in advance.
There are two types of taxis that you can get on to reach the airport. Mercedes taxis of the National Tour Operator (NTO) operate under a company and offer service with more comfortable vehicles. With their predetermined tariffs, they create a more reliable image in terms of the fares. You can ask your hotel to call a NTO taxi for you.
There is no taximeter in the taxis operating in Addis Ababa, so it is advised to agree on the fare before getting on. These yellow taxis are approximately 10 times more expensive than blue-white taxis. You can also reach the airport in a short time with a blue-white taxi which you can find in the city center or waiting in front of hotels. The average fare is between 80 and 100 Birr. The owners of these taxis aren’t companies but individuals. Since there is also no taximeter in blue-white taxis and fares are not standardized by a company, they are more flexible in terms of fares and you should definitely bargain.
You can rent a car from one of the car rental companies that you can find in the city center or from the offices of tour operators. You can also get help from your hotel about renting a car.
Since some roads in Addis Ababa have no name, there isn’t sufficient number of traffic signs throughout the city and there is no traffic light on many roundabouts, traffic flow isn’t in order. For this reason, renting a car during your visit may not be a good option. If you want to rent a car only for travelling to the airport from the city center, you should prefer a company which has an office at the airport.
In order to get to the airport with the car you have rented, connect to Bole Road in the city center, drive southeastward and follow the airport signs.
There are 2 terminals at the airport. Terminal 1, which offers service for domestic flights, is located in the old building. Terminal 2 offers service for international passenger transportation in the new building.
At Bole International Airport, there are many restaurants and cafes in addition to stores and a duty-free shop where you can do some shopping before your flight.
At the airport, there is also a lounge for passengers looking for a comfortable environment and a much larger lounge is now being constructed. Although there is no left luggage service at the airport, you can find other standard airport services such as pharmacy, currency exchange office and ATM.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.