Information if you want to rent a car in San Jose
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Distance from San Jose city centre |
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Rent a car in San Jose
Where to rent a car in San Jose
San Jose balances its rich Spanish history with its advancing tech industry, making it a rich city and therefore bringing with it five star hotels, fine dining restaurants and a sophisticated culture scene.
Booking a rental car in San Jose is a must, even though they welcome tourists their public transport is not extensive, and taxis expensive.
Use a travel search engine like liligo.com to secure your car rental in San Jose, doing this before you ake your flight to San Jose will ensure you get the best car deal. Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Firefly, Fox, Hertz, National, Payless, Sixt and Thrifty are all available from the rental car center at Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) located directly across from terminal B.
Driving in San Jose: what you need to know
The roads in Costa Rica can vary vastly, so be sure to plan your trip carefully so you know what route is best to take.
Around San Jose there are large, multi-lane freeways with lovely smooth roads, stay on these routes if possible because when the rainy season hits the road conditions can become quite hazardous; landslides, flooding and erosion are not uncommon on the less travelled routes.
There’s plenty of parking downtown and some city owned garages offer a flat-rate parking after 6pm, seven nights a week and all day Saturday or Sunday. This rate applies at Market and San Pedro Garage, Third Street Garage, Second and San Carlos Garage and Fourth Street Garage.
Road trips from San Jose: what to see and do
Manuel Antonio National Park
About 3 hours drive from San Jose, Manuel Antonio National Park is famous for its stunning beaches and extensive hiking trails. With its idyllic combination of beach, tropical forest and wildlife, there are plenty of natural wonders to explore within this scenic landscape.
The drive along the Pacific coastline will be just as beautiful as your end destination, so saver it and take your time. Stop off at the photogenic villages along the coast and have a little explore. No vehicles are allowed on the preserve so you will need to leave your rental car parked nearby and hike to the preserve. If you’re lucky you might be able to catch a glimpse of the famous three-toed sloth.
Santa Cruz Country
A new-age city famous of its leftie-liberal politics, Santa Cruz is a great place to be for the young and hippies at heart. The beach is known for its epic waves and is one of American’s surfing capitals. For more outdoor recreation the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary is a great place to visit for nature lovers, it offers exciting activities for all the family.
Monterey
The world-class aquarium overlooking Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary attracts plenty of visitors and offers some of the best wildlife viewing in the world. It protects seals, sea lions, dolphins, whales and kelp forests.
The drive alone is beautiful, so make sure you don’t waste your car rental opportunity and miss this epic drive.