Take the ATI bus if you have a light bag and land before the evening. It costs $0.75 and ends at the edge of Old San Juan. Take a taxi if you land late or have heavy bags, and ask the dispatcher for the fixed price before you get in. The bus facts come from the transit agency's own pages, read on 12 October 2026.

The bus: routes 5 and 53 to Covadonga

Getting there: ATI published a map in October 2024 of three airport routes: 5 (Iturregui, Airport, San Juan Covadonga), 40 (Piñero station, Airport) and 53 (San Juan Covadonga, Condado, Airport). The map marks Covadonga at the edge of Old San Juan, next to the Capitolio and the ferry (ATI home page and airport map, read 12 Oct 2026)

Price: Regular fare $0.75 on most routes. Routes 20 and 30 cost $2.00. Pay on board with exact change or an ATI card. Free transfers from the train to a bus within two hours with the card, at the regular fare (ATI buses page, read 12 Oct 2026)

Hours: Route 5, airport side: every 20 minutes Monday to Friday and every 40 minutes on Saturdays and holidays. The last trip to San Juan leaves Iturregui at 9:08 p.m. on weekdays and 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays and holidays. First trip 5:05 a.m. on weekdays (ATI buses page, same read)

Hours: Route 53, airport to San Juan: first bus 6:46 a.m. and last 8:09 p.m. on weekdays. Saturday: first 6:42 a.m., last 8:45 p.m. Holidays: first 6:40 a.m., last 7:45 p.m. About every 67 minutes on weekdays and every 55 minutes on Saturdays and holidays. It goes by Isla Verde, Ashford Avenue in Condado and the Convention Center (same page)

Route 5 goes by Isla Verde, Loíza Street and Ponce de León Avenue. Route 53 goes along Condado, so pick it if your hotel is in Condado. ATI's page lists no Sunday times for these two routes, so on a Sunday plan on a taxi or Uber.

Hours: Route 40, Piñero to the airport, an express: first trip 5:00 a.m. on weekdays and 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Last trip 8:00 p.m. Every 60 minutes. From the airport, first bus 5:20 a.m. and last 8:20 p.m. It connects to the Tren Urbano at Piñero station (ATI buses page and map, read 12 Oct 2026)

Old San Juan is a walk from Covadonga. The two buses that go to Covadonga are the simple choice. Route 40 means a second ride on the train and is only worth it if your hotel is near a station.

The taxi: fixed rates by zone

Note: Law 75-2017, article 14: for trips that start at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and end in tourist-interest zones, "permanecerán vigentes" the fixed rates previously set by the Compañía de Turismo, until the Public Service Commission decides otherwise (Law 75-2017, text revised 15 Apr 2024, read 12 Oct 2026)

That is the legal basis for the "taxi turístico" rates. The Tourism Company's own rate table did not load for us. A San Juan tourism site lists $12 to Isla Verde, $17 to Condado and $21 to Old San Juan. It is not official and gives no date, so treat it as a rough guide only.

Discover Puerto Rico's taxi page is reported to say that dispatchers at the airport tell you the price first, that the fixed fares are paid in cash, and that tolls, luggage and night trips can add charges. At the stand, ask for the total price and ask whether the toll is in it.

Uber at SJU

Note: Uber's page for Terminal A says to choose "Directions to pickup" in the app after you land. It says the directions may not match where your driver will meet you, so check them again after you request a ride. Reservations can be made up to 90 days ahead and cancelled free until one hour before pickup (Uber, SJU Terminal A page, read 12 Oct 2026)

Note: In late 2024 the airport operator added a passenger pick-up lane of about 1,600 feet in front of arrivals, which cost about $863,000. The report does not say it is for ride apps (El Nuevo Día, 29 Nov 2024, read 12 Oct 2026)

Use the spot the app shows, and read the driver's plate and name before you get in.

Which one, by who you are

  • Light bag, hotel in Old San Juan or Condado, landing before 7 p.m.: ATI route 53 or route 5.

  • Landing at night, or after 8 p.m.: taxi from the stand, with the price agreed first, or Uber.

  • Family with bags: taxi, because the bus stop and the walk at Covadonga are extra steps.

Documents

Puerto Rico is part of the US, so US citizens need no passport. Discover Puerto Rico says so for citizens and permanent residents, and TSA's REAL ID rule has been enforced since 7 May 2025. Our Puerto Rico page covers what non-citizens who live in the US should carry.

What is checked here and what is not

Checked on 12 October 2026: ATI's home page, buses page and airport map (October 2024), Law 75-2017 as revised on 15 April 2024, Uber's SJU Terminal A page and El Nuevo Día's report of 29 November 2024.

Not confirmed: the official taxi rate table (the Tourism Company's, the airport's and Discover Puerto Rico's pages blocked our requests), the dollar rates above, whether taxis take cards, the airport's rules for ride apps, and Sunday service on routes 5 and 53. We did not ride the bus.