Gate A duty free run without leaving the secure area
Attenza Duty Free sits airside in Terminal A at SJO, open 24 hours, so you can shop before a 6 a.m. departure or after a midnight arrival. It’s on the international side, after security and passport control, so this is last-call shopping before boarding your flight out of Costa Rica.
Prices on liquor and perfume at Attenza Duty Free in Terminal A are often better than downtown San José shops, especially on 1L bottles of rum and whisky. Cigarettes and sweets sit in the middle price-wise for the region, so don’t expect rock-bottom deals, but you’ll still dodge regular high-street markup.
The store runs a full set of duty free staples: 1L bottles of Flor de Caña and local rums, global whisky brands, perfume gift sets, chocolate boxes, and travel-sized cosmetics. Electronics here skew basic—think headphones and power banks under $40—so skip it for big-ticket gadgets.
Since Attenza Duty Free in Terminal A runs 24/7, late-night flights to the US and early-morning departures to South America still see open registers and stocked shelves. Staff generally move people through quickly, but during banked departures around 11 p.m.–1 a.m., expect a 5–10 minute wait at checkout.
Tip: If you’re buying liquids over 100 ml for a connection, ask staff at Attenza Duty Free in Terminal A to seal everything in the official STEB duty free bag so it survives secondary security checks at your next airport.