SJO - ZRH

$576 Find Cheap Flights from San José to Zurich

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from San José to Zurich departing on 5/14. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
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These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San José to Zurich.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San José to Zurich.
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Flights Deals

Cheap Flights from San José to Zurich

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from San José to Zurich that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.

Recent round-trip flight deals from San José to Zurich

KAYAK's recommended round-trip deals from the most popular airlines that fly from San José to Zurich.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.
Air France Logo
7:40 pm - 10:30 pmSJO-ZRH
18h 50m1 stop
Air France Logo
11:20 am - 5:25 pmZRH-SJO
14h 05m1 stop
$772Air France
Find Deal
Fri, Jun 6 - Mon, Jun 16
Air France Logo
7:25 pm - 9:15 pmSJO-ZRH
17h 50m1 stop
Air France Logo
2:50 pm - 5:10 pmZRH-SJO
34h 20m1 stop
$784Air France
Find Deal
Wed, Sep 24 - Thu, Oct 9
KLM Logo
1:18 pm - 4:45 pmSJO-ZRH
19h 27m2 stops
KLM Logo
6:55 am - 5:10 pmZRH-SJO
17h 15m1 stop
$808KLM
Find Deal
Mon, Sep 22 - Wed, Oct 29
SWISS Logo
3:25 pm - 10:35 amSJO-ZRH
11h 10mnonstop
SWISS Logo
9:35 am - 1:45 pmZRH-SJO
12h 10mnonstop
$811SWISS
Find Deal
Fri, Jun 13 - Fri, Jun 20
SWISS Logo
3:25 pm - 10:35 amSJO-ZRH
11h 10mnonstop
SWISS Logo
9:35 am - 1:45 pmZRH-SJO
12h 10mnonstop
$812SWISS
Find Deal
Fri, Jun 6 - Fri, Jun 20
KLM Logo
1:13 pm - 4:45 pmSJO-ZRH
19h 32m2 stops
KLM Logo
2:15 pm - 5:10 pmZRH-SJO
33h 55m1 stop
$813KLM
Find Deal
Tue, Oct 14 - Tue, Oct 28
Air Canada Logo
8:00 am - 10:10 amSJO-ZRH
18h 10m1 stop
Air Canada Logo
12:40 pm - 8:25 pmZRH-SJO
15h 45m1 stop
$845Air Canada
Find Deal
Wed, May 28 - Sun, Jun 15
Air Canada Logo
8:00 am - 10:10 amSJO-ZRH
18h 10m1 stop
Air Canada Logo
12:40 pm - 10:55 pmZRH-SJO
18h 15m2 stops
$851Air Canada
Find Deal
Sat, Sep 20 - Tue, Oct 7
Iberia Logo
4:30 pm - 10:20 pmSJO-ZRH
21h 50m1 stop
Iberia Logo
7:30 am - 2:35 pmZRH-SJO
15h 05m1 stop
$990Iberia
Find Deal
Thu, Jun 5 - Fri, Jun 20
Iberia Logo
4:30 pm - 10:20 pmSJO-ZRH
21h 50m1 stop
Iberia Logo
7:30 am - 3:05 pmZRH-SJO
15h 35m1 stop
$1,007Iberia
Find Deal
Thu, May 29 - Wed, Jun 11
Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from San José to Zurich

 
Snippets provided in this section are AI-generated based on a summarization of KAYAK-commissioned articles. The articles are presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the articles are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Airports
SJO

SJO offers about 75 self-check-in kiosks, making it easy to get your boarding pass. Arrive early as security line lengths can vary.

Read more about SJOby Mark Chesnut
ZRH

ZRH is best accessed by public transportation. Trains connect to Zurich Hauptbahnhof in 15 minutes, with departures every 10 minutes.

Read more about ZRHby Emily Zemler
Our travel experts
Emily Zemler

Emily Zemler

Expert on ZRH

Emily Zemler

Emily Zemler

Emily is a freelance writer and book author based in London covering entertainment and travel. Her work has appeared in Los Angeles Times, Observer, and Conde Nast Traveler She has ventured to more than 40 countries and all seven continents, always in search of a great art museum. She has written extensively about hotels, luxury travel, and aviation.

Read more
Mark Chesnut

Mark Chesnut

Expert on SJO

Mark Chesnut

Mark Chesnut

Mark Chesnut is a travel writer and public speaker with more than 30 years of experience. The 2019 winner of the NLGJA Excellence in Travel Writing Award, Mark is the author of the book “Prepare for Departure” and has covered air travel for multiple top consumer and trade media outlets.

Read more
Useful Info

KAYAK's insights & trends for San José to Zurich flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from San José to Zurich to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from San José to Zurich?

The average price of all round-trip flights from San José to Zurich clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

Your flight ticket price will generally be cheaper if you fly to Zurich on a Thursday and more expensive on a Monday. On your return trip to San José, you should consider flying back on a Wednesday, and avoid Mondays for better deals.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San José to Zurich?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from San José to Zurich, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from San José to Zurich is November, where tickets cost $799 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and June, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,098 and $1,096 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from San José to Zurich?

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

Yes, flying with a layover may cost you more time, but you can also save money on the route, with a 1 stop layover the cheapest option at $1,838 on average.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San José to Zurich?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from San José to Zurich, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from San José to Zurich, you should book around 5 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 8 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonAugust
High seasonDecember
Cheapest flight$576
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 14% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 11% increase in price.
Flight from San José to Zurich

When to book flights from San José to Zurich

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from San José to Zurich based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or round-trips with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking flights from San José to Zurich

  • What is the cheapest flight from San José to Zurich?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from San José to Zurich was $576 for a one-way ticket and $772 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between San José and Zurich?

    A passport is required to fly from San José to Zurich.

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from San José to Zurich?

    On your way to Zurich, you’ll fly out from San José Juan Santamaria Intl. You’ll be landing at Zurich.

  • Which airlines offer Wi-Fi service onboard planes from San José to Zurich?

    Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France, Iberia, and KLM offer inflight Wi-Fi service on the San José to Zurich flight route.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from San José to Zurich?

    The Airbus A340-300 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the San José to Zurich flight route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from San José to Zurich?

    Star Alliance is the only airline alliance operating flights between San José and Zurich.

  • On which days can I fly direct from San José to Zurich?

    You can catch a nonstop flight from San José to Zurich on on Friday.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from San José to Zurich, KLM or SWISS?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San José to Zurich are KLM and SWISS. With an average price for the route of $995 and an overall rating of 7.8, KLM is the most popular choice. SWISS is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $1,064 and an overall rating of 7.5.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from San José to Zurich?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from San José to Zurich.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from San José to Zurich?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Zurich from San José is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from San José to Zurich?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Zurich with an airline and back to San José with another airline. Booking your flights between San José and ZRH can sometimes prove cheaper using this method.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from San José to Zurich?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Zurich from San José up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from San José to Zurich

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $688 or less one-way and $941 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly direct from San José to Zurich?

Find which airlines fly direct from San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport to Zurich Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

San José Juan Santamaria Intl to Zurich

Friday

Edelweiss Air, Lufthansa, SWISS

Edelweiss Air, Lufthansa, +1 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Zurich to San José Juan Santamaria Intl

Monday

Edelweiss Air, Lufthansa, SWISS

Edelweiss Air, Lufthansa, +1 more

Wednesday

Edelweiss Air, Lufthansa, SWISS

Edelweiss Air, Lufthansa, +1 more

Friday

Edelweiss Air, Lufthansa, SWISS

Edelweiss Air, Lufthansa, +1 more

Sunday

Edelweiss Air, Lufthansa, SWISS

Edelweiss Air, Lufthansa, +1 more

See more direct flights
See more direct flights

Top 5 airlines serving from San José to Zurich

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San José to Zurich. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from San José to Zurich? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
7.8
KLMOverall score based on 1334 reviews
7.8Boarding
7.1Entertainment
8.4Crew
7.7Comfort
7.2Food
Airline reviews

Cabin crew professional, polite and friendly, boarding was seemless, but come on KLM surely you can do better than a pack of cheesy biscuits as an inflight snack

8.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Apr 2025AMS - MAN
Read more KLM reviews

Cabin crew professional, polite and friendly, boarding was seemless, but come on KLM surely you can do better than a pack of cheesy biscuits as an inflight snack

This portion of the flight was through Indigo. A local carrier. So all economy seating. No real service some refreshments for purchase standard economy stuff.

You should not have to pay for WiFi in business class

Transfer at Amsterdam airport is very convenient and the airport is easy to navigate. Boarding was also quick and easy. Cabin crew were excellent and the meals were good, although lacking in options.

Overall very positive. Boarding was quick and organized. Cabin was clean and seats were reasonably comfortable. Cabin crew was excellent and the meals provided were also of good quality

This fight left ahead of time which meant it arrived early which was great. Staff were very professional, but as with all these Short hop Flights the food was a disappointing snack There was no entertainment on this flight, but I did not expect any

They only had vegetarian food left on the flight which I wasn’t happy about. I didn’t get any food to eat at all.

Overall very poor. Flight was disorganised, staff were rude and this is my second experience with KLM that I've had baggage go missing. It feels like, if you are an economy customer, KLM staff do not show you any care. I shall never fly with KLM again. Worst airline in Europe

Great boarding, great short flight but no entertainment whatsoever and no wifi. Prepare to disembark by a staircase.

Great boarding, great short flight but no entertainment whatsoever. It was supposed to have wifi but that did not work.

The flight was generally good but was delayed departure meant a very late arrival for a connecting flight.

The cushion of the seats are old and very thin. The food can be more tasty or come with salt packages

The biggest let down was with booking experience through Kayak. I booked a flight with checked bags on Kayak. Right away I got a message from travel agency that the flight is not confirmed and to call them. I called them and they said the flight I have booked is no longer available with the price I have booked it for and I can book it with about $100 more. I already had other options I could book with cheaper price so I asked them to cancel my booking. Then they said I can have the ticket with the same price but a date change which was not working for me as I had to be there for a seminar. So again I said no then they said they will cover the charges and confirm my flight. When comes time for check-in I see I have no checked bag option which means the travel agency deceived me saying I can have my booking as I had booked it. And at that point I ended up paying $155 for my checked bag going back and forth. I am extremely angry and unhappy with this experience

PLEASE DONT TAKE FORCEFULLY(SIZE APPROPRIATE) CARRY ONS FROM PASSENGERS WHO FOR SOME REASON NEED TO KEEP IT

It was great. My seat was comfortable. The bathrooms were clean . The service was superb . I travel a lot and I have been in 64 counties. I wish I could fly first class, even though I could , but I prefer to budget my yearly travelling expense on actual visiting , not on flight. Anyway, my point is that your economy was far much better than other airlines as good as Air France. The flight attendants and all crew were polite and very helpful and respectful. Thank you for making my long trip tolerable.

The service was flawless. The trip went great. I flew from Venice, Italy to Tampa, Florida. The issue is my bag (that I checked for free when checking into the flight) was ripped along the side when I collected it from baggage claim in Tampa, last night. I thought of talking with the Tampa baggage claim employees about it and see what could be done, but my bag isn’t a very expensive bag and I didn’t want to make a big deal of it. I’m not sure if I’ll be checking a bag anymore in the future.

My luggage did not make the connection and 4 days later I still have not received it.

We're talking about a short-haul in-country flight.. there is no confort, no food, just the bottle of water. The seats are squeezed like hell and I was in the back-end of the plane, with one spare row left for the crew and to store excess bags that could not fit in the overhead bin.. Speaking of carry-on, some passengers should be better screened as their bags were simply too big to fit in the overhead bins.. ! How can this happen, and it was an A310, with 2 columns of 3-seater rows.. There is a pseudo-Business class, which is simply a section in the front of the plane where the same seats are occupied only 2 out of 3, on each side, leaving more rooms for the passengers and their bags. That's it.

We are flying with Swiss for a long time but this time was terrible do to are flight cancellations we are in some bad hotel with out normal food

It is a good airlines, very professional very good food. I wish they offered free luggage is the only thing.

My experience was good overall, the quality of the food really decreased! There used to be a choice between meat and fish now it’s between chicken and pasta! In the choices of entertainment meditation has been added which is very good. Soft chair workout to improve blood circulation and avoid phlebitis should be added.

The only reason the overall rating wasn't "excellent" was due to problems in claiming luggage. The bags are delivered to the main area (Cinta 35) for domestic passengers, but to a DIFFERENT ROOM for international arrivees. After waiting 30 minutes, someone (who didn't appear to be from Air France or the airport) told us to go to another area. There we found our bags, which appeared to have been awaiting us for a while. We had to go through a bag check before leaving the airport. If we had been alerted to this possibility, or better yet, been to go directly to Cinta 34, we could have eliminated quite a bit of waiting.

Much better than the major US Carriers especially in Biz Class.

I wish that the meal included a vegetable or even a salad instead of couscous! Why serve chicken with rice AND couscous? Service was good overall though a bit lacking in friendliness. Usually on air france I've been offered a glass of champagne before dinner, wine with dinner, and a digestif after dinner. We were only offered wine this time!

It was not Air France but Air Europa. But confusion over our checked luggage. Whether it was checked all the way to Tenerife or not. It was not. Had to line up again in Departures. At least our Sky Priority was honoured. Flight was fine.

My wife and I had a row to ourselves after moving seats. There were no TVs and you had to buy food. So we did nothing but had a quick nap. Flight was fine.

The male attended that served are section was a snob. He did not answer my call light when my wine spilled all over the floor. I did not push it again or drew his attention to it. He just ignored the call light when he came to give us our meal, serving the people behind us first. I did not push it again or drew his attention to it to see his reaction. It was so obvious that he was ignoring us. We were in premium economy!

The plane was old Only 3 bathrooms available for economy The entertainment was old and the selection was poor

Georgian Airways check in staff initially denied us, because they thought passengers required transit visas to transfer on connecting flights. This required 70 minutes for them to call multiple people to confirm how transfers worked. They did not apologize once accepting our check in. Onboard, the four hour flight gave stale bread with spam slices as lunch. The only included drinks were still or sparkling water.

I did not get my baggage at my final destination..poor coordination with connecting flights with partner airlines (Saudi airways). Also the food was very mediocre.

Flight delay, cancellation rescheduling and misdirected luggage which created some stress. It all worked out in the end.

Mixed experienced. Nice staff. Spacious 787 better than cramped Airbus, though my seat was broken. The bad: Way overpriced ticket and charged for food despite 6 hr flight.

The service was really good the crew also very good , the comfort excellent!

Separated me and my wife and wife’s sister in far apart different seats even though I booked them all together. Just scams after scams to make us pay more. Worst airline

Flight was delayed 24 hours, then delayed again first was mechanical and second was weather.

Smooth on time flight with standard AC service. As usual food options awful. Wish airlines could offer better quality food services

Check-in, Boarding and Flight were fine however I unfortunately chose the only seat in the plane without a window (15A) and when I asked to move up to row 13 that was empty, I was denied because they call it a preferred seat. The only difference I could see was maybe an inch or two more legroom. I think once the door is closed and all passengers are aboard they should be able to accommodate a reasonable request to move even if to a seat they tried and failed to sell for more money. And a few flights now, I find that Air Canada’s Infotainment system has a 100 channels with nothing on. No movies still in theaters nor any that are not already streaming for free.

Delay after delay.......they are awful Delayed because of cold wx really!!!!! We live in Canada

One leg of the flight arrived late which necessitated a rebooking on the next leg. Although there were no major weather events in play, best choice offered was a 7 hour wait in the Vancouver airport for a 4 hour totally packed red eye flight to Ottawa. No opportunities to return earlier via other major hubs like Toronto or Montreal. Felt very much like national routes were no longer well supported. Adding insult to injury, entertainment system for my seat was out of order. Thought I might use wi-fi, but discovered it would cost $10 per hour! Paid a lot for the flight as it was over the holiday period. Probably won't be doing that again.

Put first the requirement visible of the eta visa for no have problem in the airport at last time hour. Thak you.

The seats were way too crowded. Just because I do not have the luxury of a suite, does not mean that I want to fly from Austin to London scrunched between two people and the seat in front of me in my face. Ridiculous. I should have flown with Turkish Airlines...

Flight from Costa Rica to Madrid was excellent. Good food and service. The flight from Madrid to Brussels was very poor . No food , no entertainment, no usb … Total package was quite expensive so you should give same service on the second flight

The cabin crew were great very helpful and accommodating. We had a fellow passenger throw up next to us. The flight crew did an amazing job cleaning up and reseating us. We did question as to if he should have been let on the flight as his condition was likely self imposed.

A 13 hour flight with no food apart from what they offered from a menu you had to pay for. On top of that, there were no blankets, so during the flight when the cabin temperature dropped, everyone was very cold. Neither of these things were highlighted at the time of booking. This is the worst long-haul flight I’ve ever encountered.

online check-in was horrible and didn't work either way

Horrible. Paid for seats for my family. Iberia changed planes and never notified us that the seats we paid extra for did not even exist on the plane. We were randomly placed on the plane. Thankfully, we were seated together. Upon boarding, my youngest daughter was pulled from the line and they just arbitrarily changed her seat 7 rows back from the rest of the family. I had to wait at the gate while they tried to see us back together. One of the most uncomfortable small spaces on a plane I’ve ever experienced. When I called Iberia, they first told me that no mistake was made that the plane was never changed. Yet my receipt for my paid seats were for rows that did not even exist on this type of plane we were getting on. They said that they would reimburse my money and I would get an email, but I’ve never received any information or emails regarding a refund for the seats that I had paid extra for. Then when we arrived in Madrid, one of the pieces of luggage that we had checked in was damaged to the point that the handle that was stowed in to the luggage was broken off by the crew members handling the luggage. The crew on the plane was very nice, but as far as the rest of the experience, I would be very hesitant to ever use Iberia again.

At Barcelona, you have to get your passports checked before going to the E gates so give yourself time for that. The restaurants around the D and E gates are really limited compared to prior to passport control. On boarding, the gate staff tried to charge me EUR100 for my carryon, saying it was too big. I put it in their ‘measurement box’ and it fit with the top slightly protruding where the handle was. The gate staff then said my bag was ok to carry and put an ‘approved’ tag on my bag. I was bussed to the plane I boarded a ‘Level’ carrier which I had not heard of before. If you booked through a code share like American, you will be served food and alcohol on the plane. They do not provide complimentary ear phones or blankets. The internet was free but only for texting. WhatsApp worked but Spotify did not. Entertainment choice was adequate, movies were old and selection was limited. On arrival at LAX, my checked in bag was damaged as the wheel was broken. I am taking this up with Iberia. Their website and customer service was moderate in terms of user friendliness. You have to have all your documents and prepared to be patient and persistent. Let’s see how this goes. All n all, for the price I paid, I would recommend Level.

The airline refused to board me because I showed up only 50 minutes prior to departure time, despite the fact that shortly before that, when I arrived at the airport still in time, they changed the terminal and I had to take a bus that took 20 minutes. Keep in mind that for some maintenance error I could not check in online like I usually do. Personnel at the airport was unable to let me in, customer care was beyond useless, the original airline operator (Iberia) was as useless as a toilet paper roll core in time of a wipe and all this uselessness made me waste my ticket, my reservations, my long time parking, food and most of all the joy of being with my family for the new year after working my bottom off even at Christmas. Am I happy? Come and ask me in person!

The airline refused to board me because I showed up only 50 minutes prior to departure time, despite the fact that shortly before that, when I arrived at the airport still in time, they changed the terminal and I had to take a bus that took 20 minutes. Personal at the airport was unable to let me in, customer care was beyond useless, the original airline operator (Iberia) was as useless as a toilet paper roll core in time of a wipe and all this uselessness made me waste my ticket, my reservations, my long time parking, food and most of all the joy of being with my family for the new year after working my bottom off even at Christmas. Am I happy? Come and ask me in person!

Flight LIN MAD. Checkin was fine (but I must admit that being a Platinum member I skip the lines). Security was fine (they have the new machines where you need not take laptops or liquids out). Longe was OK (BA). Boarding was a mess, the boarding gate personnel were rude and some should simply not be in a customer facing position. Flight in itself was fine, usual Iberia European coach. We were on time and actually time to deliver luggage was better than normal for Barajas

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