Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Paris to San Jose. The right seat delivers the most dramatic single moment of the flight — the volcanic Cordillera Central on approach into SJO is genuinely spectacular and unique. The left seat at CDG offers good Paris views but the city is partially obscured by haze and distance. Over the Atlantic the difference is negligible, but the right seat also picks up the Caribbean coastline of Venezuela and Colombia during cruise, and the green Costa Rican highlands on descent.

During takeoff from Charles De Gaulle (CDG), sit on the Left side for the best views. CDG typically departs westward on runways 26L/26R or eastward on 08L/08R. On a westbound departure toward the Atlantic, a left seat faces south and captures Paris city center, the Seine river bends, and the Eiffel Tower area in the distance. On an eastbound departure, the left seat still picks up the Marne valley and eastern Paris suburbs before the turn toward the southwest. Notable sights include: Paris city center and Seine river bends, Eiffel Tower district (visible as a distant spire to the southwest), Marne valley agricultural patchwork, Versailles forest block to the southwest.

When landing at Juan Santamaria International (SJO), sit on the Right side for the best views. SJO sits in the Central Valley with the Cordillera Central volcanoes — Irazu, Barva, and Poas — to the north and northeast. Flights from Europe approach from the northeast, and runway 07/25 is most common. On approach from the northeast heading southwest, the right seat faces northwest toward the volcanic chain, giving clear views of Irazu and Barva volcanoes rising above the valley floor. Notable sights include: Volcan Irazu (3,432m, often snow-dusted crater rim), Volcan Barva, the flat green Central Valley floor with San Jose urban grid, Cordillera Central ridge line.

The flight from Charles De Gaulle (CDG) to Juan Santamaria International (SJO) takes Approximately 10 to 11 hours.

The flight tracks southwest over the Bay of Biscay, then across the Atlantic on a great circle route passing well north of the Canary Islands. Mid-Atlantic has no land features. The route then crosses the Caribbean Sea, passing over or near the Venezuelan and Colombian coastlines where the Andes begin to appear as a distant ridge. The final approach crosses the green Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica before climbing terrain forces the aircraft up over the Central Valley.