Managua's Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (MGA) is 12 kilometres east of the city centre. American Airlines, United, Copa Airlines, and Avianca all serve it with direct flights from Miami, Houston, and Panama City; connections from Europe go through those hubs. Taxis from the airport to the Carretera Masaya hotel strip take around 20 minutes and should cost $10–15 negotiated in advance.
By bus, the main terminals are: Israel Lewites (also called Boer) for buses to León, Chinandega, and the northwest; UCA (near the university) for Granada, Masaya, and Rivas; and Huembes for Carazo and the south. International buses to Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador depart from various agencies on the Carretera Norte and Carretera Sur. Tica Bus and Transnica are the main cross-border operators.
Most travellers arriving from Costa Rica come overland through the Peñas Blancas border crossing, a four-to-five-hour bus journey from San José.