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Getting There By Air:

Aeropuerto Arturo Merino Benitez (SCL)
Tel: (2) 690 1752 or 690 1753 (information).
Website: www.aeropuertosantiago.cl

All flights to Santiago arrive at the Arturo Merino Benítez Airport located in the city’s eastern suburb of Pudahuel, 25km (16 miles) northwest of the city. There are two terminals, international and domestic, and over six million passengers pass through here every year on flights from all major cities in the Americas and Europe.

Approximate flight times to Santiago: From London is 20 hours; from New York is 10 hours; from Los Angeles is 16 hours; from Toronto is 17 hours and from Sydney is 26 hours.

Airport facilities: These include restaurants, bars, a post office, left-luggage, tourist information, duty-free shops, boutiques, VIP lounges, a bureau de change and ATMs. There is a first-aid center at the western end of the first floor of the International Terminal, with a fully equipped ambulance on 24-hour standby. Passengers in search of lost property should call the airport’s helpline (tel: (2) 690 1707), open daily 0800-1800. Car hire is available from eight companies, including Avis and Alamo.

Transport to the city: TurBus (tel: (2) 270 7500 or 601 9573; website: www.turbus.cl) operates buses that leave every 30 minutes (0530 to 0000) from outside arrivals, stopping at city center locations, including Los Héroes and Universidad de Santiago Metro stations. CentroPuerto (tel: (2) 601 9883 or 601 0549) offers a similar service. Door-to-door mini-van transfers from airport to hotel are offered by TransVip (tel: (2) 677 3010/00; website: www.transvip.cl) and TurTransfer (tel: (2) 677 3600; website: www.turtransfer.cl). It is possible to find space in one of these mini-vans on arrival but advance booking is advisable and can be done by phone or by Internet. For safety purposes, visitors are advised to only use the airport’s official taxi service (tel: (2) 690 1381), which is available 24-hours a day. A trip to the downtown area should cost little more than US$15 (journey time – approximately 25 minutes, although it can take much longer due to traffic).

Getting There By Road:

Chile’s roads are fast, well maintained and a far cry from the potholed quagmires of its South American neighbors. Highways connecting towns and cities are Rutas Nacionales (national routes), and are identified by their numbers, for example, Ruta 5 or Ruta 68. It is sometimes stated that visitors only require a current driving license from their country of residence but an International Driving Permit is much more preferable and will avoid any confusion. If using a non-Chilean-registered car, it must be taken out of the country within 90 days. This period cannot be extended. Cars brought into Chile need local insurance and a Relaciones de Pasajeros (Passenger Relations) document, both of which are available at points of entry and border crossings. Public liability insurance is compulsory. The minimum driving age is 18 years. In Chile it is illegal for the driver of a vehicle to smoke, listen to a Walkman or use a phone while at the wheel. Seat belts are mandatory for drivers and passengers. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08% and all drivers involved in a road accident will undergo an obligatory blood alcohol test at the nearest police station. Speed limits on roads in Chile vary from place to place and it is best to keep an eye on road signs. Maximum speed limits are as follows: 60kph (37mph) in urban areas; 100kph (62mph) on one-lane highways and 120kph (75mph) on two-lane highways. Drivers are charged for using Chile’s highways at tollbooths (peajes) – the charge ranges from Ch$350 to Ch$2,700, depending on the location, day and time.

Chile’s automobile association is the Automovil Club de Chile (tel: 600 464 4040 in Chile only or (2) 431 1000; website: www.automovilclub.cl), which has offices in most large towns, offering local information maps and vehicle rental. Reciprocal benefits exist for members of some motoring organizations in other countries.

Emergency breakdown service
Automovil Club de Chile (ACCHI) 600 6000 600

Routes to the city: Santiago sits halfway along the north–south Ruta 5, the Chilean section of the Pan-American Highway. Destinations that can be reached via Ruta 5 are Rancagua, Chillán, La Serena, Valdivia, Puerto Montt, Antofagasta and Arica. It is linked to the coast by Ruta 68, which runs to Valparaíso and the resort town of Viña del Mar. There is no land route within Chile’s borders to Punta Arenas and the far south, and drivers must pass through Argentina. All routes into the city eventually link up with the main downtown thoroughfare of Avenida Bernardo O’Higgins (Alameda).

Driving times to Santiago: From Rancagua – 1 hour; Valparaíso/Viña del Mar – 1 hour 30 minutes; Chillán – 4 hours 30 minutes; La Serena – 5 hours 30 minutes; Valdivia – 9 hours 20 minutes; Puerto Montt – 12 hours; Antofagasta – 15 hours; Arica – 23 hours.

Coach services: By far the most popular form of long-distance transport in Chile is bus, with several companies competing with each other for domestic as well as marathon transcontinental routes to cities as far away as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The main providers for international routes are Tas Choapa (tel: (2) 779 4925; website: www.taschoapa.cl) and El Rapido (tel: (2) 776 0049; website: www.elrapidoint.com.ar). These operators also run principal domestic routes. There are dozens of companies with domestic services, but among the best known are Tur Bus (tel: (2) 270 7500; website: www.turbus.cl) and Pullman Bus (tel: (2) 560 3700 or 600 320 3200; website: www.pullman.cl).

There are four main bus terminals in Santiago, all on or around Avenida Bernardo O’Higgins (Alameda), with several companies competing out of each one. Perhaps the most useful is Alameda, Avenida Bernardo O’Higgins (Alameda) 3750 (tel: (2) 776 2424), near Metro Los Héroes, where Tur Bus, Pullman Bus and a few smaller companies share a modern terminal. San Borja, Calle San Borja 184 (tel: (2) 776 0645), near Metro Estacion Central, is for some international and northern destinations, as well as the coast and mountains near Santiago. Santiago, Avenida Bernardo O’Higgins (Alameda) 3848 (tel: (2) 376 1755), near Metro Universidad de Santiago, serves international destinations, as well as towns in the south and along the coast. Los Héroes, Calle Tucapel Jimenez 21 (tel: (2) 420 0099), near Metro Los Héroes, serves the north and south of the country.

Getting There By Rail:

Chile’s railway system, run by Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE) (tel: (2) 585 5000; website: www.efe.cl), is not what it used to be. There has been some investment in recent years but routes are limited. Trains leave from Estacion Central (Central Station), Avenida Bernardo O’Higgins (Alameda) 3170 (tel: (2) 376 8500) - the grand 19th-century terminus that was designated a national monument in 1983, but is nevertheless run down.

Rail services: The only long-distance passenger trains from Santiago go south to Chillán (journey time – 5 hours 30 minutes), with a bus connection to Concepción and Los Angeles (journey time – 10 hours), or Temuco (journey time – 12 hours), with bus connection to Pucón (journey time – 14 hours), with several stops en-route.

Transport to the city: Passengers arriving here should take the Metro at Estacion Central to downtown Santiago.

Getting Around:

Public Transport
The easiest way to travel around Santiago is on its clean, efficient and modern Metro system, Metro de Santiago (tel: (2) 250 3000; website: www.metrosantiago.cl). The system’s three lines run 0630-2300 Monday-Saturday and 0800-2200 Sunday and holidays. There continues to be a lot of investment in the underground system. A southern extension on Line 2 was opened at the end of 2004 and a northern extension on Line 2, plus a new fourth Metro line, are imminent. Regular travelers can buy a Valor or a Multiviaje pass. Special buses, known as MetroBuses, start from Metro stations and act as an extension to the Metro system, and MetroBus combination tickets are available.

Santiago’s city buses (micros) are run by competing private companies, although all vehicles are painted a uniform yellow, with drivers reliant on a commission from the fares they collect. The result is a chaotic and dangerous system where rival carriers race each other along the major thoroughfares. Route numbers and a list of destinations are displayed in the front windscreen. Attempts at utilizing electronic ticket machines have largely failed and drivers still collect fares on most buses. They usually only have change for small notes.

Taxis
There is no shortage of taxis, which are black with yellow roofs, in Santiago and visitors will never have to wait long to flag one down, day or night. Travelers should note that Santiago taxi drivers have a reputation for taking foreigners to their destinations via very indirect routes, as a means of bumping up the fare. Despite this, foreign visitors can assume that they are not in any physical danger while using the city’s taxis. Women are advised to exercise caution when traveling alone at night, however, as there are occasional horror stories. There are also a number of minicab or radiotaxi firms providing a door-to-door service. Among the best known are Centro (tel: (2) 695 4148), Andes-Pacifico (tel: (2) 225 3064; website: www.andespacifico.cl) and Apoquindo (tel: (2) 211 6073).

Driving in the City
Driving in Santiago is a headache, with congestion to rival any European or North American metropolis. The boom in car ownership has brought problems; the most noticeable of which is the permanent pall of smog that hangs over the city, often obscuring the Andes from view. Attempts to combat this include the introduction of executive bus services between the affluent eastern suburbs and the central financial district, and limits on the use of cars that run on leaded petrol. Some areas impose traffic restrictions by barring entry to cars with certain registration numbers on certain days of the week. Nevertheless, foreign visitors will find Chilean drivers to be significantly more courteous than their London or New York counterparts. Visitors wishing to drive should avoid the morning and afternoon rush hours, when traffic can sometimes reach a standstill on city streets.

Parking in the downtown area is difficult but there are two car parks close to Avenida Bernardo O’Higgins (Alameda). These are at Calle San Francisco 75 (tel: (2) 632 4024) and outside Calle Santa Rosa 76 (tel: (2) 460 8555). There are also underground estacionamientos along Avenida Providencia, situated beside Metro stations. Alternatively, many urban streets offer metered parking.


Car Hire
Most car hire companies require the driver to be 25 years or over. Drivers must hold a current driver’s license in their country of origin (International Driving Permit is not usually essential but can be helpful), must show a passport and must leave an imprint of a credit card as a deposit. Insurance is usually additional to the car rate and is recommended.

Providers include Automovil Club de Chile (tel: (2) 431 1000 or toll free in Chile only 600 464 4040; website: www.automovilclub.cl), Chilean Rent A Car (tel: (2) 737 9650; website: www.chileanrentacar.cl), Avis (tel: (2) 601 9747 or 690 1382; website: www.avischile.cl) and Dollar (tel: (2) 490 4000; website: www.dollar.cl).

Bicycle Hire
Cycling is not recommended in central Santiago. In addition to the danger posed by racing bus drivers, the pollution makes it a less-than-pleasant experience. Having said that, many parks have cycle lanes, there is a nice riverside ride and there is good mountain biking along the winding lanes of Cerro San Cristobal. Mountain bikes can be hired from LYS Rent-a-Car, Calle Miraflores 537 (tel: (2) 633 7600; website: www.lys.cl). The company also offers bike transportation from hotel to cycling destination.

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