Getting There By Air:Aeropuerto Arturo Merino Benítez (SCL) Tel: (02) 690 1752
or 1753 (information).
Website:
www.aeropuertosantiago.cl Most 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 more than 6 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 18 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: (02) 690 1707), open daily 0830-1730. Car hire is available from several companies, including
Avis and
Alamo.Transport to the city: Tur-Bus (tel: 600 660 6600, in Chile only
or (02) 601 9573; website:
www.turbus.cl) operates shuttle buses that leave every 30 minutes from outside arrivals, stopping at city center locations, including Los Héroes and Universidad de Santiago Metro stations.
CentroPuerto (tel: (02) 601 9883
or 0549) offers a similar service but is slightly cheaper. Door-to-door mini-van transfers from airport to hotel are offered by
TransVip (tel: (02) 677 3000) and
TurTransfer (tel: (02) 677 3600). It is possible to find space in one of these mini-vans on arrival but advance booking is advisable. The airport’s official taxi service (tel: (02) 690 1381) is available 24 hours a day. A trip to the downtown area should cost little more than US$15-20 (journey time - approximately 25 minutes, although it can take much longer due to traffic).
Getting There By Road:Chile’s main roads are fast, well maintained and a far cry from the potholed quagmires of some other South American countries. Highways connecting towns and cities are
Rutas Nacionales (national routes) and are identified by their numbers - for example, Ruta 5 or Ruta 68. In theory, many visitors only require a current driving license from their country of residence but an International Driving License is usually preferable. 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, use headphones to listen to MP3/CD players 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 0.05% 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$400 to Ch$3,000, depending on the location, day and time.
Chile’s automobile association is the
Automovil Club de Chile (tel: 600 464 4040, in Chile only; 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) (tel: 600 600 0600, in Chile only).
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, so drivers heading there must pass through Argentina. All routes into the city eventually link up with the main downtown thoroughfare of Avenida Bernardo O’Higgins, which is more commonly known as the 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. Two reliable providers for international routes are
Tas Choapa (tel: (02) 776 7307; website:
www.taschoapa.cl) and
Buses Ahumada (tel: (02) 784 2512; website:
www.busesahumada.cl). These operators also run domestic routes. There are dozens of companies with domestic services but the best known and most reliable are
Tur-Bus (tel: 600 660 6600, in Chile only; website:
www.turbus.cl) and
Pullman Bus (tel: 600 320 3200, in Chile only; 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: (02) 270 7500), near Metro Universidad de Santiago, where
Tur-Bus, and
Pullman Bus share a modern terminal. San Borja, Calle San Borja 184 (tel: (02) 776 0645), near Metro Estación Central, mostly has services for the coast and mountains near Santiago. Santiago, Avenida Bernardo O’Higgins (Alameda) 3850 (tel: (02) 376 1750), 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: (02) 420 0099), near Metro Los Héroes, serves the north and south of the country and services also go to Argentina from here.
Getting There By Rail:Chile’s railway system, run by
Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE) (tel: 600 585 5000, in Chile only; website:
www.efe.cl), is not what it used to be. There has been some investment in recent years but routes are relatively limited. Trains leave from Estación Central (Central Station), Avenida Bernardo O’Higgins (Alameda) 3170 - the grand 19th-century terminus was designated a national monument in 1983.
Rail services: The only long-distance passenger trains from Santiago go south to Chillán (journey time - 5 hours 30 minutes) where you can connect with buses to destinations further south. Total journey times are: Los Angeles (10 hours), Temuco (12 hours), Pucón (14 hours).
Getting Around:Public TransportSantiago’s transport system has been plagued by problems recently. Transantiago, an ambitious plan to overhaul the city’s public transport infrastructure, has proved woefully inadequate and officials are desperately trying to repair the damage done to commuter relations. Strikes and complaints have been commonplace since Transantiago began in 2005. The modern
Metro system,
Metro de Santiago (tel: (02) 250 32 34; website:
www.metrosantiago.cl), is still the easiest way to travel around Santiago, although even this once slick and efficient network has seen its fair share of problems. Poor bus route planning has occasionally led to severe over-crowding on the underground system, especially at peak times. While the problems seem to be on the mend, Santiago’s transport infrastructure is likely to be prone to the same issues for the short-term - especially during rush hour and in the first few weeks of March when the schools go back. The Metro system has five lines which operate daily, closing overnight. Regular travelers can buy a
Tarjeta Bip! travel card at ticket offices, which allows cheaper travel on both buses and the Metro.
Santiago’s city
buses are run by private companies. The system has changed under the new Transantiago transport scheme. The old yellow fume-belchers no longer rule the streets; those on the major ‘trunk’ routes have now been painted white with green stripes, while other buses have different colors according to the zones they serve (there are nine outside the city center). Gradually authorities have tried to instil more order, clamping down on the blatant competition. However, work still needs to be done to fine-tune the bus routes and ensure an adequate level of service. A Tarjeta Bip! travel card (see above) can be used on the city’s bus network.
TaxisThere is no shortage of taxis, which are black with yellow roofs. Taxi drivers are generally honest but occasionally take foreigners to their destinations via very indirect routes, as a means of bumping up the fare. Taxis should have meters, although the occasional dodgy, fast-moving meter is not unheard of either. Find out what your fare should be before you travel. Women traveling alone at night should exercise caution.
Radio Taxi Andes-Pacifico (tel: (02) 204 0530; website:
www.andespacifico.cl) is a reliable, long-established minicab firm.
Driving in the CityDriving in Santiago is a headache, with congestion to rival any European or North American metropolis - although most Chilean drivers are reasonably courteous. Attempts to combat pollution have included imposing 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.
Many of the more upmarket hotels have a guest car park. 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: (02) 632 4024) and outside Calle Santa Rosa 76 (tel: (02) 460 8555). There are also underground
estacionamientos along Avenida Providencia, situated beside Metro stations. Alternatively, many urban streets offer metered parking.
Car HireMost car hire companies require the driver to be 25 years or over. Drivers must hold a current driving license from their country of origin (International Driving Permit is not usually essential but can be helpful), and must show a passport and leave an imprint of a credit card as a deposit. Insurance is usually additional to the car rate and is recommended.
Providers include
Chilean Rent A Car (tel: (02) 737 9650; website:
www.chileanrentacar.cl),
Avis (tel: 600 368 2000, in Chile only; website:
www.avischile.cl) and
Rosselot (tel: (02) 381 2200; website:
www.rosselot.cl).
Bicycle HireCycling is becoming a lot easier in central Santiago. With the pollution and transport problems of recent years, using two wheels is a more attractive option than it used to be. That said, you do need to be careful about the route you take - dodging buses on the Alameda is not an experience many will enjoy. Nowadays, many of the city’s parks have cycle lanes, there is a lovely riverside route and there is good mountain biking along the winding lanes of Cerro San Cristobál. Mountain bikes can be hired from
LYS Rent-a-Car, Calle Miraflores 537 (tel: (02) 633 7600; website:
www.lys.cl).
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The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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