Santiago
Getting There/Around

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Getting There

By Air

Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport is located 17 kilometers ( 11 miles ) northwest of Santiago.

Arturo Merino Benitez International ( SCL )
http://www.aeropuertosantiago.cl/

Airlines serving this airport include:

Air Canada ( +56 2 690 1115 / http://www.aircanada.com )
Aerolineas Argentinas ( +56 2 690 1030 / http://www.aerolinas.com )
AeroMexico ( +56 2 690 1038 / http://www.aeromexico.com )
Iberia Airlines ( +56 2 284 0020 / http://www.iberia.com )
American Airlines ( +56 2 209 8111 / http://www.aa.com )
British Airways ( http://www.britishairways.com )
Delta Airlines ( +56 2 690 1555 / http://www.delta.com )
Lufthansa ( + 56 2 210 2111 / http://www.lufthansa.com )
Lan Chile ( +56 2 526 2000 / http://www.lan.cl )
Lloyd Aereo Boliviano ( +56 2 690 1140 / http://www.labairlines.com )
Pluna ( +56 2 690 1348 / http://pluna.com.uy )
United ( http://www.united.com )
Varig ( +56 2 690 1348 / http://www.varig.cl )
Air France/KLM ( +56 2 290 9696 / http://www.airfrance.cl )

Private buses and vans offer service to and from the airport to the city center and around Santiago. Companies with offices in the airport include:

TurBus ( +56 2 601 9573 / http://www.turbus.cl )
Transvip ( +56 2 677 3000 / http://www.transvip.cl )
CentroPuerto ( +56 2 601 9883 / +56 2 601 0549 )
TurTransfer ( +56 2 677 3600 / http://www.turtransfer.cl )

Taxis ( + 56 2 690 138 ) are readily available at the terminal ( look for the blue "official" cab logo ).

Rental car companies servicing the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport include:

Alamo: +56 2 690 1370 ( http://www.alamochile.com )
Econorent: +56 2 690 1287 ( http://www.econorent.net )
Rosselot: +56 2 690 1374 ( http://www.rosselot.cl )
Avis: +56 2 690 1382, +56 2 690 1318 ( http://www.avischile.cl )

By Bus:

Bus travel in South America is very popular and effective. The main international bus companies serving Santiago from as far as Rio de Janiero, Brazil, are:

Tas Choapa +56 2 779 4295 / http://www.taschoapa.cl/ )
El Rápido ( +1 56 2 776 0049 / http://www.elrapidpoint.com.ar/ )

These companies also run domestic routes within Chile, as do:

Tur Bus ( +56 2 270 7500 / http://www.turbus.cl/ )
Pullman Bus ( +56 2 560 3700 / http://www.pullman.cl/ ).

There are four main bus terminals in Santiago:

Alameda, Avenida Bernardo O'Higgins 3750 ( +56 2 776 2424 )
San Borja, Calle San Borja 184 ( +56 2 7760645 )
Santiago, Avenida Bernardo O'Higgins 3848 ( +56 2 3761755 )
Los Heroes, Calle Tucapel Jimenez 21 ( +56 2 420 0099 )

By Car:

Santiago is located along Chile's Highway 5. 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.

Chile's roads are fast, efficient and well-maintained, especially when compared to other South American coutries. That said, driving in Santiago can be a nightmare. There is lots of congestion and confusing traffic patterns. Avoid the morning and afternoon rush hours. 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.

Getting around:

The quick and easy way to get around Santiago is via the metro ( +56 2 250 3000 / http://www.metrosantiago.cl ), which is clean, convenient and modern, and serves much of the city and its surrounding areas. The system’s three lines run from 6:30a-11:00p Monday-Saturday and 8:00a-10:00p Sunday and holidays. Regular travellers can buy a Valor or a "Multi-Trip 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 citybuses ( micros ) are run by competing private companies. The result is a confusing and complicated system of bus lines.

Taxis are fairly reasonably priced, however beware of taxi drivers who take circuitous routes to get to your destination to bump up the fare. That said, the Taxis in Santiago are safe and effective means of travel around the city. The official taxis are black and yellow and are easily found all over the downtown area of the city. For special destinations, etc, some other taxi companies around the city include:

Centro ( +56 2 695 4148 ),
Andes-Pacifico ( +56 2 225 3064 / http://www.andespacifico.cl ) and Apoquindo ( +56 2 211 6073 ).