San Cristobal hill, as seen from the summit of Santa Lucia.

Santiago de Chile is the capital of Chile, a country on the west coast of South America.

Districts

• El Centro
• Barrio Brasíl
• Barrio Suecia
• Barrio París Londres
• Barrio Bellavista - The neighbourhood where most of the nightlife is concentrated.
• Plaza Nuñoa

Understand

Get in

By plane

• Santiago Airport (IATA: SCL) (ICAO: SCEL) is the main gateway for travellers around the world.

All major airline alliances include Santiago in their network, i.e. Oneworld, Star Alliance and Skyteam

• Qantas and LAN operate a code-sharing flight from Sydney to Santiago via Auckland, New Zealand every week. It's at least 12 hours each way, with a stop in Auckland, but the cabin crew is attentive to a fault.

• Air Canada operates a daily flight from Toronto

• American Airlines and LAN operate flights from Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Washington (D.C.) and Dallas. Some of them will have layovers in Guayaquil or Lima.

• Air France, Iberia (code-sharing with LAN), LAN and Lufthansa (code-sharing with SWISS) operate daily flights into Santiago from their hubs via Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires or directly.

• Air Madrid is the only charter airline which serves Santiago on a regular basis. Flight originate from Madrid, Barcelona and Tenerife Norte. Prices start at €500 (US$600) per round-trip. (note: meal is excluded!)

Please note that flight times from Europe vary between 18 hours from Frankfurt (due to stop-over in Sao Paulo) to 12 hours from Madrid and is considerably tiring! Routes to Europe are used with the Airbus 340 on this night flight route. Airlines serving North America mainly opt for the Boeing 767 on their routes to Chile.

The airport in Santiago is a considerable distance from the city center. It can be an expensive taxi ride. Tur-bus is a nice alternative, you´ll find them in a kiosk in the center of the baggage claim in the airport, they charge $7 USD for door-to-door shuttle service, or $3 USD for a bus service.

By car

Entering Santiago by car, you'll probably find yourself on the Autopista Central. To use this freeway you need a "TAG", which you can buy from service stations. One day passes are Ch$3500. With a bit of planning and consulting your map before you head into the capital, you can avoid using the freeway altogether. This is best done by not entering from Ruta 5.

By bus

There are bus connections to all major destinations on the continent.

From Mendoza in Argentina it's a beautiful eight hour bus ride crossing the Andes. The border crossing is at about 4000m. Be aware that it is not allowed to bring fruit, vegetables or animal products into Chile, and all luggage will get checked at the border.

The Principals Bus Terminals are located at:

• Terminal Alameda: Avda. B. O'Higgins 3750 (U. Santiago subway station, Line 1). Private station for Turbus and Pullman buses. National and international departures. Phone: 7762424
• Terminal Santiago: Av. B. O'Higgins 3848 (Pila del Ganso subway station, Line 1). Phone: 3761755
• Terminal Los Héroes: Tucapel Jiménez 21 (Los Heroes subway station, Line 1). Phone: 4200099

Get around

• Metro - Santiago has one of the best metrosystems in the world, from 6.30 to 22.30 hrs. It is safe, clean and quiet. There are ticket counters staffed during open hours everyday. Tickets are good for a single ride with unlimited transfers, no time limit. $340 CLP. Tickets are slightly more expensive during peak hours.
• Bus Right now Santiago is changing its bus system, so for as long as the transition lasts there's two buses settings: the new format that's being implemented is called "Transsantiago". Transsantiago buses can be simple or double, they can be identified for a diagonal strip on its side, they come in lots of colours, but with the current implementation, the colour doesn't mean anything. The service in those buses is polite, they only stop at the busstops, and have a limited speed of 60mk/h. They are slow when compared to the other kind of bus. Bus "Micro" travel can be a great adventure. This kind of bus is yellow with white roof. Since the drivers are paid directly from the number of passengers they carry - and since there are no timetables of when buses need to be at stops, there is a constant competition between drivers to get to fares first. The driving can seem wild and frenzied. There also is not an incentive for the drivers to let passengers off at stops that don't have people waiting (no new fares to collect) - so sometimes they will conveniently not hear your request to stop. But overall the buses are cheap, quick (though not as fast as the metro), and exciting. Santiago is currently undergoing a major transformation of it's urban transportation infrastructure. Once the TransSantiago plan is completed, the metro and bus services will be more integrated, with bus and subway tickets working as one. As part of the plan, the 'micros' will be replaced by much larger buses, similar to the largely successful strategies recently implemented in other large South American cities. Standard timetables for buses and bus stops will be created, taking away some of the adventure, but certainly reducing a great deal of confusion for the traveler.

• Plane Chile has a very good airport infrastructure. The main hub for flights in Chile is the Arturo Merino Benitez Airport in Santiago from where several airlines serve even the remotest corners of the country. These airlines are LAN, Sky Airline and Aerolineas del Sur. When travelling within Chile please consider reserving your tickets before entering the country. It is recommended use flight coupons which can be bought at LAN when you also purchased your flight to Chile with them. These can also be processed online. Unfortunately the other to airlines do not have any internet service available yet and you should consider comparing fares by asking your local travel agency or by phone.
  Because of the shape of the country, many routes are served with several, time-consuming layovers in between. You might take this into account as you can have up to 4 stops until you reach your destination! (e.g. for a flight from Punta Arenas to Arica: Punta Arenas (PUQ)-Puerto Montt(PMC)-Santiago(SCL)-Antofagasta(ANF)-Iquique(IQQ)-Arica(ARI)) Domestic routes are served by Airbus 319, Airbus 320 and Boeing 737-200's when flying with LAN express and Boeing 737-200's when flying Sky Airline and Aerolineas del Sur. (B737-200s are remarkably older and noisier!)

See

• Parque Metropolitano - This vast park is home to Cerro San Cristóbal. From the top there is a beautiful view over the city and, on a clear day, the Andes. The summit can be reached by funicular, cable car, or a long hike. In the park there is also a botanical garden, zoo and two swimming pools. Pope John Paul II visited its summit in 1987.
• Plaza De Armas - The capital's main plaza, also the sight of the national cathedral and main post office. Not very clean but otherwise interesting area of major historical importance.
• Santiago Centro - The Centro (Downtown) area is a nice place for a stroll down some of its major Paseos (streets turned pedestrian walkways), watch out for pickpockets.
• Cerro Santa Lucia - A park with fountains and stairs leading up to the top. The summit has a great view of all but the skyscraper-obscured city center. Charles Darwin visited this peak at one point in his travels.
• La Chascona - One of three homes of the famous poet Pablo Neruda, La Chascona (meaning tangle-haired woman, after his third wife) is located in the artistic Bellavista neighborhood. The house is filled with lots of quirky artifacts collected by Neruda throughout his life, as well as artwork by some of his famous friends. Tours are given in English and Spanish.
• La Moneda Palace - Presidential Palace, guided one-hour tours are free, unfortunately with a reservation of at least 15 days in advance. [1]

Telefónica Tower and the Parque Forestal along the Mapocho River at dusk.

• Parque Forestal - A long park that runs parallel to the Mapocho River, also site of the National Musuem of Fine Arts and Modern Art Museum.
• Theatre & Dance - Santiago offers much in the performing arts, most takes place Friday & Saturday, check listings in El Mercurio. $500-5000 CLP, most offer discounts with student ID, even to foreigners, just ask.
• Centro Cultural Matucana 100 - Inaugurated in 2002, Matucana 100 is an excellent exhibition venue for a variety of arts. From Metro Quinta Normal, walk south on Matucana (towards Alameda), M100 is on the left hand side. [2]
• Teatro Municipal - Historical performance venue, including international dance and opera, worth a visit even if just from its outside. [3]
• Jazz Clubs - Santiago is home to an impressive jazz scene, with several intimate clubs scattered throughout the city. The Club de Jazz de Santiago is arguably the best. Located in the northern part of the Nunoa neighborhood, this small club routinely brings in some of the best local, national, and international artists specializing in everything from latin jazz to blues to bossa nova. Check music listings in El Mercurio.
• Hidalgo Castle
• Pirque
• San Jose de Maipo

Do

Go wine tasting, right in the city. Concha y Toro (http://www.conchaytoro.com), is one of Chile's largest producers, and they have a modern, Napa Valley-style tasting room and gift shop set up. Tours are given regularly in both Spanish and English, and they can be booked via email. It is probably one of the few wineries in the world that is easily accessed by public transportation from a major city. From the center of town, it should take around an hour to access by subway and bus.

Learn

Work

Buy

Santiago has a lot of Malls the principal are:

• Mall Plaza Vespucio
• Mall Plaza Oeste
• Mall Parque Arauco
• Mall Alto Las Condes
• Mall Florida Center
• Mall Plaza Norte

Eat

Where

• The Downtown area is dotted with restaurants. One worth a visit is the Bar Nacional, which offers hearty meals and a range of local and imported drinks.

• Take the Metro out to El Golf at night and walk to street Isidora Goyenechea. The neighborhood is very nice and safe, and there are plenty of restaurants within walking distance.

• Barrio Brasil

What

• Mote con Huesillo: A delicous summertime drink made of wheat seeds (mote) and dried peaches (huesillos), boiled, sweetened, and served cold. Typically sold on sidewalk or park stands.[4]

• Sopaipillas: A Chilean-style tortilla made of wheat and pumpkin, also sold in streetside stands.

• Terremoto ("Earthquake"): a typical Chilean drink that consists in a mix of pineapple ice cream with pipeño (like white wine).

Sleep

On the edge of the Barrio Paris Londres, the Hotel Fundador is conveniently located for sightseeing. It also has a good quality restaurant. Another place is Providencia, a quiet nightboardhood you can go to SuitesChile (www.suiteschile.com) apparts with gym, pool, internet, tv, near restaurants, shooping and bar.

The Ritz-Carlton is, as expected, very nice. It is across the street from a small park and a stone's throw from the Golfo metro station. There are restaurants and bars nearby and the neighborhood is modern and organized.

Hostel Bellavista (http://www.bellavistahostel.com) is located in a great area for dining out and nightlife. The staff is helpful and friendly, and the atmosphere is very warm. There are several computers from which you can access the Internet for free, and there's a large common room equipped with a TV, DVD player, plenty of seating and even a guitar.

Contact

SERNATUR (Tourism National Service). Main office: Av. Providencia 1550. Phone: 7318336 – 7318337.

Stay safe

By South American standards, Santiago is a safe city, but visitors should be aware of pickpocketing and other petty crimes. But if you compare Santiago with other cities in South America, it is by far pretty secure. Avoid the city parks at night and don't wear expensive looking jewlery or watches even in the middle of the day.Avoid large crowds of people.

Get out

• Easter Island - LanChile has daily flights to the magical Easter Island.