Santiago de Chile

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Santiago de Chile is the capital of Chile and the largest city in the country, with a population of 5 1/2 millions (over 30% the population of the country). This big metropolis has been highly developed in the last 20 years, and is the headquarter for a lot of companies and international organizations, as for most of social, political, cultural and economical affairs in the country.

Take a complete glance of Santiago in:

  • WikiTravel
  • GoChile is a good site to discover the sorroundings of Santiago
  • SERNATUR is not the best national tourism agency, but it can help you too.
  • Mapcity is an online Street Map of the City and several others to help find your way.
  • Chile Information Projectis good for longer term travellers.


Contents

CouchSurfing in Santiago?

To the north, the desert. To the east, the Andes. To the south, Antartica. To the east, the big Pacific. This is how you will understand that is not common for foreigners to come to Santiago, as they go to other parts of Latinamerica. But this preserves a charm for travellers: they bring interesting stories and we can practice english!

Even though chileans are not very good english speakers (maybe little better than Latinamerican average) there are a lot of CouchSurfing members in here. You should surely get lucky to stay with them. We are usually warm people that will be happy to have a foreigner to show around.

Common CouchSurfers tend to live here with their parents until they finish their university studies (around 23-25 years old) so you might end up living with a chilean family for a while (which can be much better sometimes!).

Santiago is big, so try to CouchSurf near the central locations. Districts of your interest most commonly will be Santiago, Providencia, Ñuñoa and Barrio Brasil.

Being a good traveller in Santiago

  • Try to keep clean this polluted city. Prefer public transport. Save energy, specially electricity and water. Reject plastic bags if you can. Recycle (an habit which is slowly installing in Santiago).
  • Do not give coins to beggars, specially to children. If you want to help, buy from poor people who try to work honestly in the streets. Or volunteer for a cause! (see below).
  • Try to speak and learn the local spanish. People will try to help you more and will reward your efforts.
  • Chile is labeled as a very conservative country, but most of this impression is due to the high double standard chileans are used to. Listen and make yourself an opinion about the issues chileans care about: politics, human rights, abortion, divorce, religion... and football!


Safety Tips

  • Santiago was declared the safest capitol city in Latinamerica recently, so relax. The common theft is someone trying to snatch your purse or getting their fingers into your bag or pockets. Keep an eye on pickpocketers, specially on public transport and in the Downtown (Paseo Ahumada is a common place of pickpocketing)
  • Don't go around waving expensive items like Ipods or cameras. Use them, but discreetly.
  • Maybe the worst enemy of Santiago is it's air pollution. Smog gets trapped in the valley, and might cause some coughing, eye irritation or breathing problems to foreigners with a condition. The smog gets to its worst in winter.
  • Note that it is not allowed to drink in the public way, and booze should be only bought by people over 18 years old... even though you will commonly find some more people - maybe even yourself- wandering the streets botellon style.
  • Drugs are illegal in Chile, and the antidrug agencies at the border make an effective work catching dealers and minor consumers. Mind the risks...
  • Don't ever try to bribe a policeman, which might be a common practice in some other countries. You will find yourself in a difficult position behind the bars.
  • Always carry with you your passport or ID for identification.
  • When in buses, try to avoid seating in the back seats.
  • Water is 100% drinkable everywhere.

When to come

Santiago can be visited at any time of the year, because of its mediterranean climate. Just remember that Chile is in the southern hemisphere! (in December we receive Christmas in shorts and T-Shirts...)

  • In summer (specially January and February) you can enjoy the city with a hot temperature (peaks around 32ºC). Santiago is more relaxed for most of its residents are on vacation during this months, and cultural festivals (not carnivals) bloom through the city, like Teatro A Mil. The city is usually used as a base for camping or going for a barbecue through its sorroundings (e.g. Cajón del Maipo). If you are here in New Year's Eve be sure to get a drink and enjoy the several great fireworks shows offered through the city.
  • In spring you might be here at September 18th, Chile's independence day and the biggest holiday in the country. You should go to a fonda to take a sample of folklore customs, dances and cheap food and drink (specially "chicha"). It's a great party where booze is all around, so have fun but remember how to get back home!
  • In winter you may find yourself under possible rain and cold temperatures (always over 0ºC), although it is the best time for snow fans, who commonly come and enjoy the ski centers just 1 hour from the city such La Parva, Farellones, Cerro Colorado and Valle Nevado. Skitotal can help you to plan the trip.

Getting There and Away, and Cheap!

INTERNATIONAL

  • By Plane - Santiago's airport (Code SCL, Arturo Merino Benítez) has strong flight connections to some world cities like Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro (Brasil), Lima (Peru), Miami (USA), Madrid (Spain) and Frankfurt (Germany). Some common airlines which offer economic prices are Aerolineas Argentinas, TAM and Iberia. LAN, the chilean airline, is a leader and trustworthy company than can offer a budget travel. You will find a good searcher in Despegar.Com for cheap flights to/from/within Latinamerica.
  • By Bus - Common bus connections are avaliable to/from Tacna (Peru), Mendoza and Bariloche(Argentina). Other routes include most cities from Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil.
  • By Train - Railways are not the most common way of transportation in Chile, but there's a useful connection between Calama (north of Chile) and Oruro (Bolivia), which is supposed to be very cheap and offers incredible landscapes of the desert. Then take the bus to Santiago.

NATIONAL

  • By Plane - Chilean national flights are getting more common and accesible each time, though they're still not as cheap as EasyJet or RyanAir! Most destinations will go to/from Santiago. Lan Chile is an excellent chilean airline which can help you fly around in Chile... as a tip, be sure to check last minute offers every Tuesday and you might get lucky!
  • By Bus - Bus is the most common way chileans move around. TurBus is a reliable bus company with average prices and a wide network of destinations. If you make trips of over 7-8 hours over the bus (quite common since Chile is a long country) consider sleeping over the bus and save accomodation!
  • By Train - Not as common as buses, trains still work from Santiago to the south of Chile (Temuco, near the Lake District). This type of transport offer marginal time differences compared to buses, but it offers a good chance of watching the chilean landscape while you go the South. EFE is the national train company.


TRANSPORT TERMINALS

Arturo Merino Benítez Airport (code SCL) is in the NW outer limits of Santiago. When you arrive you might want take a door-to-door shuttle (called "Transfer") for $7-$8 dollars, or get the bus for $3 dollars. The Alameda or Santiago bus terminals are just west from the downtown, and have bus and metro connections (Universidad de Santiago and Pila del Ganso, respectively, both in line 1). Finally, Estación Central is the departure/arrival center for trains to the South, very close to the east from the bus terminals (Estación Central metro station, line 1).

Fast orientation

Plaza Italia is commonly known as the city's unofficial centerpoint, even though Plaza De Armas, in the middle of the downtown owns the official title. Alameda avenue is the backspine of the city, running from west to east (continues east as Providencia, and then Apoquindo), along with line 1 of the metro. The Mapocho River is always paralel to this avenue.

If you are lost, you will always find the Andes mountain at your east.


Getting around in Santiago

Bus - Santiago's micro -an urban bus- is the most common local transport: big, fast and unpredictable! You can go almost everywhere in the city through this way. The ticket -supposed to rise soon- is around $0.70 dollars ($380 pesos).

Metro - Santiago has one of the best metro systems 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. Click here for a map of the metro network.

Some other possibilities of transport, a little more expensive, are "Taxis" and "Colectivos" (taxis for four people with fixed routes and prices).

Off the Beaten Track

Culture and Entertainment

Santiago is a big city and most of the time something is going on- hopefully for free. Some good sites for current cultural activities are:

Eating and Drinking

FOOD

For the cheap budget, catering is always the best choice. Lider and Jumbo are wide supermarket companies who will offer you the best prices.

If you want to try some warm food, just check out the menus in small cafés or restaurants, which should cost from $2.000 to $3.500 pesos. Tip is usually expected and it's not included in the bill (10%).

Santiago is crazy for sandwiches: No matter what you want, it will come between two slices of bread. Italiano (mayonnaise, tomato and avocado) is a very common type of dressing that can come with beef, pork, sausages, chicken, etc. Two places to get those big, filling sandwiches is Fuente Alemana (Alameda avenue, 50 mt. to the west from Plaza Italia) and Kika (Providencia with Tobalaba).

Now, let's try to vary a little bit. Chile is renowned for its seafood. You can find cheap sample of it at El Mercado, north from Plaza de Armas and next to Estación Mapocho.

Dinner to them is a few appetizers, so don't expect a large, filling dinner if that's what you're used to.

DRINKS

Chileans drink. A lot. So if you think you can hold up to the rythm, you've got to try Chilean Wine, one of the best in the world. If you want to buy a bottle, a good and cheap one is Misioneros de Rengo.

Another famous national booze is Pisco (a grape destillate), which is commonly mixed with Coke, creating the all-time favorite, delicious Piscola.

If you prefer beer, most of the time you will have to choose between Escudo (strong taste) or Cristal (light taste), but you should try Austral and Kuntzmann if you have the chance (personal favorite: Kuntzmann Bock). Anyway, foreign beers are avaliable.

Party Animals

  • Dancing

Santiago get wild mostly from Thursday to Saturday, but in summer time you might find parties all along the week, excepting for Monday.

The most common, democratic party district is Bellavista (three blocks north from Plaza Italia), where you might find the rich and the poor, the drunk and the sober, the punk and the techno. Wander the streets until you find a place that suits you. Some places worth mentioning are Maestra Vida, a salsa disco, Clandestino, a stylish alternative place, and the Galpones (warehouses), which are numbered and offer parties from different owners.

Another dancing area is Barrio Suecia, if you are looking for suntan, high heels, hair gel and tight white shirts. You can arrive there following Providencia to the east.

A more exclusive district is Vitacura, past Padre Hurtado street to the east. The beautiful and the rich gathers here, drinking and dancing through the vast bars and discos at the streets.

A cool, low key area, away from the fancy, is Barrio Brasil, located west from the downtown.

Worth mentioning and out of this areas are Disco El Tunel, next to the Bellas Artes Museum, and Blondie, a classical alternative disco featuring gothic, new wave, techno and other styles.

  • Going for a Drink

In Santiago everyday is good for a drink and good conversation, although monday is a rest day for most of the population and a lot of pubs close.

Most of the dancing places above mentioned are also pub areas, like Bellavista, Suecia, Vitacura and Barrio Brasil. We might also add that Providencia street offer a good wide variety of sites. Some pubs to check are Liguria and the Paseo Orrego Luco corner.

An exclusive zone for high style- and high prices- is El Bosque, with a lot of pubs and restaurants that might fit with a more exquisit taste.

Queer Santiago

Gay CouchSurfers in Santiago should know that homosexuality is increasingly being understood and accepted through the city. You may declare yourself gay without problems, and public affection will rise an eyebrow, while a hot kiss in the middle of a crowded street might bring a problem...

Anyway, gay population is increasingly marking their presence. Bars like Vox Populi, or night clubs like Bunker, Bokhara, Fausto and Prince Palace offers you a glance about it. You might fin more information in Gay Chile website

Work and Volunteering

For working, you might find something as an english teacher (supposing you are a native speaker). You may fin some tips and links here

Volunteering is a common practice in Chile, where several NGO's work over the most common issues: poverty, education, chilren, environment, civil rights. You might find something interesting in:

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