Santiago
Santiago the capital city of Chile.

The main cities of Chile:

Santiago de Chile is the capital and economic center of Chile. With its many museums, events, theaters, restaurants, bars and other entertainment and cultural opportunities, it is also the political and cultural center of the country. Its central location in the country makes it a great base for visiting other areas, and it is possible to ski in the nearby Andes and later be on the beach, all in the same day

Santiago Airport is the main Chilean gateway for international flights. The travel time to the city centre has been drastically reduced recently, with the construction of a new tollway, the Costanera Norte. Private taxis will charge about $15000 for a trip to downtown or Providencia. Tur-bus is a nice alternative, you´ll find them in a kiosk right after customs. They charge $4800 for door-to-door mini-van service, leaving every 15 minutes, or $1300 for a bus to the Tur-Bus station, which connects directly to the Metro. Another alternative are the Centropuerto buses, which connect you with the Metro Line 1 (red line) and charge $1400.

From the US, American Airlines and LAN operate flights from Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Dallas. Some flights have layovers in Guayaquil or Lima. Delta Air Lines operates direct flights from Atlanta. Many of these flights are overnight, and most use widebody aircraft such as the Boeing 767.

Air Canada operates a daily flight from Toronto.

From Europe, Air France, Iberia, LAN and Lufthansa (code-sharing with SWISS) operate daily flights into Santiago from their hubs. Some flights stop in Sao Paulo or Buenos Aires. 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! Most routes to Europe are operated with Airbus A340s.

From Oceania, Qantas and LAN operate a daily code-sharing flight from Sydney to Santiago via Auckland, New Zealand. It's at least 12 hours each way. LAN also operates a Tahiti-Easter Island-Santiago route.

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 3200m. 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
Bus travel times to/from Santiago de Chile:

54 hours: Sao Paulo (Bus company: Pluma)
7 hours: Mendoza

Place to visit

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 ($900 one way, $1600 return), 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 site of the national cathedral and main post office. Not very clean but otherwise an 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), but be aware of 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.

Santa Lucia Park in SantiagoLa Chascona - One of three homes of the famous poet Pablo Neruda, La Chascona (meaning tangle-haired woman, after his third wife) is 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, French ($3500) and Spanish ($2500).
La Moneda Palace - Presidential Palace, guided one-hour tours are free, unfortunately with a reservation of at least 15 days in advance.
Parque Forestal - A long park that runs parallel to the Mapocho River, also site of the National Museum 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.
Teatro Municipal - Historical performance venue, including international dance and opera, worth a visit even if just from its outside.
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.
Festival de Jazz de Providencia - A very good jazz Festival takes place during summer (typically each February) in Providencia. The Festival de Jazz de Providencia takes place each year in Mapocho's riverside and showcasts the best local bands and some international guests. Tickets are cheap (from about 3 USD in the 2007 edition), so it's a good alternative for summer nights.
Parque Bicentenario, Bicentenario Avenue, vitacura. Parque Bicentenario, Bicentenario Avenue. Beautiful park, still in construction. Large extension of grass, children games, dog games, a very nice pond with black neck swans. There is also a restaurant, a cafe (Le fournil) and Vitacura's city hall. Trails for wailking and bikes edit
Iglesia y museo de San Francisco, Av. Lib. Bernardo O'Higgins 834, ☎ 6398737. Museo: Mon-Fri: 9h30-13h30 15h00-18h00, Sun: 10h00-14h00. The oldest church in the city. On the place, in front of the church, there is a Moaï from Easter Island. Museo: $1000. No pictures inside. edit
Palacio Cousino, 438 calle dieciocho, . Mon-Fri: 9h30-13h30 14h30-17h00, Sat-Sun: 9h30-13h30. Old palace owned by a wealthy spanish-portuguese family. The architecture is a mix of spanish and french style. $2100. Guided tour only. No pictures inside.

Other activities

Mountain climbs. Many mountains are found in and all around Chile that are great for climbing.

Skiing. Santiago is not too far from some great skiing. Not too expensive and they hire out all the equipment you need at the resorts. Some of the tour companies offer the service

Hotels In Santiogo.

Hotel Angamos, angamos 367,+56 - 22222849. Small hotel with clean and tidy rooms, double beds and hot water on demand. If there is none, you simply ask the owners to turn it on. They are a family run business who you can turn up to at any time of day/night and serve a simple breakfast in the price. It is pretty close to the centre and very safe. There is no hotel sign.. just ring the bell and be pleasantly surprised. 10000 per double room. edit
Budget Hotels
Dominica Hostel Dominica 24, Bellavista +5627327196 This newly restored old house was especially design to receive travelers. Full of common spaces and with a practical design of the dorms rooms. Located few meters away from Cerro San Cristobal. Great place to stay in Santiago

Atacama Hostel Roman Diaz 130 +5622642012 This great hostel has a great location close to bars, restaurants, clubs and both the bus and subway station. The newly remodeled rooms are cozy and colorful, the common room is huge, with lots of places to hang out and TV and DVDs, and the terrace is a great place for a bbq and views of the city!

La Chimba Hostel, Ernesto Pinto Lagarrigue 262, Barrio Bellavista, 735.8978, . Small award-winning budget hostel in Santiago's trendiest barrio. Friendly staff and great facilities. Near metro station, La Chascona Cerro San Cristobal and the city's best bars and restaurants. $70. edit
La Casa Roja, Av Agustinas 2113,+56 2 6964241, Hostel located in an old renovated mansion. The shared kitchen is huge and excellent. Its a party place, so it can get a bit noisy. Run-down area. Pool. Dorm rooms Ch$7000. One night free every six nights if paid beforehand. edit
Hostal de Sammy, Toesca 2335,+56 2 6898772,. A homely place with a lot of facilities at no extra charge: internet access (5 computers in the lobby and WiFi), complete breakfast until 1 PM with the owner often cooking super tasty banana pancakes, living room with a huge big screen TV and 100's of movies to watch, game room with pool table - table tennis - Playstation 2, kitchen, clean rooms, DVDs, free rental of bikes and a lot more. It's good value for money (6000 pesos for a bed in a dormitory). The staff are always helpful and there are some adorable pets. $10-$12 USD (dorm), $17 (private single).
Hostel Bellavista, Dardignac 0184, Barrio Bellavista, +56 2 7328737, . Hostel located in a great area for dining out and nightlife but can be loud on the weekends. The staff is helpful and friendly, and the atmosphere is very warm. There are several computers and free wifi 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, pool table and even a guitar. Very popular with young international backpackers and independent travelers. edit
Plaza de Armas Hostel, Compania 960 (on the Plaza de Armas, Santiago Centro), +56 2 6714436, . checkin: 13:00; checkout: 11:00. Great hostel which is located right in the central square with a great view out over the plaza near the subway and museums. Small (located on an upper floor of a building; so no patio)with private apartments and lively place with really good staff. you can access the Internet for free with 3 computers and wifi, and there's a common room equipped with a TV , DVD player. 10.
Residencia Tabita, Príncipe de gales 81 (off Moneda between San Martin and Amunategui),+56 2 6715700 (tabitachile@hotmail.com). Cosy, friendly and quiet, but right in the middle of town. Singles from 8000 pesos. edit
Midrange Hotels
Bilbao3561, Av Francisco Bilbao & San Juan de Luz (in Providencia, one block from Bilbao metro station), (bilbao3561@furchi.com), . Furnished two bedroom apartment, 58 square meters that sleeps up to four people. Includes full kitchen, washing machine, TVs (2), Desktop Computer with Internet, WiFi, DVD player, stereo, Chilean Cell Phone and free phone (local, national and international calls). The service also includes local access numbers in many cities around the world to call directly to the apartment as a local call. $50/night + $30 cleaning fee (USD).
Splurge Hotels
Grand Hyatt Santiago, Av Presidente Kennedy 4601, +56 2 950 1234 (santi-info@hyattintl.com), . Has a 1000sq foot lagoon style pool, health club and several restaurants.
Hotel Fundador, Paseo Serrano 34, +56 2 3871200, . Newly renovated hotel that is conveniently located for sightseeing in the historic center of the city. It also has a good quality restaurant. Rooms $145-$185 and Suites $205-$260 (Apr, Oct - Nov); $30-$50 cheaper at other times.
The Ritz-Carlton, Calle El Alcalde No. 15 (Las Condes district, near the El Golf metro station), +56 2 4708500, . The hotel is, as expected, very nice. There are restaurants and bars nearby, a small park across the street and the neighborhood is modern and organized.
Santiago Marriott Hotel, Av Presidente Kennedy 5741, +56 2 2462000, . The most preferred business hotel in the city, the Santiago Marriott Hotel is in the Las Condes district, near excellent dining and shopping. Offers comfortable accommodations, a very popular Lobby Bar, two first rated restaurants, meeting space and other modern amenities and services

Santiago Santiago the capital city of Chile.

Santiago
Santiago the capital city of Chile.