Santiago Getting there & around

Getting around

Car & motorcycle

Car

A car is only useful here for excursions out of the city as traffic is congested and parking is expensive. There are heaps of car rental agencies, from internationally known franchises to cheaper local companies. Call around for good deals.

Many companies have airport offices at Pudahuel in addition to the city offices listed below.

Alamo (225-3061; Av Francisco Bilbao 2486, Providencia)

Automóvil Club de Chile (Acchi; 212-5702, 274-6261; fax 229-5295; Andres Bello 1863)

Budget (362-3232, 362-3200; Bilbao 1439, Providencia)

Chilean (737-9650; www.chileanrentacar.cl; Bellavista 0183, Bellavista)

Dollar (202-5510; Av Kennedy 8292, Vitacura)

First Rent a Car (225-6328; www.first rentacar.cl; Rancagua 0514, Providencia)

Hertz (496-1000; www.hertz.com; Av Andrés Bello 1469, Providencia)

Rosselot (381-2200; Bilbao 2045, Providencia) A good, cheap option.

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Bus & tram

Bus

Once a defining sight of the city, the Alameda's chaotic yellow, exhaust-spewing micros could be on their way out. As part of the grand Transantiago (428-7900; www.transantia go.cl) plan to cut congestion and pollution (one of the biggest transportation system overhauls the world has seen), there will be several thoroughfares along the city's main avenues and local connecting feeder lines. Green will be the color for the double-length buses. Sensibly, the new system should mean the end of drivers racing each other to gain passengers, and could include the Multivía smartcard that has been used successfully on the metro. It's a big project, however, with thousands of new buses planned, so delays are very possible.

When planning your route, the www.micros.cl website (in Spanish) is very useful.

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Local transport

Metro

Santiago has a slick, clean and efficient metro system that is always being expanded so more citizens can reap the benefits. Many already do - nearly a million passengers travel daily. Santiago's metro system has three separate lines that interlink (Líneas 1, 2 and 5), and a fourth line (Línea 4) that was nearing completion at the time of research. For destinations along these lines, it's far quicker to take the metro than a bus.

The metro operates 6:30am to 10:30pm Monday to Saturday, and 8am to 10:30pm Sundays and holidays. The trains are clean and frequent, but can get busy in rush hour. If you're in Santiago for more than a few days, get a Multivía card. It costs US$1.70, but you can charge it up as much or little as you want, and each journey costs slightly less than if you buy them individually.

Fares vary depending on the time of day. The normal rate (US$0.55) is available 6:30am to 7:15am, 9am to 6pm and 7:30pm to 10:30pm; the peak-hour rate (US$0.70) applies 7:15am to 9am and 6pm to 7:30pm.

Taxi

Santiago has abundant metered taxis, all black with yellow roofs. It costs about US$0.35 to start the meter, and about US$0.17 per 200m. Most Santiago taxi drivers are honest, courteous and helpful, but a few will take roundabout routes. A handful have 'funny' meters.

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Bicycle

Rampaging micros mean that Santiago's streets are not that safe for bikes, but recent cycle lanes have improved the situation. There are also a lot of public paths that can be used, as well as quieter roads, so don't be put off. Santiago is certainly compact enough to get around by bike and the climate is ideal for it - even if the smog isn't.

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