Transportation
Schedules and fares are subject to change.
Airport to City Access
Train, bus, taxi, and other options to the city center
From Santiago Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL), the main options into the city are official taxis and transfers, the airport buses (Turbus Aeropuerto and Centropuerto), and ride-hailing apps. The airport buses are the cheapest and run frequently to central Santiago. Agree fares or use the app before you get in.
- Airport
- SCL (Santiago)
- Cheapest
- Turbus / Centropuerto bus
- Other
- Official taxi, ride-hailing
- Airport buses run frequently to central Santiago
- Use official taxis or a ride-hailing app
Public Transportation
Metro, bus, tram, and how to use them
Santiago has an extensive, clean and convenient metro (Metro de Santiago) that, together with the city buses, forms the integrated Red network (formerly Transantiago). The metro is the fastest way around the city and connects most tourist areas. Buy and tap a Bip! card to ride.
- Metro
- Metro de Santiago
- Network
- Red (metro + buses)
- Card
- Bip! card
- The metro is clean, extensive and convenient
- Buses and metro share the Red network
IC Cards & Travel Passes
Discount passes and rechargeable transit cards
Santiago uses the Bip! card (tarjeta Bip!) for its integrated transport. It works on the metro and Red buses alike: buy the card, top it up with credit, and tap it at the gates or on the bus reader. Recharge at metro stations, kiosks and shops that display the Bip! sign.
- Card
- Bip! (metro + Red bus)
- Top up
- Stations, kiosks, shops
- Use
- Tap at gates / bus reader
- Buy and top up the Bip! card before travelling
- One card works on both metro and buses
Car Rental & Driving
License requirements and traffic rules
Chile drives on the right; bring an International Driving Permit alongside your licence. Cities like Santiago have heavy traffic, so a car is often unnecessary there. Outside the cities, distances are long — Patagonia in particular means long drives, gravel roads (ripio) and possible border crossings into Argentina, so plan fuel and time carefully.
- Drives on
- The right
- Permit
- International Driving Permit
- Watch for
- Gravel roads, long distances
- Cities are congested; a car is often unnecessary
- Patagonia means long drives and gravel roads
Intercity Travel
Long-distance buses, trains, and ferries
Chile has an excellent long-distance bus network run by companies like Turbus and Pullman Bus, with comfortable reclining cama and semi-cama seats. Trains (EFE) are limited and mostly serve the south. Because the country is very long from north to south, flying is the practical choice for the longest journeys.
- Buses
- Turbus, Pullman (cama/semi-cama)
- Trains
- EFE, limited, mostly south
- Long trips
- Flying is practical
- Long-distance buses are comfortable and well developed
- For the longest routes, flying saves time
Domestic Flights
Budget airlines and booking tips
Because Chile is so long from north to south, domestic flights save a great deal of time. The main airlines are LATAM, JetSMART and SKY Airline, hubbed in Santiago and reaching Calama and Iquique in the north and Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas in the south. Book ahead for the best fares.
- Airlines
- LATAM, JetSMART, SKY
- Hub
- Santiago
- Reaches
- Calama, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas
- Flights save time over the long north-south country
- Book ahead for the best fares
Transportation Tips
Advice for safe and efficient travel
Plan around the sheer north-south distance: a trip like Santiago to Punta Arenas is best done by air. Chile is seismically active, so know your accommodation's exits and evacuation routes. Carry some cash for rural areas and small towns where cards may not be accepted, and keep a Bip! card topped up for getting around Santiago.
- Distances
- Long north-south; fly far routes
- Nature
- Seismically active
- Cash
- Useful in rural areas
- Fly for the longest routes such as Santiago-Punta Arenas
- Carry cash for rural areas and small towns