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Getting There by Air
Chile's main airline is LAN (LA) (website: www.lan.com), which deals with international flights.
Approximate Flight Times
From Miami to Santiago is 8 hours 30 minutes and from Madrid is 13 hours 45 minutes.
Main Airports
Santiago (SCL) (Arturo Merino Benitez) (website: www.aeropuertosantiago.cl). The airport is 21km (11 miles) northwest of Santiago (journey time – 30 minutes). To/from the airport: Bus services to the city centre operate from 0530 to 2400 every day. Metro services operate to Los Héroes, Central, Universidad de Santiago, Las Rejas and Pajaritos stations. Taxis to the city are also available; official taxis are blue and have documentation. Facilities: Bar, ATM, bureaux de change, restaurants, shops, car hire, post office and tourist office.
Air Passes
Mercosur Airpass: valid within Argentina, Brazil, Chile (except Easter Island), Paraguay and Uruguay. Participating airlines include Aerolíneas Argentinas (AR), Aerolíneas Del Sur (AS), Pluna (PU) and VARIG Airlines (RG). The pass can only be purchased by passengers who live outside South America and must be booked in conjunction with an international ticket. It is valid for a minimum of seven to a maximum of 45 days. At least two countries must be visited; dates can be changed but the flight route cannot. A maximum of three stopovers is allowed per country.
oneworld Visit South America Pass: valid within Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile (except Easter Island), Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Participating airlines are Aer Lingus (EI), American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), Finnair (AY), Iberia (IB), LAN (LA) and Qantas (QF). The pass must be bought outside South America in the country of residence. It allows unlimited travel to 34 cities. A minimum of three flights must be booked, with a maximum of 20; prices depend on the amount of flight zones. For further details, contact one of the participating airlines.
Departure Tax
oneworld Visit South America Pass: valid within Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile (except Easter Island), Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Participating airlines are Aer Lingus (EI), American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), Finnair (AY), Iberia (IB), LAN (LA) and Qantas (QF). The pass must be bought outside South America in the country of residence. It allows unlimited travel to 34 cities. A minimum of three flights must be booked, with a maximum of 20; prices depend on the amount of flight zones. For further details, contact one of the participating airlines.
None.
Getting There by Water
Main port: Empremar (website: www.portvalparaiso.cl) in Valparaíso to/from where many shipping lines operate such as Compañía Chilena de Navegación Interoceánica (CCNI) (website: www.ccni.cl) and Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) (from New York and European ports) (website: www.csav.cl).
Getting There by Rail
Some rail connections with neighbouring countries use buses for part of the journey. There are trains running between Arica and Tacna in Peru and La Paz in Bolivia, although this line is unreliable and slow.
Getting There by Road
The Pan American Highway enters Chile through Arica. There are frequent, reliable and comfortable buses that can come from as far north as Ecuador. There are also services from Argentina and Brazil to Santiago.