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We are starting with the beautiful, safe , clean and easy to visit capital city Santiago.
- Cafes and restaurants
- Bars and clubs
- Shops and markets
- Churches, cathedrals and temples
- Monuments and statues
…. and so much more!
Then, as we get more information for you, or get special requests, we shall start to cover the interesting, friendly, stunning country itself – Chile
.
- An immense coastline
- An awe-inspiring mountain range
- Lakes and rivers
- Islands and canals
- Adventure for all
…. possibly the nicest people in South America! Combining everything together we have the final name in our blog title……. Travel. This is how you will get to see all the above mentioned delights.
To start with, make sure you are flying to Santiago, Chile. Travel companies have on their computers over a hundred different places called “Santiago”.
It is easy to get to Santiago, Chile. Flights arrive regularly from many worldwide destinations including America, Canada and France. The arrival procedure is swift and professional. Santiago airport is a clean and well laid out facility with helpful staff. Once outside of arrivals there are information booths with some maps, basic tourism information and a few people hang around with signs saying “Travel Agency Santiago” or “Tours Santiago”. It is better to arrange any tours or excursions once you have rested and have browsed through the other agencies for the better deals. Santiago has many travel agencies, don’t settle for the first one you see.
One more thing, there are not many rules when you arrive via air travel, Santiago Airport however, does have a very very strict rule on bringing in food items. Please check with the relevant authorities if you absolutely have to bring over your own food – whatever it may be. Everything is taken from you and thrown away.
After long flights to Santiago some people might be dreading getting their bags and the long journey from the airport to the hotel. But this needn’t be the case, travel in Santiago is made very easy due to it’s excellent transport systems, be it a high speed road link from the airport to the city or the clean and punctual public transport systems.
After a short journey you will arrive at your hotel. Santiago is known for it’s beautiful mixture of the new and the old. Your hotel might be a quaint old building with nice brick architecture or it could be a modern glass and metal structure with marble styled flooring. But your options are not limited to hotels, Santiago also has “residenciales” which are more cosey family orientated styles of accommodation. No matter where you stay you will always be made welcome by the people of Chile.
So, now you are settled in the beautiful, safe, clean city of Santiago. Things to do range from a scenic walk up Santa Lucia Hill and a visit to the artisan market nearby, a Santiago tour by bus or on foot, a gentle stroll through one of the many parks and not to mention all the countless opportunities for photography within the city. If you are not so sure about walking around the city on your own or you want a local to show you some of the secret hidden treasures that are off the beaten track why not ask at a travel agency or at your hotel for a recommended Santiago travel guide. The main thing to be aware of, if the guide is a person, is the language skills of the individual, a dictionary might make the trip more enjoyable, and for a book it is better to bring you own as the book shops here have some catching up to do with regards to the tourism developments.
If you prefer exploring on you own and want to get around cheaply and quickly then the best way to travel Santiago is by the metro. An extremely clean and frequent service will take you all round the city and with stops at all the major attractions it makes site seeing a breeze.
Once you are over your jet-lag, have thoroughly relaxed in your hotel room, seen some of the city, Santiago vacations seem to slow down. This isn’t a city on fast forward, it’s a relaxing city. For a few extra things to do why not consider car rental, Santiago has all the major international companies and their rates are reasonable. Always double check all the insurance policies as the Chilean drivers can be somewhat aggressive in the city. Once you have your own transport you can drive to the coast, Valparaiso or Vina del Mar, have a day out and return that night, or, drive up the River Maipo Canyon (Cajon del Maipo) to the South-East of the city for the day. There are stunning views, quaint roadside cafes, little villages, and if you’ve hired a sturdy vehicle, drive into the Andes for a soak in some thermals. Some more adventurous tourists who are here for longer buy their own cars for touring Chile, this obviously has its drawbacks and can be a bit of a bureaucratic nightmare for some.
We now start to get into the realms of a longer holiday where you have the option to travel Chile itself. You can find yourself a Santiago travel agent and then start looking for some bargain tours or deals. Chile has a huge list of things to see – absolutely massive . You have the famous Chilean wines you can taste and visit the wineries, the Atacama Desert in the north (the driest place on earth), for hiking Patagonia in the south is unbeatable, Chiloe is a large island in the south where the clocks have stopped, Easter Island is famous for it’s statues and mysterious past and if you want a lake district Chile has it’s own Great Lakes area surrounded by snow capped volcanoes and forests.
From Santiago flights are frequent for visits to other parts of the country. There is LAN which is the national airline and Sky Air as well. They both have offices in all the major cities.
If you had a Santiago flight heading south and you saw some of the cities and landscapes down there a different and adventurous option is to travel to Santiago on a coach as your return journey. The national coach network is a very well run and highly efficient network. Coaches are clean, on time, and the have several drivers (by law) to rotate through the driving duties. You can then watch the mountains and forests roll by the windows as you read your book or listen to music.
Then, after a nice trip down south, and on the night before your flight home, why not relax in one of the many fine restaurants Santiago has to offer, sipping on Chilean wine.
I hope you enjoy reading through the rest of the website on how to travel to Santiago, Chile and then further on to explore this beautiful country
