There are several ways to get from the Santiago Chile airport (airport code SCL) to your local destination, including hotel shuttles, rental cars and taxis. However, this post gets you from the airport to the Providencia neighborhood using public transportation. More precisely, here are the details for taking one bus and one metro train to get to the city center from the airport.
Take a Centropuerto Bus from the Airport to the Metro
Because airports can be so chaotic, especially after a lengthy flight, we’ve made a video that walks you through getting from the airport to the Centropuerto bus line.
Where to Catch the Bus:
In the median, right outside the arrivals hall (ground/first level), near exit 5. The following overhead signs – nivel 1 (arrivals), salida (exit) 5 – let you know you have arrived. At the time of our trip, this bus left the airport every 10 minutes, between the hours of 5:30am and 11:30pm, every day of the year. It also runs at least hourly from 11:30pm until 5:30am. Current information regarding this bus line can be found at the Centropuerto bus website.
Route:
You can take the bus from the airport to the Los Héroes metro station, near the center of Santiago. During our visit, this was also the end of the Centropuerto Bus route. The full route takes a good 45 minutes, and would be longer during rush hours. This is a great, bustling part of the city, and a regular tourist area.
Cost:
The Centropuerto bus costs $1800 CLP, or Chilean pesos, per person, one-way. They accept CASH ONLY. You pay for your ticket at the bus. You can just smile and hand over the fare, or try a bit of Spanish: “Un boleto, por favor” (one ticket, please). Because we arrived at the same time as several other flights, there was a line to board the bus, and a Centropuerto employee alongside the bus collected fees and provided a receipt prior to boarding. However, the line moves quickly and we were on our way within 20 minutes. If there is not a line, you’ll find a kiosk near the bus where you can buy tickets,
Additional Centropuerto Bus Info:
Not all the Centropuerto buses are blue. However, they all have ‘centropuerto’ either on the front of the bus or right inside the front door. A nice plus is that these buses are air-conditioned. One potential downside is that sometimes there are more passengers than seats, especially if several flights have come in at the same time. The following route map shows that most of the bus stops are adjacent to Santiago metro stops. Metro stops are easily found, and designated by three large red diamonds.
Take the Metro to Your Destination
Where to Catch the Metro:
You can ride the elevator, escalator, or walk the stairs down to the Metro’s underground stations. Each station is accessible via at least two sets of stairs, usually on opposite sides of the street. Generally each metro stair set is marked with a tall red and white sign noting the metro stop name and/or three red diamonds.
Route:
Take the metro red line from Los Heroes toward Los Dominicos. The red line runs through the heart of downtown. We traveled outside peak hours and still saw trains coming frequently, only a few minutes apart. We exited at the Manuel Montt stop, and walked 5 minutes from the metro stop to our initial Santiago lodging in the Providencia neighborhood.
Cost:
You will need to buy and add cash to a blue BIP card to ride the Metro. The BIP cards can be purchased at most metro stations via a manned kiosk. You will need to use cash, unless you happen to have a Chilean credit card. For our December 2018 trip, each BIP card cost $1550 CLP.
In terms of adding cash to the card, consider that around $1600 provides 2 rides during peak hours. We initially put $5000 pesos on our BIP cards, which was plenty to get us started for the week. Adding additional money onto the card is very easy at all metro stations, and you can do so at manned stations OR automated kiosks, where it is also very easy to check your balance.
Getting to Your Train:
Once your card is loaded, determine which direction you wish to go. If you don’t have a downloaded metro stop map, you can review a physical map found in each station. It’s handy to have your desired destination written down in order to show to the metro staff if necessary. Once you have your direction, walk up to one of the turnstiles, and place your BIP card over the sensor. You will hear a ‘beep’ and the turnstile will let you through.
Additional Info Related to Public Transportation in Santiago Chile
Outside of the metro stations, there are also self-serve BIP machines at select locations around the city.
Your BIP card will work on the metro and on the Transantiago bus system. The Centropuerto bus line is NOT a line where your BIP card will work. On the BIP-related buses, there are yellow boxes in the front of the bus. Just place your card over it until you hear a BIP (beep) sound.
Before or during your trip, you can familiarize yourself with the BIP-related bus system.
Paying the price of a single BIP ride covers you for 2 metro or bus transfers as long as the transfers occur within 120 minutes of your initial BIP swipe.
Besides using the self-serve machines within each metro station, you can check your BIP card balance and transactions on-line, without establishing an account. You just need your card number.
We made a separate blog to provide more information about Santiago’s public metro and bus system.
And you can check out this blog which provides a peek into our first 36 hours in Santiago, Chile.
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