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Old Jan 15, 2017, 11:53 pm
  #10  
Goldorak
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Originally Posted by 466SHH
I've taken Turbus from Santiago to Vina Del Mar. Bus was clean and it was a pleasant enough journey. IIRC, it cost me about $18 USD round trip. I took the Santiago metro to the bus station from my hotel. Worked fine, and about $282 USD cheaper than the driver the hotel wanted to set me up with. Valparaiso will be similar in price. 90 minutes or so to Vina, Valpo will be similar transit time.

One problem will be that there is no metro station at SCL. You will need to use a cab or shuttle to get to the airport from Santiago. But there are always cabs at a hotel. You can always walk or take the metro from the bus station to a convenient hotel.

My Spanish is less than stellar these days so I used google translate to read the bus company's website. And I studied both the Santiago metro map and Google maps. There are two bus stations, both easily accessible by metro once you get away from the airport. I scoped them both out and decided to use the smaller one, less confusion. Only 12 or so berths. Less crowded too. Alameda terminal was a real zoo the day I stopped by. The terminal I used was at the Pajaritos metro station. When you get off the train you will see big signs pointing you to the autobuses. Very easy. And the bus will have the destination on the front.

I was traveling by myself and had no problems. The buses are standard motor coaches with two seats on either side of the aisle. No bathrooms on board. Comfy enough for two hours or less. Not much overhead space (my backpack barely fit) so pack light or prepare to have your bags put under the bus. Seats are assigned when you get your ticket. You will need to keep your stub for the return journey and present it at the ticket window for your return ticket. If you are trying to catch a flight, I'd leave plenty of time as you may have to wait for the next bus on a busy day.
thnak you very much for your detailed post. Much appreciated ^
is there any need to book in advance or do you just show up at the station and take the 1st service available ?
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