anandrag

AA has great deal to SCL from NYC in business class that I want to take advantage of.
Before doing that, wanted to ask for experiences on whether SCL is a walkable city where long weekend is a fun thing to do.
I have done EZE that way and loved it, but GRU for example would not be top of my list to do that at

Advice?

bingocallerb22

Yup, go for it. A very walkable city where long weekend is a fun thing to do, for sure.

anandrag

Awesome. Thx for the quick response

If you have a few mins, would love to get some recos on things to do, visit and where to eat...!

sportsguymichael

+1

worldiswide

We're booked for a short stay as well with the fare deal Recommendations on restaurants sightseeing and anything we need to know about airport formalities would be most welcome. What is weather like beginning of May?

bingocallerb22

Wow. Too wide open questions. The Bellavista area is great, trendy and outdoor cafes Calle Pío Nono etc. Take the full Hop On bus tour to get a sense of all the SCL highlights then hop off at some that tickle your fancy. Take the free walking tour (for the price of a tip) from in front of the Casa de Moneda (morning or afternoon) to see downtown highlights. Wander Cerro Santa Lucía hill/park downtown or take funicular up Cerro San Cristóbal... the list is too long without knowing your preferences.

And buy some Lapis Lazuli (semi-precious stone) only mined in Chile and Afganistan. :-)

og

Assuming you are on a US passport, you pay a Reciprocity fee on arrival - Immediately before Immigration (To the left of the Immigration counters). They take US cash as well as all CCs.

So long as you have next to no luggage, the public bus to downtown is a few dollars (cash to driver) then you can get the metro to anywhere or just walk (recommended). Shuttle vans also are cheap and efficient - buy a ticket (eg TransVip) in the arrivals area - IIRC it's about a $16 trip.

anandrag

Thx. Is there a fee for EU passports?
How much would a taxi be to the W hotel?

Any vineyard recommendations?

SanDiego1K

Visiting the Pablo Neruda house is a necessity, at least to me.

Here's what the New York Times suggests for a 36 hour visit.

Here, some blogger I found simply by googling, so very random, talks about 3 days in Santiago.

The Alps are spectacular. You might be able to find a bus that goes toward Mendoza, Argentina, but where you can get off at a ski resort. Have lunch and return to Santiago.

Gaucho100K

Eastbay1K is a SCL expert..... you should contact him to add his input here.

Siempre Viajando

No fee for EU passports. The Chilean government charges the reciprocity fee only to those whose governments charge Chilean citizens to obtain a visitor's visa.

Taxi to the W from the airport is $19.000 or approximately US$40, current exchange rate is US$1.00 = CLP$470.

I would rate Santiago a 6 out of 10 on the "walkability" scale. From the W you have easy access to an excellent subway system (the Metro, look for the three red diamonds symbol) that can take you anywhere in town. Also the area around the W, known as El Bosque Norte or "Sanhattan", is nice to walk, and you can easily get to Vitacura, to the northeast, which is a pleasant area to stroll.

But look, walkability-wise Santiago is not Paris, or New York, or San Francisco.

For vineyards the Santa Rita winery is worth visiting, to the south of Santiago. I think you need a rental car to get there easily. Also I recommend a visit to the Casablanca valley which is along highway 68 toward the coast, about an hour west of Santiago. Casablanca is known for its white wines and its Pinot Noir. There are several wineries there that have upscale restaurants on site, you can Google them. Again a rental car is the way to get there. And if you go by car take Chilean cash because you'll need to pay road toll and they don't take dollars...

worldiswide

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm just getting started on research and you've given some good paths to take.

I don't usually take the hop on bus but that might maximize time and be good from an orientation perspective.

M60_to_LGA

Andes.

As some other posters have noted, the Neruda house is definitely worth a visit, as is Cerro San Cristóbal, the Plaza de Armas downtown, Barrio Bellavista, Barrio Brasil (an older, somewhat bohemian part of town to the west of downtown).... Food in Santiago is a bit hit or miss - there are some good steakhouses in Barrio Brasil, whose names are of course escaping me, as well as delicious Peruvian restaurants - I'm a fan of Olán, which is south of downtown near the Irrarázaval Metro stop, if I recall correctly.

You can also hit a winery or two - the Concha y Toro winery is actually in an industrial southern suburb of the city, and you can get there by taking the Metro to the end of the line at Puente Alto and catching a public bus from there. While the surrounding area isn't lovely, the winery itself is a nice spot to spend half a day.

anandrag

What are the shuttle or bus options? Is there an airport bus going into downtown and how to get from there to W?

Siempre Viajando

There is a bus that leaves the airport, just outside the international arrivals area, and takes you to the Pajaritos Metro station. It is a blue bus, you board it and pay the driver. It departs approximately every 15 minutes. The cost of the bus ride is $1.600 or approximately US$3.50. I think you have to pay in cash and don't even try paying in US$, you'll have to change money at the airport.

Pajaritos is not downtown, it is in the west end of the city not far from the airport. From Pajaritos you take the Metro eastward (the signage will indicate "Los Dominicos") to either the Tobalaba station or the El Golf station, which are roughly the same distance from the W. The Metro will cost you approximately US$1.50 (the fare depends on the time of day). You can buy tickets at the booths in the station. I recommend getting off at El Golf, which is on Avenida Apoquindo. Get your bearings then walk north two blocks to Av. Isidora Goyenechea, take a left and you'll see the W on the right, on the north side of Goyenechea, across from a park known as Plaza Perú.

This is all quite easy if you're an experienced traveler and especially if you speak Spanish. Be careful at Pajaritos, it is nearly always crowded and you may be a target for petty theft. The Metro is clean and efficient and heavily utilized, so be prepared for a squeeze.

But look, if you've got the budget for a stay at the W then I think you've got the budget for a $40 cab ride from the airport, and that's what I would recommend.