Your first mission: leave the airport

Airport Bus While Santiago can seem like a big, slightly scary city at first glance, it’s still the safest capital in South America, and probably on par with a lot of US cities.

But what’s the first thing that greets a newcomer at the airport?

Taxi drivers, droves of them.

Most are good, but a few bad apples try to ruin it for the rest. Those bad apples seem to think that anyone coming in on a plane, not speaking the language, is fair game.

Let’s see what they do and how to avoid them.

The Hustle

Coming out of any airport, you are normally tired, cranky, slightly off-kilter, and maybe even a bit confused. On top of that you need to get yourself out of the airport and into an unfamiliar city, which makes it easier to just pay too much.

As soon as you step out of the customs area, there they are: 25 drivers waving little signs at you that say TAXI, and saying, either in Spanish or very bad English, that same word. Someone may try to help you with your bag– baggage handlers work independently of taxi drivers; you should refuse their services or be prepared to pay for them.

What to do?

The best solution is to have reserved ground transportation before flying with a radio taxi/limo service. You can often get a better price than with official airport taxis, and you’ll see that comforting sign with your name on it among the scores of people clustered around the international arrivals exit. Here are a few companies that offer this service:

If you won’t be able to order a taxi beforehand, there are official taxi booking stands before the exit. They are not the cheapest taxis going, but you’ll be safe, and they will whisk you directly to your waiting car.

Not enough cash for your own taxi? There are also buses and shared-ride vans you can book on your way out of customs.

So, ordered from most to least expensive, the official options for getting yourself from SCL to Santiago are:

Taxi
Minibus a.k.a. transfer. This is the shared-ride van is the is the airport transportation of choice for many travelers, since it’s door-to-door service that’s quite a bit cheaper than a taxi.
Bus At less than 2 thousand pesos, the price can’t be beat. But it’ll leave you at a metro stop or a downtown terminal, and you’ll need to get yourself the rest of the way to your destination.

Willing to brave the sharks? Then have a pen handy, write down where you are going, and make sure they give you a rate right away. To downtown, it’s a maximum of 8 to 9 thousand pesos, plus 1 thousand for TAG (automated freeway toll), if your route will take you on a highway. To uptown, expect to pay 12 to 14 thousand plus 2 thousand for TAG. Always make sure to have them WRITE the fare, in Chilean pesos, and to put down INCLUYE TAG, so they don’t add another thousand on at the end.

Vocab

minibus airport transfer, shared-ride van
propina tip
TAG automated highway toll (refers to the collection device as well as the fee charged by commercial transportation)
taxi taxi
transfer airport transfer, shared-ride van