- Important points
- Choosing wings
- Hotel or apartment
- Transport subtleties
- Nightingales are not fed with fables
- Useful details
- The perfect trip to Chile
From the language of the Quechua Indians who once inhabited these lands, the name of Chile is translated as "limit". Perhaps a narrow strip of land, stretching along the coast of the Pacific Ocean from north to south for several thousand kilometers and separated by the Andes from the rest of the mainland, seemed to them the end of the earth. Traveling to Chile requires a lot of time and money, but the impressions that this distant country guarantees a tourist more than compensate for any costs.
The main attractions of the South American republic are excellent ski resorts, national parks with the majestic peaks of the Andes as an accompanying landscape, stone idols of Easter Island and numerous wineries, which even the French speak of with respect.
Important points
- Chile grants Russian tourists the right to visa-free entry into the country if the purpose of the visit is tourism and the duration of the trip does not exceed 90 days.
- Don't count on credit cards when traveling to the province. It is worth having a supply of cash with you there.
Choosing wings
The path to Chile is not a short one, and the flight, taking into account possible connections, can take a day or more. No airline directly connects Moscow and Santiago, but there are flight options with transfers in Europe:
- The cheapest way to fly on the wings of the Spanish Iberia is via Madrid. Travel time, excluding connections, will be from 19 hours, but the ticket price is still unlikely to be lower than $ 1000.
- Offers of French airlines look a little more expensive, although Air France often has sales and promotions.
- From 1200 $ starts the price of tickets to Santiago from Delta airline. The planes travel through one of the European capitals and then land in Georgia. Remember that you need a US visa to travel across the States.
Planning your trip to Chile well in advance can help you keep your flight costs down. Many air carriers from Europe often run ticket sales, and the prices for special offers are very attractive.
Hotel or apartment
Hotels in Chile comply with international classification standards, and frequent tourists in the country note the improvement of the hotel infrastructure from trip to trip. Seasonal peaks in the popularity of Chile's hotels occur in July-August, when the season begins on the ski slopes in the Andes, and in December-February, the summer period for recreation on the lakes and in the national parks of the country.
In the capital of Chile, dozens of hotels of various price categories are open, so that any traveler can find a suitable option. A room in a "three-ruble note" will cost $ 50-$ 60 per night. Guests have free Wi-Fi and a private bathroom. Often the price includes a continental meal served in a hotel restaurant. Hotels of the 5 * level in Santiago are quite expensive and you will have to pay from $ 120 per day in such apartments. The most inexpensive type of hotels is hostels, where you can stay for only $ 10 -13 $ if you arrange a bed in a dormitory room. A private room in a Santiago hotel without stars will cost $ 25-$ 30.
Hotels on Easter Island are expensive and even for the opportunity to spend the night in a tent on the campground, you will have to pay $ 30. A hotel without stars, but with a pool, internet and the ability to order a transfer to the airport will cost from $ 60 per day, and renting a separate house with two bedrooms a couple of minutes walk from the beach will cost $ 90 -120, which is quite beneficial for a large family or company.
Transport subtleties
Chilean transport in terms of comfort, cleanliness and punctuality is in no way inferior even to European ones. In the capital, its most popular type is the subway, serving passengers from 6.30 to 22.30. Subway trains are not afraid of traffic jams filling the capital's streets during rush hours. For this reason, if you want to save time, you shouldn't count on buses.
For moving around the capital, it is advantageous to purchase a TransBip card, according to which, within an hour from the moment of activation, on the first type of transport, you can change to any other as many times as you like. The cost of an hour of travel with such a card is about $ 0.9.
In the resorts of Valparaiso and Viña dal Mar, the fare in a minibus or city bus is about $ 0.50.
Taxis are inexpensive in the country, all cars are equipped with meters, and the drivers are helpful and polite.
It is convenient to carry out long-distance travel on short distances on buses of the ETM company. All of their cars are new, and prices are slightly cheaper than the promoted and popular TurBus. Outlying cities and Easter Island are connected to the capital by local airlines. It is better to book flights in advance, especially during the tourist "high" season.
Any of the many rental offices in Santiago and the province will help you to rent a car in Chile. The price of a liter of gasoline in the country is about $ 1, 1, the roads are in fair condition, and local drivers try not to violate the traffic rules.
Nightingales are not fed with fables
The issue of food while traveling in Chile is not an acute issue, since in any city there are many catering establishments of different levels and price categories. The cheapest street food stalls offer you a hot dog or a slice of pizza with a soda for $ 2- $ 3. A set lunch in a cafe Santiago in the area of congestion of office buildings will cost from $ 6. It includes an appetizer, first and second courses, dessert and a drink. If you want a glass of wine as a drink, the price goes up to $ 7-8. In the tourist places of the capital for such a set you will be asked $ 15.
A check for two for dinner at a restaurant with waiters in Santiago will range from $ 30 to $ 50, depending on the status of the institution and its location. In the provinces, everything will cost about a third cheaper.
Useful details
- Subscribe to the newsletter of popular European airlines. This will give you the opportunity to be aware of special offers and be able to fly to Chile at a bargain price.
- You can get from Santiago airport to the city by taxi for $ 40 or by the Centropuerto bus, which goes to Los Heroes metro station. The issue price is $ 2. The first bus departs from the passenger terminal at 6.00, the last one at midnight.
- ETM intercity bus timetables and ticket prices can be found at www.etm.cl.
- When checking into hotels in Chile, be sure to be interested in discounts. Hotel workers do not usually offer them, but they will not refuse to reduce prices in the "low" season or on a weekday if the hotel is less than half full.
The perfect trip to Chile
Stretching more than 4600 km from north to south, the country is in this respect a world record holder. It is not surprising that Chile's climate varies from desert and tropical in the northern regions to temperate oceanic in the middle of the country and subantarctic in the islands closest to the southernmost continent of the planet.
The North is the warmest place in Chile and even in July, at the height of the calendar winter, the air temperature here does not drop below + 15 ° C at night. In December-February, summer begins in the north and thermometers prefer to stay in the daytime in the region of + 28 ° С and even higher.
In the middle part of Chile, zero temperatures occur in winter, and it is warm in summer - up to + 22 ° C on an average daily. In the Andes, frosts of 20 degrees are not uncommon, and in Tierra del Fuego, thermometers often reach –18 ° C in July.
The cold oceanic Humboldt Current does not allow the water to warm up to comfortable values even at the height of the Chilean summer, and at the beach resorts most of the holidaymakers only sunbathe and admire the views. In the Pacific Ocean, thermometers never rise above + 17 ° C.
For lovers of South American wines, travel to Chile peaks in late November and early December, when the grape harvest begins. You can participate in an interesting process and get acquainted with the customs and traditions of Chilean winemakers in the Casablanca regions near Valparaiso and Aconcagua between Quilota and San Felippe.
