Instructions for the trip from Santiago Airport to Conference Town Hotel in Reñaca, near Viña del Mar.

 

1.   At Santiago International Airport

N.B. if you want to take a taxi please read point 4.

Take a bus from the airport to the city (Centropuerto or TurBus, see http://www.aeropuertosantiago.cl/contenidos/listado_contenidos.php?s=20040701160412)
and get off at the Pajaritos. (don’t worry if you miss this stop, stay on the bus to the city terminal and get a bus to Viña from there – the trip will only take a little bit longer). Pajaritos is both a subway and a bus transfer station and usually it is the first stop.

The trip from the airport to Pajaritos takes about 20 min., and costs CLP (Chilean pesos) 1,200 - 1,400 (about US$ 2-3), payable to the driver.

 2.)    At Pajaritos  

To access the bus terminal you have to go across the subway station to the door opposite the one you came in (this is straightforward).  You should buy a ticket to Vina del Mar (the one-way fare is about CLP 3,700. i.e. ± 7 US$).

Buses run every 10 minutes or so.  There are several bus companies. We recommend Turbus (http://www.turbus.com), Pullman( http://www.pullman.cl/) and Condor. (You may be given two alternative routes for the trip to Viña: take either, it won't matter.  The journey takes about 90 minutes).
On the bus, you will be asked where you are getting off: say "Terminal", which is the last stop.
Note that the bus service from Santiago to Viña is open from 6 AM until 10:30 PM.

 

3)  Viña del Mar – Reñaca

Once at the bus terminal in Viña, you have two options to go to Reñaca:
A cab or public transportation. The trip should last between 20 to 40 minutes, depending on traffic conditions.

 a) Taxis:

Cabs in Viña are expensive if they go by the meter, negotiations are always recommended. You should never have to pay more than CL$8,000 for this trip;

There are two available taxi services.

- Departing from the basement of the bus terminal. The fare is CLP 7,000 flat (no meter).
Phone Contact: Gerardo Barrera - 99801789 (cel) or 2275208.

- Street taxis. The fare is CLP 8,000 flat (no meter). (± 15 US$)
Phone contact: Juan Martinez - 94324176 (cel).

b) Public transportation:

Once you get out of the bus terminal in Viña you will be in Valparaíso Street. Walk to your right for 3 blocks until you hit “Plaza de Viña” (Main square). Here at the corner diagonally in front of the Plaza, you will find a busy bus stop. Get in a bus that says Reñaca (lines – 1 & 111 as well as lines 601-602-605-606-607 and 608), you should not have to wait more than 3 minutes.
The ride to Reñaca is about 30 min and the cost < US$ 1.

Warning: the bus stops are not really close to the Hotel. ( See Map )
For example, stop 1 is about 2 km away -  Stop 2 is much closer (± 700 meters) but only reachable with lines 606 and 607.

If you want to walk to the hotel get off just after the church on your right, by “El Puente de Reñaca” (bridge), not much of a bridge, just a passage over a dry small river. This point corresponds to number 1 in the Map.

 We suggest you instead get a cab in Reñaca. In front of the MacDonalds in Reñaca (about a 100 m from “El Puente”) there is a cab stop (Taxis Reñaca, the corner of Balmaceda &.Av.Borgoño, phone # 2835457). The ride will be charged about US$2 to US$2.5 depending whether it is flat or with meters.

 Good luck and enjoy the trip – it is not at all as complicated as it sounds.

4. If you cannot or don't want to go to Viña by bus, you can take a van or a taxi from the airport to the hotel for about CLP 60,000 (about US$ 110). This is a 2 hr trip.

 A van can be reserved online at the following location: www.transvip.cl
(www.turtransfer.cl but this link does not work presently ?).

Arrangements can also be made with RadioMóviTurBus, located in a counter at the first level, main hall, of the airport, NOT with a taxi driver directly. They take up to 8 people for this price and are open 24 hrs.