How to Get to Santiago: SCL Airport, Metro Lines and Bus Terminals

Virtually all international and domestic travellers arrive in the Chilean capital through Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (IATA: SCL), located in the commune of Pudahuel 15 kilometres northwest of central Santiago. Serving as the primary hub for LATAM Airlines, Sky Airline, and JetSMART, the airport links South America with direct transpacific flights to Oceania as well as nonstop services across the Americas and Europe.

Arturo Merino Benítez Airport (SCL) to the City Centre

SCL operates two main passenger terminals side by side between its parallel runways: Terminal 1 handles domestic flights across Chile (including Calama, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, and Easter Island), while the expanded Terminal 2 complex handles international arrivals and departures. Because the Metro does not yet extend directly to the airport terminals, travellers choose between three reliable surface options:

• Airport Coaches (Centropuerto and Turbus Aeropuerto): Departing outside the arrivals kerbs of both terminals, frequent coaches run along the motorway to Pajaritos and Los Héroes stations on Metro Line 1 (with Turbus also serving Terminal Alameda at Universidad de Santiago station). From Pajaritos or Los Héroes, you can board an eastbound Line 1 train directly to La Moneda, Santa Lucía, Baquedano, or Providencia and Las Condes.
• Official Shared Vans (Transvip): Pre-paid shared minibuses booked at official desks inside baggage claim or the arrivals hall drop passengers directly at hotel doors across Santiago Centro, Bellavista, Providencia, and Las Condes.
• Official Airport Taxis: Booked and paid at the authorised counters inside the terminal before exiting the sliding glass doors, official taxis use the Costanera Norte urban toll motorway, which runs alongside the Mapocho River directly into Bellavista, Providencia, and Vitacura.

Riding the Santiago Metro and Red Buses

Inaugurated on 15 September 1975, the Metro de Santiago spans seven lines (Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 4A, 5, and 6), 143 stations, and 149 kilometres of track, making it the most extensive metro system in South America. Line 1 (Red) is the main tourist backbone under the Alameda and Avenida Providencia, while Line 5 (Green) links Quinta Normal, Plaza de Armas, Bellas Artes, and Baquedano. You can tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard directly at Metro gates, or buy a rechargeable Tarjeta bip! at station counters if you also want to board surface Red Metropolitana de Movilidad buses.

Long-Distance Bus Terminals and Estación Central

Four major coach terminals sit side by side along the western Alameda between Universidad de Santiago and Estación Central (Line 1): Terminal Alameda (Turbus and Pullman Bus), Terminal Sur, Terminal San Borja, and nearby Pajaritos. Coaches to Valparaíso and Viña del Mar depart every 15 to 20 minutes from Pajaritos and Terminal Alameda, while EFE commuter trains depart from the 1897 iron-roofed Estación Central southbound toward Rancagua, Curicó, Talca, and Chillán. Always check the official site of each operator for current schedules.