Chile Travel Guide
- Official name: Chile
- Capital: Santiago de Chile
- Language: Spanish
- Religion: Catholic
Chile Sights and Museums
Some of the country's most important winegrowing areas lie in the nearby Maipo and Acongua Valleys. Several vineyards are located in this area: Concha y Toro, Santa Rita, Santa Carolina,Cousiño Macul.
Cultural places to visit include: Museo de Bellas Artes, Barrio Bellavista, cultural and bohemian neighbourhood.
Central Station, railway station designed by Gustave Eiffel and: Víctor Jara Stadium, Ex National Congress; Plaza de Armas, downtown square and Palacio de La Moneda, government palace.
Chile Entertainment
Every January 20 and again on March 20, the Feast Day of Saint Sebastian brings thousands of pilgrims to the community of Yumbel, in Chile's Bío-Bío region to celebrate at Parroquia Santuario San Sebastián de Yumbel. Many come from miles away, some on their knees, to pray before the altar and the image of the saint in an impressive, and crowded, display of religious fervor.
The Holy Week of Easter is the most important Catholic religious festival in South America. Semana Santa, Holy Week, celebrates the last days of Christ's life, the Crucifixion and Resurrection, as well as the end of Lent. Semana Santa is observed with a range of celebrations, from the most solemnly religious, to a mix of pagan/Catholic, to commercial. Semana Santa begins on Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) through Jueves Santo (Maundy Thursday) and Viernes Santo (Good Friday, culminating in Pascua or Domingo de Resurrección (Easter Sunday). Each day has its rituals, processions through the streets with participants on their knees or carrying large wooden crosses.
September brings spring to Chile, and with it the days of celebration of Chile's independence from Spain. For days before and after September 18 the country celebrates with parades, festivities, food, music and beverages. Much of the drinking, music and dancing occurs in the ramadas, open air "buildings" with a dance floor under a thatched roof, or one made traditionally with branches, as in traditional shelters. Refreshment stands, fondas, offer a variety of national food favorites.
From the northern deserts to the southern tip of Chile, Chileans party in remembrance of the day in 1810 that the Chilean criollo leaders proclaimed limited self-government during the Napoleonic Wars on the Iberian Peninsula. Actual independence came in April 1818, but the Dieciocho is a treasured celebration.
Chile Transports
How to get there by plane: The most common entry point for oversea visitors is the international airport of the capital Santiago. There are airports in major towns but Santiago offers the best connections. LAN Airlines in Chile's flagship airline.
- Trains operated by Chile's national railway, Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado, connect Santiago to Puerto Montt, in the central-southern part of the country, and to the North they connect the capital with the city of Iquique. All such trains arrive and depart from the Estación Central ("Central Station").
- By bus: If you are already in South America a cheaper and still reliable way is to go by bus to Chile. Chile has borders with Argentina (daily bus from Mendoza), Peru (bus from Arequipa) and Bolivia. Also from Brazil (bus from São Paulo, on Mondays and Thursdays). Be aware that crossing to Chile means that high altitude points might be present (Up to 2000m - 6600ft), also the roads from Peru and Bolivia are a bit poor in quality so be pacient.
- There are also several new inter-urban toll highways connecting the city's extremes including the Vespucio Highway (which surrounds the city describing a semi-circle), The Ruta 5 (which crosses the city in North-South direction) and the Costanera Norte (which runs from the eastern side in Las Condes to the western in Pudahuel).
Santiago 's urban passenger transportation system include an extensive, if chaotic, privately-run bus service as well as a publicly-owned subway. The buses are known as micros (for microbus) and are typically colored yellow. This bus system is in the process of being completely replaced by early 2007 by a new system which includes new routes and larger, newer buses, with a better payment system (Multivia card), compatible with the subway (see Transantiago). The subway is clean and safe and has five operating lines but their coverage is still somewhat limited towards the southern and northern edges of the city. The Government just inaugurated two additional subway lines (Line 4 and 4a), but it is still being expanded, and is building extensions to Lines 1 and 2 (see Santiago Metro).
Taxicabs can usually be found on the streets and are painted black with yellow roofs; unmarked taxis may be called up by telephone (Radiotaxis). Colectivos are shared taxicabs that carry passengers along a specific route, for a fixed fee.
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