Chile’s currency is the Chilean peso (ISO code: CLP), denoted by the symbol “$”. Wikivoyage uses the notation “CLP$” for clarity. Other currencies are not widely accepted, but most cities have exchange bureaux with reasonable rates for euros and US dollars. The rates should be published on widely visible boards.

The colloquial term luca is used for 1000 pesos, so for instance “tres lucas” is 3000 pesos.

The 5-peso and especially 1-peso coins are rarely used. Most prices are in multiples of 10 or even 100, but if you end up needing to pay an amount that isn’t, the cashier will likely ask if you want to donate a few pesos to bring the total to a round number. Say yes; don’t make them dig out the tiny change that you’ll never manage to spend anyway.

Credit Cards:

While credit cards are commonly accepted throughout Chile, there are two differences to be aware of. For credit cards that require signing, there is a line below the signature line labeled C.I. (cedula de identidad or identity card). Foreigners are expected to write down their passport or national ID number. Not all locations will require CI to be filled. Even fewer will ask to confirm the number with your ID. The other difference is credit cards machines will ask sin cuotas or con cuotas. As a foreigner, you should always selection sin (which means without). Cuotas literally translates to fees and is a way for Chilean banks to offer a payment plan over the period of months.

Banking:

Never exchange money on the street, especially if a “helper” indicates you to follow them. Rates at exchange bureaus are too good to take this risk.

It’s not advisable to exchange currency in the hotel or the airport as the rates are awful. Just be patient. Banco Santander has a monopoly on the ATMs of the airport and will add a surcharge of CLP$2,500 for retrieving cash but it’s still better than the exchange bureaus.

The automatic teller machine (ATM) network in Chile is respectable in coverage—they’re all connected to the same service and enable standard transactions. Different banks will charge you different amounts of money for extracting cash—you will be advised on the screen of the surcharge. Banco Estado does not add a surcharge for MasterCard. However, as of Mar 2018, Banco Estado charges CLP$4,000 and Banco de Chile charges CLP$6,500 on Visa cards. Withdrawals of up to CLP$200,000 are possible with Banco Estado. Some travellers were even able to withdraw CLP$280,000, which brings down the percentage of fees further.

Criminals sometimes install hard-to-detect skimmers and micro-cameras in some less surveiled ATM facilities. These devices are meant to read your card’s information to produce a clone. Several international crime gangs have been arrested for this. Always check if the card slot looks suspicious or is easy to move or detach and always cover the keyboard with your hand while punching your PIN.

Credit and debit cards are widely accepted in most of the independent commerce of major cities and in all chain stores, no matter where they are. The PIN security system has been introduced for credit cards, so you will mostly only need your personal PIN (four digit code) as it exists in other parts of the world. For some cards you will not be asked for your PIN and they will use the four last numbers of the credit card entered manually and you will have to show a valid ID.

Money exchange, accommodation, VAT, etc:

Considering the withdrawal fees at ATMs, it is a good idea to bring some US dollars or even Euros to Chile. Money exchange rates are quite competitive with an included fee of around 1%—the fee is 4% when withdrawing CLP$100,000 from an ATM. Of course carrying larger amounts of cash is not that preferable on the other hand.

Nevertheless, having US dollars is also handy for paying at your accommodation, because if can paying in foreign currency as foreigner, you do not have to pay VAT. This is true also for credit card payments in foreign currency, but most smaller places will often not support US dollar credit card payments or even just credit card payments, because it needs to be registered with the tax office of Chile (SII) for this purpose. But sometimes you are lucky, and they will not charge the VAT at all, even if paying in local currency, which is kind of illegal.

When using US dollars, make sure to always have and receive proper notes. US dollar notes that are flexed too much, have writings on them or discoloration (stains) are barely accepted. Even though, banks seem to be more forgiving than smaller money changing offices. Which is fine, because banks have quite competitive rates. However, exchange office can sometimes even beat these rates, e.g. in Valparaíso.

You might decide to generally pay with your credit card, in local or foreign currency, due to the competitive exchange rates of your bank and the low 0-3% payment fee. However, credit card fraud in South America is not uncommon, and you are better off to only use your card with respected businesses.

BY PLANE:

Chile has a rather good airport infrastructure. The main hub for flights in Chile is the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (SCL) in Santiago, from where several airlines serve even the remotest corners of the country. These airlines are the three Chilean airlines: LATAM Airlines, Sky Airline and Principal Airlines. Although LATAM is by far the largest companies, Sky and PAL offer good services to the main cities.

When travelling within Chile, please consider reserving your tickets before entering the country: flight coupons are recommended and can be bought at LATAM when you also purchase your flight to Chile with them. LATAM offers a good online reservation service but in the others is not that good yet and mainly in Spanish, although it is possible to use them to compare fares.

Because of the shape of the country, many routes are subject to several time-consuming layovers. You might take this into account as you can have up to 4 stops en route to your destination! (e.g. for a flight from Punta Arenas to Arica you may have stops at Puerto Montt, Santiago, Antofagasta and Iquique). Domestic routes are served , Airbus 319, Airbus 321 and Airbus 320 when flying with LAN, a Airbus 319/320s when flying Sky Airline.

The only airline flying to Easter Island is LATAM Airlines from Santiago. Other remote locations are served by regional airlines. In the Extreme South, Aerovías DAP offer daily routes from Punta Arenas to Porvenir in Tierra del Fuego and Puerto Williams. Between November and March, DAP offers very limited and expensive flights to Villa Las Estrellas in Antarctica. To Robinson Crusoe Island, there are weekly flights from Santiago and Valparaíso.

BY BUS:

The bus system is sophisticated and provides a cheap and comfortable way to get from town to town. Local companies will usually stop at many stations along the way, however, you can always ask if there’s a non-stop or directo service. Companies that cover almost the entire country include Turbus and Pullman (websites in Spanish only). In Santiago, you can find both terminals and more companies on Universidad de Santiago metro station. Companies that cover the North of Chile and Argentina (Salta) include Geminis.

Prices vary on a daily basis, so are usually more expensive on weekends and holidays tickets than on weekdays. Ticket prices are also almost always negotiable: don’t be shy to ask for a discount, especially if you are in a group. Always ask at different booths and make sure the vendors see you are shopping around.

The quality of service varies quite a lot. Check if the bus is “cama” (bed), “semi-cama” (heavily inclining seats) or ejecutivo (executive – slightly inclining seat). Toilets are not always available and if available not always working, especially if you are getting on a bus at a later stage of a long journey (i.e. Arica – Santiago).

BY TRAIN:

Tren Central, the passenger section of the government railway company, regularly operates trains between Santiago and Chillán, as well as ocasional service between Santiago and Temuco, which occurs when holidays cause a long weekend. It also operates the last remaining ramal, or branch line, between Talca and Constitución, as well as a wine-tasting train through the central valley for tourists.

BY MICRO:

Micro = transit/local buses. The word is the contraction of microbus. Larger cities have cross-town bus routes at affordable prices. Only Santiago’s system, called “Transantiago”, have maps (Map as of October 2010) with all the routes, so a little bit of Spanish and the audacity to ask around can get you places effectively in other major cities. To travel by “micro” in Santiago you will need to buy before a smart contactless travel-card called “BIP” and charge it with money. You can do so in any subway station, in most supermarkets and in some smaller stores. This card also allows you to travel by subway in Santiago. Be careful! You won’t be able to travel by bus without money in your BIP card. The card costs US$2.50, and a ticket costs a little over US$1, which allows you to make up to four transfers between metro and buses within a 2-hour time period. You only need to scan the card at the beginning of your journey and at every transfer. You should hop off the “micro” through the back doors.

BY COLECTIVO:

A mix between a micro and a taxi. These small cars have routes and get around quicker and more comfortably. Fares are similar to those on the Micro, and depend on the hour. Cash only.

BY METRO:

A metropolitan railway system operating in metropolitan areas of Santiago and Valparaíso. A reliable way to move around in the city. You must pay the fee only once (when you enter the system) and you can ride as much as you want. There are now more stations in Santiago because of the construction of two new lines. Visit the website for more information.

BY CAR:

Car rentals:

Car rentals are widely available throughout most major cities, but not in smaller towns. Usually a credit card, a valid driver’s licence and a passport, all three issued to the same person, are needed to rent a car. If your driver’s licence is not in Spanish, you also need an International Driver Permit (IDP). Many rental car companies will not ask for an IDP, but it’s a good idea to have one, just in case you encounter the police. Rental rates in Santiago are very similar to those in the U.S., but prices can be much higher in other cities. If you want to bring rental cars across South American borders (as part of a road trip), you will need to notify the rental car company in advance, pay additional fees, and obtain extra paperwork to show that you are authorized by the company to drive its vehicles across borders. Rental cars in South America all come with hidden GPS transponders (even if there is no navigation system in the car) so the company will know if you try to take the vehicle out of the country without their knowledge or drive too many kilometres per day (if your vehicle has a per-day limit).

Parking spaces and street lanes are relatively narrower, so it’s a good idea to get a small vehicle. However, like most Latin Americans, Chileans prefer to drive vehicles with manual transmissions to conserve fuel. As a result, the smallest vehicles available for rent with automatic transmissions are usually standard-size sedans, which are more expensive. North American drivers who can only drive automatic transmissions (and would also like to obtain both required and supplemental liability insurance and to reduce personal responsibility for vehicle damage to zero) should be prepared to pay up to US$100 per day to rent such vehicles.

There are several important vehicle-related documents which you must be able to present upon demand by the police, like the permiso de circulation (proof of payment of a vehicle registration fee to the local jurisdiction in which the vehicle is regularly garaged), and proof of Chilean vehicle insurance. The rental car company will normally keep those documents somewhere in the car. For example, Avis Budget Group puts them in a portfolio folder which is small enough to fit in the glove compartment. Make sure you know where those documents are, so if you encounter the police, you will be able to present the vehicle documents promptly, along with your passport, driver’s licence, IDP and rental car contract.

EAT:

Chilean cuisine has a wide variety of dishes that emerged from the amalgamation of indigenous tradition and Spanish colonial contribution, combining their food, customs and culinary habits. Influences from German, Italian and French cuisines are thanks to immigrants who arrived during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Chilean Creole food in general is presented as a mixture of the meat and agricultural products of each area. In the north and south fishing is a major economic activity and this is reflected in the variety of dishes: the desert area’s ceviche (fish seasoned with lemon and onions) and curanto (cooked seafood, meat, sausages and potatoes made in a hole in the ground) are the ultimate expression of chilota kitchen. The potato is also key in other chilota preparations as milcao and chapaleles. The central area uses corn (maize) and beef for foods such as tamales. Pie pine casserole and charquicán are some of the most recognized within the region. The roast, meanwhile, stands as the main preparation for informal gatherings and family; take this opportunity to learn more about Chilean society. Desserts include alfajores and Curicó cakes, while German immigrants introduced the kuchen and strudel pastry.

Chile’s extensive geography allows development on its shores of several varieties of seafood: the top highlights are the croaker, pomfret, conger eel and salmon, which is produced industrially in the south of the country. For shellfish: oysters, as well as certain crustaceans such as crab and lobster. Beef, chicken and pork are the main meats, although in the Patagonian area one can easily find lamb. Chile is a major exporter of fruit, so you can find a variety of apples, oranges, peaches, strawberries, raspberries and custard, in good quality and much cheaper than in Europe or North America.

Despite this wide variety of dishes and products, normal food in a Chilean home is not very different from any other Western country; during your stay you will certainly see more dishes with rice, meat, potatoes or pasta than corn pies or cakes.

In Santiago and major cities, you can find a wide range of restaurants serving both local and international food. Although optional, it is customary to add a gratuity of 10%, delivered directly to the waiter. He or she will always welcome more. Not giving a tip is considered quite rude, performed only when there has been very bad service.

The major fast food chains in the world have several branches in the country. If you resort to fast food, it is better to have one of the wide variety of sandwiches that exist in the country: the Barros Luco (meat and cheese) and Italian full (hot dog with tomato, avocado and mayonnaise) are the most traditional. If you are in Valparaíso and have good cholesterol levels, do not waste the opportunity to try a chorrillana. On the streets you can find many stalls selling buns (fried pumpkin masses) and the refreshing mote with ossicles. Food prepared in stalls will generally give few problems, although don’t try if you have a weak stomach.

• Pastel de choclo: corn casserole filled with ground beef, onions, chicken, raisins, hardboiled egg, olives, and topped with sugar and butter.
  
• Empanada de pino: a baked pie filled with ground (minced) beef, onion, raisins, a piece of boiled egg and a black olive. Watch out for the pit.
  
• Empanada de queso: a deep-fried pastry packet filled with cheese. Found everywhere, including McDonald’s.
  
• Cazuela de vacuno: beef soup with a potato, rice, a piece of corn and a piece of squash.
  
• Cazuela de ave (or de pollo): same as above, but with a piece of chicken.
  
• Cazuela de pavo: same as above, but with turkey.
  Porotos granados: stew made with fresh beans, squash, corn, onion and basil.
• • con choclo: with grains of corn.
    
  • con pilco or pirco: with corn thinly chopped.
    
  • con mazamorra: with ground corn.
    
  • con riendas: with thin sliced noodles.
• Curanto: lots of seafood, beef, chicken and pork, potatoes, cheese, and potato “burguers,” prepared in a hole in the ground (“en hoyo”) or in a pot (“en olla”); a dish from Chiloé.
  
• Southern sopaipillas: a fried pastry cut as 10-cm (4-in) circles, with no pumpkin in its dough (see Northern sopaipillas in the desserts section). They replace bread. They are known South of Linares.
  
• Lomo a lo pobre: a beefsteak, fried potatoes, a fried egg (expect two in restaurants) and fried onions.

Besides typical foods, you should expect food normally found in any Western country. The normal diet includes rice, potatoes, meat and bread. Vegetables are abundant in central Chile. If you are concerned about the portions, consider that the size of the dish increases the farther south you travel.

With such an enormous coastline, you can expect fish and seafood almost everywhere. Locals used to eat bundles of raw shellfish, but visitors should be cautious of raw shellfish because of frequent outbreaks of red tides. Chile is the world’s second largest producer of salmon, as well as a number of other farmed sea products, which include oysters, scallops, mussels, trout and turbot. Local fish include corvina (sea bass), congrio(conger eel), lenguado (flounder), albacora (swordfish), and yellow fin tuna.

Sandwiches:

• Hotdog or Completo (meaning ‘complete’ in English). Not similar to the US version. This one includes mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, tomato or sauerkraut (chucrut), mashed avocado (palta) and chili (ají). These ingredients make a full sandwich, called un completo. With mayonnaise, tomato and avocado it’s un italiano (an Italian) with the colors of the Italian flag.
  
• Lomito. Cooked pork steaks served with anything that can go in a hotdog. Italiano is the preferred form but German purists prefer it with sauerkraut (chucrut).
  
• Chacarero: a thin beefsteak (churrasco) with tomato, green beans, mayonnaise and green chili (ají verde).
  
• Barros Luco: Named after President Ramón Barros Luco. Thinly-sliced beefsteak with cheese.
  
• Choripán: Bread with “chorizo”, a highly seasoned pork sausage. Named that way because the contraction of “Pan con Chorizo” or “Chorizo con Pan”.

A common combination is meat with avocado and/or mayonnaise, e.g. Ave palta mayo (chicken with avocado and mayonnaise) or Churrasco palta (thinly-sliced beefsteak with avocado). The strong presence for avocado is a Chilean standard for sandwiches that influences the fast food franchises to include it in their menus.

Desserts:

• Northern sopaipillas: a fried pastry cut as 10-cm (4-in) circles, which includes pumpkin in its dough, and normally is eaten with chancaca, a black treacle or molasses. It’s customary to make them when it rains and it’s cold outside. Sopaipillas as a dessert are only known north of San Javier. From Linares to the South, they are not dessert and pumpkin is left out, so, when it rains, Chilean Southerners must cook picarones. In Santiago, Sopaipillas can be served covered with a sweet syrup as a dessert, or with spicy yellow mustard.
  
• Kuchen (or cújen, pronounced KOO-hen) is German for pie. In the South ask for kuchen de quesillo, a kind of cheesecake.
  
• Strudel (pronounced ess-TROO-dayl). A kind of apple pie.
  
• Berlín. When they translate John Kennedy’s famous quote (often mistakenly thought of as a gaffe) they say it’s a “jelly doughnut”. The Chilean version is a ball of dough (no hole) filled with dulce de membrillo, crema pastelera or manjar. Powder sugar is added just in case you have a sweet tooth.
  
• Cuchuflí. Barquillo (tube of something crunchy like a cookie) filled with manjar. The name originally comes from cuchufleta which means deceit or trickery, as they used to be filled only at the tips of the barquillos, leaving the middle part empty.

Fruit:

Central Chile is a major tempered fruit producer, you can easily get fruit for dessert, including apples, oranges, peaches, grapes, watermelons, strawberries, raspberries, chirimoyas and several other varieties.

Temperate fruit is of very high quality and prices are usually much lower than in most of the U.S. and Western Europe, while tropical fruit is rather rare and expensive, except for bananas.

DRINK:

• Wine: Chile produces some excellent wines, competing with France, California, Australia and New Zealand on the world market. Notable are the Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere in red, along with whites from the Casablanca valley.
  
• Mote con Huesillo: A delicious summertime drink made of wheat seeds (mote) and dried peaches (huesillos) boiled, sweetened, and served cold. Typically sold on sidewalk or park stands.
  
• Chilean Pisco: Brandy made from Muscat grapes. Popular brands are Capel, Alto del Carmen, Mistral and Campanario.
  
• Pisco Sour: One of Chile’s most popular mixed drinks, this consists of Pisco mixed with lemon juice and sugar. It has a delicious tart sweetness.
  
• Mango Sour: Pisco mixed with mango juice.
  
• Piscola: Pisco mixed with Coke.
  
• Borgoña: Red wine and strawberries.
  
• Terremoto: (“Earthquake”): a typical Chilean drink that consists in a mix of pineapple ice cream with pipeño (like white wine).
  
• Schop: Draught beer.
  
• Fan-Schop: Beer mixed with orange Fanta or orange crush soft drink. A refreshing alternative on a hot summer day.
  
• Beers: Cristal and Escudo are the most popular (light lagers). Royal Guard is a fair bit tastier, Kunstmann is on pair with European imported beer.
  
• Jote*: wine and Coke.
  • There’s a very known conflict between Chile and Peru about the origin of Pisco. Although Pisco was registered as a Chilean drink for some countries in the last century, it is historically Peruvian in origin for much longer. Further, Chilean and Peruvian drinks are not the same product, they have different manufacturing procedures, different varieties of grape and not the same taste.

Unlike other Latin-American countries, in Chile it’s illegal to drink in unlicensed, public areas (streets, parks, etc.) The laws also restrict vendor hours depending on the weekday (in no case after 03:00 or before 09:00).

Chileans drink a lot of alcohol. So don’t be surprised to see one bottle per person.

Chile has many types of hotels in the cities: some of the most prevalent chains are Sheraton, Kempinsky, Ritz, Marriott, Hyatt, and Holiday Inn.

There are also hostels of varying quality. On the backpacker trail, a local hostel version can be found in every small city residential. However, as soon as you are off the backpacker trail, you will find it hard to find hostels, which unfortunately is true for many nice and interesting places around Chile. Contrary to the believe of locals and common marking of accommodations (e.g. on OpenStreetMap), hospedaje and hostal is not to not be confused with hostel, i.e. they do not offer dormitories. If a generalisation is possible, hospedaje generally means guest house, and hostals are small hotels. Hence, the frequency of real hostels is very low.

There is also a variety of accommodations in the mountain ski centers, such as the world-class resort Portillo, 80 km (49 mi) north of Santiago; “Valle Nevado” in the mountains approximately 35 km (22 mi) away from Santiago, and the Termas de Chillan ski resort and hot springs, which lies about 450 km (280 mi) south of Santiago.

Many camping places are available officially with amenities, and backcountry along the coast or near hiking trails. So, if you bring a tent the scarcity of hostels can be dealt with in this way. Consult OpenStreetMap, which many mobile Apps like OsmAnd and MAPS.ME use, to find sites which have been tagged by other people as possible camping sites.

Walking in without reservation is not recommended during high season and will generally not give you a better rate than online.

TBC.