Chile Transportation
About Ground Transportation in Chile
If you came to this article, you are likely looking for ground transportation options in Chile. By "ground," we refer to Chile's main transportation options as a bus, train, boat, and car (including private and shared personal transport). We will focus on the first two for practical purposes, as they are the most accessible, flexible, and practical. In the Patagonia region, Chile has a fabulous ferry network to get to various islands and remote villages. You can equally find and book tickets on a ferry through the AndesTransit.com platform.
Transportation Network in Chile: Buses
If you like road trips, then road transport in Chile is easily the most fantastic way to enjoy the scenery or move around with abnormal luggage like surfboards or instruments that you don't want to bed separated from. It's also great for those trying to stretch their travel on a small budget while getting to know tons more local places you will miss if you just flew over them on a plane. We always recommend this slow travel style because it allows the traveler to encounter the many worthwhile stops and villages along the way to another destination.
The process of finding the right bus, schedules, and stops usually entails spending a lot of time on your trip running around. Fortunately, AndesTransit services allow you to bypass the manual effort in giving you a search platform to find and book all the right ground transportation in Chile right from your computer or mobile device.
You can use the search bar below to load options according to your desired route, then filter the transportation between public or private options. For example, if you want to seek out private transport in Chile instead of a seat on a public bus, you can get search results to show you if that is available for your route. If, on the other hand, you favor the most economical solution, you can choose from the public transport options in the same results. If you want to do a little bit of both, no problem, we can blend the services according to your desires.
Our goal at AndesTransit is to save you wasted time in phone calls and bus station visits to find out about schedules and prices, only to find many dead ends or canceled departures. Search now using the box below to start planning and arranging your journey the way you want it to go!
Transportation in Chile by train
Another excellent option for land transportation in Chile is by train. The country has invested much in providing the highest quality train network in Latin America, which travels through major cities' spine between Central and Southern Chile.
For example, "El Tren del Recuerdo" (the train of memories) is a trip that departs from the central station in Santiago and travels 110 km around the country, crossing the valleys and ending at the Pacific Ocean. This is a superb traveling option if you are looking for economic land transportation in Chile but want something more refined with fewer stops than a bus. When you use our search engine below, you can filter the results to only show you train routes to see if a train is available to connect you from the origin to the destination you defined.
For true train aficionados, you will certainly enjoy taking the historic 1930's era buscarril from Talca to Constitucion.
Keep in mind that trains, like buses, are not just used by tourists. Interurban train transportation in Chile is used daily by commuters getting to work or citizens wanting a quick and relaxing way to visit their family in other parts of the country.
The Beauty of Intercity Transportation in Chile
Now that you know that bus and train are the two main options for any kind of transportation in Chile, it's time to suggest some of the best places to visit in Chile, and how AndesTransit can help you get there.
These suggestions are by no means our only recommendations – there are at least a hundred more we love. But, these three will allow you to experience the remarkable diversity and contrast of Chile's landscape and culture, such you will find it hard to believe they all can belong to the same country!
And of course, you can get to all of these by bus, and even one fully using the train.
San Pedro de Atacama
One of Chile's most iconic destinations is in its least populated regions, but that doesn't stop anyone, from backpackers to luxury travelers, from traveling through the driest desert in the world to get there. Many even arrive by coming from the Uyuni desert in Bolivia and over the border into Chile. We are talking about none other than San Pedro de Atacama, a place that will leave you enchanted, no matter how many times you visit it. The church of San Pedro, the Moon Valley and the Atacama Salt Flat are just some of the sights you should, without hesitation, make a pilgrimage to while visiting the town. To get you started, use the search box below by putting San Pedro de Atacama in the Destination box. You might try some common choices like Santiago, Iquique, or La Serena in the Origin box.
Pucon
In the lush forested center of the country is a town that has something for everyone. Pucon is home to festivals, outdoor recreation, nightlife, nature, and more. The land transportation network in Chile provides easy access to Pucon, so don't think for a moment it will be any sort of an arduous journey. Looming over Pucon is the perfectly cone-shaped Villarrica volcano, to which you can climb on guided expeditions. Around the town are many other natural attractions, including many lakes and national parks. Pucon is also a magnet for people who love to eat well, as the small town is blessed with incredible restaurants and famous chefs serving local cuisine influenced by Mapuche culture and seafood dishes. Santiago is the most common starting point you can put in the Origin box below, but you might also be coming from Concepcion, Valparaiso, or Puerto Montt, just to suggest a few.
Puerto Varas
How could we leave without mentioning the southern gem of Chile, Puerto Varas! Book your ground transportation in Chile to Puerto Varas right now, and you will not regret it. It is one of the most touristic places in the country, and so hotels and hostels fill up quickly during the high season, holidays, and weekends. Puerto Varas stands out mainly for its beautiful landscapes, fishing excursions, and cultural and outdoor activities. An excellent place to spend the vacation with your family or your partner.
Summary
Travel and transportation in Chile do not have to be burdensome work if you have the right tools. AndesTransit gives you those essential tools to look for and book land transportation in Chile so you can spend your trip enjoying the destinations instead of figuring out how to get there at the last moment and potentially misunderstanding local advice or just plain getting the wrong advice. Remember that you can use AndesTransit to get into and out of Chile by locating cross-border routes to places like Mendoza and Neuquen in Argentina, or La Paz, Bolivia, or Lima, Peru!
