Overview
Santiago's metro, the Metro de Santiago, is a rapid transit system serving Chile's capital and is the first rapid transit system in the country. It is managed by the state-owned company Metro S.A. and carries around 2.5 million passengers daily, making it the second largest metro system in Latin America after the Mexico City Metro. In 2012 it was chosen as the best underground system in the Americas.
For a visitor, the system is straightforward to use end to end. You buy a rechargeable bip! card (or, on the metro only, tap a contactless bank card), tap in at the turnstiles, ride to your station, and exit without tapping out again. The metro is integrated with the city's bus network, so a single payment can cover a metro trip plus bus transfers within a set time window. Trains generally run from early morning (around 06:00–07:30) until about 23:00, and the system is not 24/7. Many stations hold rotating art exhibitions, so even the commute can be a small sightseeing stop.
The network
Santiago's public transport is built around the integrated Red Movilidad system, which combines buses, the Metro, and the Tren Nos commuter train. Fares on public transport are paid with the bip! card, and the same card works across all three modes.
- Metro de Santiago (Santiago Metro) — the rapid transit backbone, with seven lines numbered 1–6 plus 4A, 143 stations, and 149 km of revenue route. Lines 1, 2, and 5 pass through the historic centre, while Lines 4 and 4A mostly serve the east of the city. Line 1 is the most useful for visitors: it serves the downtown and historic core (including La Moneda), Barrio Lastarria, Santa Lucía Hill, the Costanera Center, El Golf, and Manquehue, and it connects to Pajaritos intermodal station for airport buses. Line 5 (green) reaches Bellas Artes, Quinta Normal Park, and Barrio Italia. Line 3 (brown) links Ñuñoa with the downtown historic core. Coverage is thinner in Las Condes: Line 1 reaches El Golf, Manquehue (Parque Arauco), and slightly beyond, but not deeper into the district.
- Red (Red Movilidad buses) — the city's main bus network, integrated with the metro under the same fare system. Bus fare is flat at all times of day. The Red bus line 555 connects the Pajaritos metro station with the airport employee parking area, where a free shuttle continues to the terminals.
- Tren Nos (Nos Train) — the commuter rail service linking the San Bernardo commune with Estación Central, integrated into the same fare system as the metro and buses.
- Trenes Metropolitanos — commuter and interregional trains departing from Estación Central train station (Metro Estación Central, Line 1) into the wine and agriculture valley to the south. Services include Metrotren to San Fernando via Rancagua, TerraSur to Chillán, and the Expreso Maule interregional express to the O'Higgins and Maule regions.
- Line 7 (under construction) — announced in June 2017, this future line will connect Renca in the northwest with Vitacura in the northeast, adding 26 km and 19 new stations across the communes of Renca, Cerro Navia, Quinta Normal, Santiago, Providencia, Las Condes, and Vitacura. It is projected to open in 2028.
There are no ferries or trams in the Santiago transit network; the metro, buses, and commuter rail cover the city.
Tickets & fares
Public transport in Santiago runs on a single integrated fare system. You pay with a bip! card, a rechargeable smartcard that works on the metro, Red buses, and Tren Nos. Beginning February 2026, contactless credit and debit cards (including Apple Pay and Google Pay) can also be used directly at metro turnstiles, but this tap-to-ride option does not yet cover buses or transfers. App-based payment options generally require a Chilean RUT (national ID), so they are impractical for tourists.
Fares are approximate, change over time, and vary by when your journey starts. Under the current Red Movilidad structure:
- Bus fare: a flat $770 at all times.
- Metro and Tren Nos: $710 during low hours (06:00–06:59 and 20:45–23:00), $790 during valle/off-peak hours (Mon–Fri 09:00–17:59 and 20:00–20:44, plus all day Saturday, Sunday, and holidays), and $870 during prime/punta hours (07:00–08:59 and 18:00–19:59).
- Integration: one payment covers up to two transfers within 120 minutes of your first leg, in the same direction and without repeating bus routes. One transfer may be used in the Metro and another in Tren Nos. Combination costs vary: in low hours a metro-to-bus transfer adds $60; during valle, bus transfers cost $0; during prime, a bus-to-metro/Tren Nos transfer adds $100.
- Student rate: $250 for middle and high school students at all schedules, with the same integration benefits.
- Senior rates: an intermodal Adulto Mayor fare of $370 (roughly half the normal fare) applies across all modes and schedules for those aged 65+, using a bip! Adulto Mayor card available at Chile Atiende branches and compensation offices. A separate Metro-only preferential senior fare of $250 is also available with an Adulto Mayor Card (TAM) from Metro customer service offices.
To get a bip! card, expect to pay about 1,550 pesos for the blank card plus a minimum initial load of 1,000 pesos. You can buy and recharge cards at any metro station, at a Centro bip!, at authorized retailers such as Unimarc supermarkets, and at self-service machines in the airport terminals (outside security) that accept credit cards and offer an English interface. Station self-service machines are mostly cash only, though a limited number accept credit cards (for example, the Tobalaba entrance near the MUT shopping center). Staffed ticket offices at larger stations are cash only and staff generally do not speak English. You can reload online through the official bip! site (minimum 1,000 pesos, maximum 25,000 pesos), but you must then activate the load at a station machine. Cards cannot be returned or refunded, so avoid overloading — though one card can be used by several people if you swipe for each person. Note that the free metro-to-bus transfer likely will not work for the second person on a shared card.
There is no dedicated tourist pass; visitors simply use the standard bip! card and integrated fares.
From the airport
Santiago's main gateway is Aeropuerto Internacional Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez (airport code SCL), also known as Pudahuel Airport. Travel time to the city centre has been drastically reduced by the Costanera Norte tollway. Public-transport options into town include:
- Centropuerto and Turbus buses: two public bus companies run into town. You can purchase a one-way ticket for about 2,000 pesos. Follow the signs to the bus terminal, a five-minute walk from arrivals.
- Red bus line 555: runs between the Pajaritos metro station and the airport employee parking area. It works with the bip! card, and a ride (or bus plus metro) counts as a standard ride of up to about 800 pesos. Buy and charge the card at metro stations, not on the bus. From the parking area, a free shuttle bus runs to the terminals.
- Shared and private transfers: Transvip and WeTransport offer shared and private transport to and from the airport.
- Taxis: taxis wait immediately outside the terminal.
If you are renting a car, rental counters are grouped to your left after clearing customs in the international terminal, with a separate (not always staffed) set of counters before customs near baggage claim. Rental cars are kept in a small lot outside; traffic jams and delays there are frequent, so arrive early.
Etiquette & customs
Santiago's metro is generally safe, including on busy lines like Line 1, but opportunistic theft does occur, especially on crowded platforms, at station entrances, and on trains. A common local habit is to wear your backpack on your front and keep aware of your belongings.
- Rush hour: weekday mornings around 07:00–09:00 and evenings around 17:00–20:00 are the busiest times, and trains can be extremely crowded. Travel outside these windows if you can, and expect to stand.
- Escalators: as in most metro systems, stand to one side so that people in a hurry can pass — follow the flow of the locals around you.
- Queuing and boarding: let passengers exit before you board, and queue at the platform markings rather than crowding the doors.
- Priority seating: seats reserved for older passengers, pregnant travellers, and people with disabilities are marked; leave them free unless you qualify.
- Eating and drinking: keep food and drink off the trains and out of stations; it is not part of metro riding culture and can attract unwanted attention.
- Cards and gates: have your bip! card ready before the turnstile so you don't hold up the queue behind you.
Official links
Survival terms
- Metro de Santiago — the subway/metro system.
- Boleto / pasaje — ticket / fare.
- Línea — line (e.g. Línea 1).
- Entrada — entrance.
- Salida — exit.
- Combinación / transbordo — transfer between services.
- Tarifa — single fare.
- Pase diario — day pass (note: Santiago uses integrated fares rather than a separate day pass).
Load only a modest amount onto your bip! card at first, since it cannot be refunded, and top up as you go once you know how much travelling you will do.