If you're a tourist, you must visit this place! It's one of the most important places in Santiago…read moreand it's got a ton of history. Also, its architecture is wonderful: this train station has an interesting european style that seems frozen in time. Not only the trains make this place fascinating, but also the shops around. There are many traditional shops with beautiful crafts. You can look all you want, but be careful if you want to take photos. Security there is not very good and you can be mugged easily.

Easy! Easy, easy, easy! I like easy. I spent three full days in Santiago and rode the metro at…read moreleast a half dozen times. Their system works well, the trains are often and clean, the stations are clean and well-lit and there is very little confusion about where the lines go or how you use it. It's all ONE zone, so none of that complication like London. It's all ONE company, so none of that complication like Tokyo. Easy! The lines are simple. They go from one end of town to the other or from the north end to the south. Sure, the trains don't go everywhere and there is a lot of the city that is not close to a station. But the main parts of downtown are well covered. As of 2018, there are no more single ride tickets. You will need to purchase a "Bip!" card, which you can do from any staffed counter. You load credit onto the card at any automated machine and they all accept cash and credit. You only need one card. You just wave it at the reader once for each person you're purchasing a ticket for. That's great! I have to say, I'm a fan. It would be "As good as it gets" when the train goes to the airport. Even the closest station is a few miles ride.

Coming from the US, this system is actually very good. I stayed in Las Condes, and traveled to city…read morecenter almost every day. You purchase a Bip! card (about $2.50), which stores money value on it, and you can reload the card at any station, via person or machine. You tap the card on the turnstile machine upon entrance only. There are 3 price levels: rush hour, regular, and low. The difference between rush & regular is only 10 cents or so. You are charged for each ride (660 pesos, about a dollar), and there is no day pass or week pass. This is a bargain compared to the US - but you have to plan your trip since each trip will cost you. And yes, this system is extremely crowded most of the time. It's not really worth it to wait for the next uncrowded train because they will all be crowded. Trains run the entire length of the station, and are pretty frequent during the day. I mainly only took the Line 1, since it served my area and downtown. Most signs are in Spanish & English, so you can get by if you are good with directions. I never felt threatened or unsafe on the metro. There is a security presence at most stations near the turnstiles.