Puerto Montt

Introduction

Puerto Montt24

© Marcos92uk

Puerto Montt is a port city at the southern end of the Lake District in Chile. Settled originally by German families in the late 1800, Puerto Montt and the lake district offer an unexpected Bavarian feel in South America. Puerto Montt is a fast growing city and boasts great views of the ocean and towering peaks of the Andes, and is a centre for travelers heading further south along the carretera austral, or east to Argentina.

Sights and Activities

The area along the beach near the bus station is pleasant for a walk with things along the way to entertain you. Walking east you will get great views, especially at sunset, from the hills there.

Getting There

By Plane

Puerto Montt has one airport, El Tepual (airport code: PMC). LAN Chile and Sky Airline both offer flights to Balmaceda, Punta Arenas and Santiago de Chile.

By Train

The southern most train station in Chile, Puerto Montt has train service to and from Santiago via Victoria. The train between Puerto Montt and Victoria costs $ 4.500. The train from Victoria to Puerto Montt departs Victoria at 11:30am, and arrives in Puerto Montt at 7:15pm. The train from Puerto Montt to Victoria leaves at 8:40am and arrives at 4:25pm. ^[1].

Details on the train routes and schedules can be found at EFE, the national train company of Chile.

By Car

Puerto Montt is the end of the Panamericana Highway.

By Bus

Puerto Montt's main terminal is at the waterfront, a 10- to 15-minute walk from downtown. There is bus service to and from most major cities, including Santiago. Bus companies include Cruz del Sur (tel. 65/254731), Tur Bus (tel. 65/253329), Tas Choapa (tel. 65/254828), and Bus Norte (tel. 65/252783).

By Boat

The Navimag Ferry leaves on it's voyage south from Puerto Montt towards Puerto Natales in Patagonia. More details in the main article on the Navimag Ferry.

Getting Around

The thousands of taxis and colectivos that bounce like ping pong balls across and along the streets are a fast and usually cheap way of travelling across town, although you will find that your feet will take you to most places.

A car can be a good way to see parks and sights in the lake district. Local car-rental agencies in Puerto Montt include:

• Hertz, Antonio Varas 126 (tel. 65/259585)
• Avis, Urmeneta 1037 (tel./fax 65/253307)
• First, Av. Urmeneta 252 (tel./fax 65/252036; firstptomontt@surnet.cl)
• Econo Rent, Av. Ejército 600 (tel. 65/254888; econorent@telsur.cl)

The city centre is small enough to explore on foot.

Eat

A good place to have some seafood is at the fishing community of Angelmó. Along with the seafood market there are some restaurants.

Sleep

There is a multitude of cheap hospedaje in Puerto Montt, so don't despair if your travel guide only shows a few expensive ones.

You can use the form below to search for availability (Travellerspoint receives a commission for bookings made through the form)

Keep Connected

Internet

There are cybercafes in every major and midsize city and at all tourist destinations. Some libraries are in a program called Biblioredes, with free computers and Internet. Wifi is getting more and more common. They're usually in metro stations, airports, malls, cafes, public buildings and several public spaces. Check for the ones that say gratis - for free. McDonald's and Starbucks are chains which almost always have free wifi.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Chile is: 56. To make an international call from Chile, the code is: 00. Emergency phone numbers include 131 (Ambulance), 132 (Fire) and 133 (Police).

Public phones located on streets are very likely to be tampered or vandalized, so it's better to use a phone located inside a commerce or a station. Prepaid cards for mobile phones and public phones are sold at most newspaper kiosks, supermarkets, gas stations, pharmacies and phone dealers. Mobile GSM networks are ubiquitous in all major cities and most of the territory of central and southern Chile. A basic prepaid cellular phone usually costs about 15,000 pesos, most frequently charged with 10,000 pesos worth of prepaid minutes. No ID is required to buy a prepaid phone. GSM SIM cards from ENTEL, Movistar or Claro are usually available for 5,000 pesos, but without credit, so you'll need to buy some prepaid minutes to be able to call. Money can be charged into a cellphone from some pharmacies (Ahumada, Cruz Verde and Salco Brand) on the counter and in cash, or by using a credit card through an automated service operator, with directions in Spanish or English.

Post

Correos de Chile is the national postal service, and although relatively slow it is reliable with post offices throughout the country. On the website you can find more information about prices to send letters, postcards and parcels, both domestically as well as internationally. Post offices are generally open Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 6:00pm and Saturday until 2:00pm, although there are sometimes longer opening hours in the bigger central post offices and shorter ones in small places. Ask around. If you want to send packages internationally, you might consider companies like DHL, TNT or UPS, which are fast, reliable and usually competitively priced as well.

External Links