Chilean Spanish is the fastest in the region and full of its own slang. Lunch is the meal, dinner is late, and the country closes for a week in September.
- Chilean Spanish is famously fast and dropped, with its own slang - "cachai?" for you get it, "al tiro" for right now. English is limited outside Santiago hotels and tour operators.
- Lunch from 13:00 to 15:00 is the main meal and the menu del dia is the best value in the country. Dinner in restaurants starts at 21:00.
- 18 and 19 September, the Fiestas Patrias, shut the country for the best part of a week. Everything books out and transport is full - it is also the best party of the year.
- 220 V on type and type sockets. A European two-pin fits; a British or US plug needs an adaptor.
- Photographing military and police installations is prohibited, and a discarded cigarette in fire season is a criminal matter, not a telling-off.
Language
- Chilean Spanish is famously fast and dropped. Final s disappears, and the slang is its own dialect.
- "Cachai?" means "you get it?", "al tiro" means right now, "po" is added to everything.
- English is limited outside Santiago hotels and tour operators. A translation app earns its keep here more than in Argentina or Peru.
- Chileans are warm and formal at once: a handshake or a single cheek kiss, and "usted" with anyone older.
The day
- Lunch, from 13:00 to 15:00, is the main meal, and the "menu del dia" is the best value in the country.
- Once, at around 19:00, is tea with bread and avocado and often replaces dinner entirely.
- Dinner in restaurants starts at 21:00.
- Sunday is quiet. Many shops and restaurants close, particularly in small towns.
- Working hours are 09:00 to 18:00 with a long lunch outside the cities.
The calendar
- 18 and 19 September - Fiestas Patrias - shut the country for the best part of a week. Everything books out, transport is full, and it is the best party of the year.
- January and February are the summer holidays and prices and crowds peak.
- Easter week is busy, and Good Friday is quiet everywhere.
- Shops close on the main public holidays in a way they no longer do in Europe.
Practical
- 220 V and sockets are type and type , the Italian three-pin. A European two-pin fits; a British or US plug needs an adaptor.
- Chile has no daylight saving in the far south (Magallanes) but the rest of the country changes clocks. Check flight times in September and April.
- Water is safe and the tap is normal.
- Do not compare Chile to Argentina and do not assume the food is spicy - Chilean cooking is mild, and merken is the one local heat.
- Cannabis is decriminalised in tiny amounts for personal use and selling is not. Do not test the boundary.
- Photographing military and police installations is prohibited, and Carabineros are treated with formality.
- Recycling and littering rules are taken seriously in the parks, and a discarded cigarette in a fire season is a criminal matter.
Comments
No comments yet. Share the first one.
Share a tip
Sign in to continue.