If you are arriving in the city by air, Santiago de Chile International Airport is around ten miles to the west of the city center. The journey takes about fifteen minutes on the Costanera Norte or 22 minutes on either the Autopista Central or Ruta 68. The main north-south highway is Ruta 5, which runs north to La Serena and south all the way to Quellon. The major roads to the west are Ruta 78, which takes you to the coast at San Antonio and Ruta 68, which runs to Valparaiso. Ruta 70 is the main ring road around the city.
Once in the city, you will find the streets laid out in a familiar grid system, so navigation is fairly easy. Rush hours are between 8 am to 9:30 am in the morning and 6 pm to 8:30 pm in the evening. The busiest areas are Downtown, Las Condes and Providencia. Look out for bus lanes on the major city routes, which are indicated by a yellow line. You are not allowed to drive in these. On-street parking is widely available and there are also a number of enclosed parking garages.