Tourism
The main tourist office, Servicio Nacional de Turismo (SERNATUR), is located at Avenida Providencia 1550. Tel: 56-2-7318336 / 8337, URL: www.sernatur.cl. The office is a few minutes’ walk from the Manuel Montt metro station. Open Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. The staff speaks Spanish and English and can provide information on tours and lodgings.
Money
Banks are open Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Avoid going at lunchtime, unless you like waiting in line for two hours.

There are hundreds of ATMs throughout the city that accept Visa, Mastercard and Maestro. ATMs marked Red Banc accept international cards. They only dispense Chilean pesos.

Calle Huérfanos, just off Plaza de Armas is full of Casas de Cambio (money exchange offices). They are open Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Shop around to get the best rates.

Keeping in Touch
Postal services are run by Correos Chile, URL: www.corroes.cl. There are several branches throughout the city, but here are a few in Providencia:

Mall Panoramico, Av. 11 Septiembre 2092
Plaza Pedro de Valdivia, Pedro de Valdivia 1781
Tobalaba, Luis Thayer Ojeda 0146.

The post office is open Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

There are several Internet cafés and international call offices in the main tourist areas and at metro stations. Most have facilities for Skype calls. Updated: Nov 13, 2008.

Medical
There are pharmacies on almost every street corner. Many seem to work on commission and the staff will try to sell you expensive name brand drugs. Ask for remedio generico (generic drugs), which are manufactured by local companies and cost a quarter of the price.