Hi Emma,
âPalacio de Congresosâ is a bit out of old-town and I would guess a 30-40 minute walk.
It would be about 5-10 minute taxi ride, my guess is that it would cost about â¬5-6 or so to get you from the congress and down to old town. There is no problem getting a taxi from old town any time of day (there is one taxi stop at Plaza Galicia and another by the Alameda Park). Up by the congress center I would guess that they would call for a taxi for you when you need one. I donât know of a taxi stop up by the conference center, but there are several big hotels close so I am assuming that there is one close by.
There are a few hotels close to the conference center.
Some suggestions:
âTryp San Lázaroâ (4-star), On the way to old town still very close to conference center. This hotel opened in March 2004 so it should have good standard.
http://www.solmelia.com/sol/hoteles/jsp ... olRes=1509
Very close to conference center, but a bit pricy (5-star):
http://www.puertadelcamino.com/frame-e.html
If you do not decide to stay in old town, to me it looks like the âTryp San Lázaroâ is a good choice.
If you decide to go for something in old town "Costa Vella" would be a good choice since it is on the right side of old town in regards to the conference center.
http://www.costavella.com/
If you choose to stay in old town, you will get to experience Santiago in all its glory. If you choose a hotel close to the Conf. Center you will see less of it and therefore miss that part of your visit. My wife goes to a lot of conferences and I know she likes to stay close to the conference since she has to prepare for presentations and work at the conference. You know better how much time you will have avaliable to enjoy town. If you have time, I would suggest to stay in old town.
More hotels/hostels in Santiago can be found here:
http://www.santiago-today.com/hotels/
Welcome to Santiago!
Ivar