Castro (Chile)

Castro is the capital of Chiloé Island. It is a city of 42,000 people (2012) on the island's eastern coast, halfway between Ancud in the north and Quellon in the south, and is a convenient base for exploring the island of Chiloe.

By bus
There are two bus terminals in Castro. The main bus terminal (actually the terminal of the Cruz del Sur company) is at the intersection of Sotomayor and San Martín, one block north of the northeast corner of the main plaza. Here you can find frequent connections to Puerto Montt (about 2 hours, 6,000 pesos) on the mainland, as well as Quellon in the south of Chiloé (2 hours, 2,000 pesos). There are several buses a day to Santiago (16 hours, usually overnight) and in most major cities on the way. To Argentina, buses to Bariloche depart on Wednesdays and Sundays, but you need to change buses in Puerto Montt (12 hours, 6,000+13,000 pesos). All of these buses stop in Ancud on the way, and the ferry crossing is included in the price.

You can find local buses (micros) at the Terminal Municipal, located a few blocks away from the main bus terminal at San Martin and Aldea. Buses to Dalcahue (30 minutes), Achao, and Chonchi stop here. The bus to the Chiloe National Park stops here as well; there are several companies leaving at different times of the day.

By ferry
The Naviera Austral ferry makes trips to Chaitén, albeit only in summer. Check their website for current schedule and pricing.

By car
You can also enter with a rental car. There is a fee for the ferry, but having your own transport is a very convenient way to explore Chiloe.

Get around
Castro is very small and can easily be navigated by foot.

See
The tourist office in the main plaza is quite helpful and can furnish you with a map of Castro which has a suggested walking tour on it. The tour takes 2–3 hours depending on your pace. The tourist office is open daily 09:00-18:00.

Eat
Most of the restaurants and cafes in Castro are concentrated along the Calle Blanco, running from the southern end of the plaza down to the waterfront.



Sleep
There are tons of lodging options in Castro, so you should have no problem finding a place to stay by just walking around and asking.



Go next
Castro is a good base for visiting some of the smaller islands off the eastern coast of Chiloe, such as Quinchao Island (where the towns of Curaco de Velez and Achao are located).

From Castro it is easy to reach Quellon at the southern end of Chiloe, where ferries depart for Chaitén and Puerto Chacabuco on the mainland.