If you might be searching for one of the best issues to do in Santiago, you’ve come to the best place. We spent 5 days seeing all the highest points of interest in Santiago earlier than and after our Exodus Travels tour of Chile. Even although we visited the Atacama Desert, Patagonia, and extra, we fell in love with Santiago probably the most. It’s such a enjoyable metropolis stuffed with vitality and pleasure.
Santiago, Chile is a large metropolis in South America with loads of issues to do. Whether you’re searching for tradition or nice meals, there’s one thing for everybody. We fell in love with the capital metropolis of Chile and even managed to satisfy President Gabriel Boric throughout our keep. Read on to see how that occurred.
Top Things to do in Santiago
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Okay, now it’s time to discover Santiago with us. Here are our prime picks for issues to do in Santiago, Chile.
1. Plaza de Armas
If it’s your first time in Santiago, make your option to the primary assembly place within the metropolis. Plaza de Armas is the primary sq. in Santiago and a preferred place for locals and vacationers to assemble. The plaza is surrounded by essential landmarks, together with the Cathedral, Presidential Palace, National Museum, and extra.
Plaza de Armas is the proper place to begin your Santiago tour. It’s the place all of the buses come into city so if you’re on an overland journey in Chile, you’ll in all probability find yourself right here first.
The sq. itself is gorgeous, with fountains, palm bushes and inexperienced house, outside terraces, and road performers. There are additionally numerous outlets and eating places if you wish to seize some meals or souvenirs earlier than heading out in your journey!
2. Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral
One of those landmarks that you must undoubtedly go to while you go to Plaza de Armas is the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral. The cathedral was constructed between 1872-1904 based mostly on designs drawn up by French architect Paul Chenavard (who additionally designed Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal – A bit of Canadian connection there). Not solely does this cathedral have lovely structure however it additionally has superb stained glass home windows which depict scenes from Chilean historical past.
It is a working cathedral so be respectful when getting into, however going inside is a should. It’s additionally a cool respite from the new Santiago warmth.
3. Cerro Santa Lucia (Santa Lucía Hill)
Cerro Santa Lucia is likely one of the hottest locations in Santiago to go for a stroll and benefit from the views. The hill is positioned proper within the middle of the town, with museums, outlets, and eating places on its slopes.
It’s greatest to go to at sundown when you possibly can see all of Santiago lit up beneath you in addition to an exquisite view of a part of the Andes (and perhaps even some stars!). It’s an excellent place to spend a day taking within the websites. There are previous forts, a chapel, fountains, and partitions to discover. There are even basalt columns to maintain a watch out for. I used to be shocked to see them main as much as the highest of the hill.
The excessive platform is small and you can be sharing it with a crowd, however it’s undoubtedly price visiting for a panoramic view of Santiago. From right here it’s additionally straightforward to catch buses or taxis again downtown.
This hill presents views of Santiago and past—all with out having to climb too far! It’s much less busy than Plaza de Armas however on the weekends it may be very crowded with locals. Plus there are many bushes round so if you happen to ever get drained (or thirsty), simply sit down underneath one among them! Make certain to convey some water with you.
4. San Cristóbal Hill (Cerro San Cristóbal)
San Cristóbal Hill is the second-highest level in Santiago. It’s additionally the positioning of an previous chapel (La Catedral) and the Virgin Mary. Standing 860 meters excessive, it overlooks the town providing 360 diploma views.
The views from up there are a number of the greatest in Santiago, though you have to to work onerous to seek out an unobstructed view on the prime, there are lots of viewpoints from midway up. You can see all of Santiago, in addition to some close by hills and mountains.
This is a well-liked place for sundown as a result of it’s so lovely overlooking the skyscrapers of the enterprise district. But be warned, if you happen to go up for sundown, you have to to stroll again down. So we recommend for first-time guests go earlier. It’s the proper spot for consuming lunch with a view or going out on a picnic.
5. Teleferico or Funicular
There are two methods to get to the highest of San Cristóbal Hill: take the funicular from Barrio Bella Vista or take the teleférico (cable automobile) from Metropolitan Park. We took each and located them every to be definitely worth the go to. They embark from totally different sides of the mountain. The funicular leaves from the Bellavista neighborhood and the Funicular leaves from Metropolitan park within the Providencia space of Santiago
Teleferico
When staying within the monetary district, take the Teleferico to the highest as you’ll solely have to stroll by means of Metropolitan Park. This is a stunning neighborhood to stroll by means of and the park has eating places, shady areas, and fountains.
Funicular
The funicular takes you thru the Bella Vista neighborhood which is a full of life space of Santiago. We walked from the town middle by means of Barrio Bella Vista having fun with a number of the enjoyable eating places and bars on our method. When you get to the funicular, it seems like a citadel from an amusement park.
There are distributors and the Santiago Zoo. It is a steep incline railway with a cease on the zoo on the best way up. Make certain to maintain your tickets for each as you have to them to get again down.
6. Metropolitan Park of Santiago
Metropolitan Park of Santiago is likely one of the largest city parks in Latin America with San Cristobal Hill standing at its middle. Besides San Cristobal Hill there’s the Santiago Zoo (Zoológico de Santiago), Botanical Gardens with a Japanese Garden, two swimming swimming pools, mountaineering trails, and a youngsters’s park. You may even go on a excessive ropes course positioned beside the doorway to the teleferico.
There are a number of parks and greenspaces in Santiago positioned alongside the river. You’ll discover households out for picnics, strolling by means of the gardens or just stress-free within the solar. We loved merely strolling alongside the river taking within the views.
7. Sky Costanera
Located within the Costanera Center a shopping center with a view of the town, Sky Costanera is positioned on the 61st flooring of the constructing. This constructing is taken into account to be one of many tallest buildings in South America.
It has panoramic views, eating places, and bars that’s visited by locals and vacationers from throughout Chile and world wide.
Go up for sundown for implausible views of the Andes Mountains and Santiago. There is a cocktail bar on the prime the place you possibly can pull up a seat by the window to take pleasure in a romantic toast to the town. Make certain to remain till the solar goes down, that’s when the view actually involves life.
8. Costanera Center
Sky Costanera is positioned in a monetary district however there are lots of issues that vacationers can do after they go to. The buying middle is very large with a number of shops promoting all the things from positive Chilean wine to baggage. There are many eating places to select from together with native favorites and worldwide delicacies from Japanese meals to American classics just like the Hard Rock Cafe and Tony Romas.
This six-story shopping center is stuffed with all the things you need for buying. There is a superb grocery retailer the place you possibly can decide up some positive Chilean wine. The wine choice in there’s large.
9. Palacio de la Moneda (La Moneda Palace)
La Moneda Palace is the seat of presidency in Chile and has been since 1837. It was in-built 1784, however it was destroyed in an earthquake. The palace was rebuilt in 1837 and have become a nationwide monument in 1931. It’s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site!
La Moneda Palace grounds are open to guests from 9 am to five pm on weekdays solely. You can pre-arrange guided excursions to see the Ducal Palace of Modena, the Military Academy, and the rooms of the State condominium. The gardens surrounding La Moneda Palace are open from 8 am till 6 pm each day and provide some good spots for a picnic lunch or simply having fun with some recent air if you happen to’re uninterested in sightseeing indoors!
10. Palacio La Moneda Cultural Center
After seeing the Presidential Palace, go into the Palacio La Moneda Cultural Center. This gathering place was constructed underground in order to not intervene with the grounds of the Presidential Palace. The large constructing homes cafes, rotating shows, museums, and boutique outlets.
11. Barrio Bellavista (Bellavista Neighborhood)
For nightlife, Barrio Bellavista is the place to be. This neighborhood is a full of life leisure space stuffed with bars and eating places. Street artwork decorates many partitions round Barrio Bellavista. It’s probably the most in style neighborhoods in Santiago amongst vacationers due to its vibrant environment and exquisite views of downtown Santiago from above because of its rooftop bars.
Art Tour of Barrio Bellavista
Santiago is a metropolis stuffed with road artwork, so it’s no shock that one of the best place to see it’s in Bellavista. This neighborhood is residence to the very best focus of murals and graffiti in all of Chile.
If you need to get an insider’s have a look at these colourful works, there are many excursions out there. Tours can final anyplace from 2 hours as much as 5 days and usually price between $10 USD and $25 USD per individual. Most excursions will take you thru a number of totally different neighborhoods, however some give attention to only one space or particular sort of road artwork—like graffiti artists who use stencils reasonably than paint or chalk on the sidewalks!
No matter what sort of tour you do, they’ll all lead by means of Bellavista the place most vacationers begin out earlier than branching out into different neighborhoods like Providencia (one other in style vacation spot).
12. Central Market
The Central Market is a good place to eat, purchase souvenirs, and even buy meals. There are a number of kinds of distributors contained in the market that promote all the things from flowers and fruit to meat and fish. This lovely constructing was in-built 1872 and has been restored a number of occasions through the years.
13. Emporio La Rosa
Emporio La Rosa is a well-liked ice cream store in Santiago, Chile. It was named one of many prime 25 ice lotions on the earth by Time Magazine in 2012. There are a number of shops in Santiago. Just put its title in Google maps to seek out one close to you.
In addition to its extra conventional flavors akin to chocolate and dulce de leche (which tastes like caramel), additionally they make some distinctive Chilean flavors like murta (Chilean myrtle) and lucuma. You can get a cup or a cone they usually have milkshakes too! They’re open from 10 AM-10 PM each day besides Sundays when it’s closed; I like to recommend getting there early in order for you a cone since most individuals go for cones reasonably than cups.
14. La Chascona – Pablo Neruda Museum
Pablo Neruda was a well-known Chilean poet. The Museo de Pablo Neruda is positioned in the home the place he lived and labored, and it’s an excellent place to be taught extra about his life and work. If you are taking the funicular as much as Cerro San Cristobal you possibly can simply make a detour to see this museum. It is positioned within the Barrio Bellavista neighborhood as effectively.
The museum has a lot of his private gadgets on show together with garments, books, work, furnishings and even some meals that was left over from meals at his home. His desk can also be there so you possibly can see the place he wrote a few of his most well-known poems akin to “Ode to My Socks” or “Twenty Love Poems for Dummies” (okay we made that final one up).
15. Museo de Historia Natural (Museum of Natural History)
The Museo de Historia Natural is one other must-see for any customer to Santiago. This museum presents a variety of displays about Chile’s pure surroundings and the animals that dwell there. The museum additionally has a planetarium, the place you possibly can be taught extra about astronomy from an knowledgeable astronomer. The museum was based in 1883 by Antonio Varas, who was additionally president at the moment, so it is likely one of the oldest museums in Chile.
We Met the President of Chile
After visiting the Museum of Natural History we walked throughout the road to eat lunch at a stunning terrace overlooking the park. During our lunch, the folks began asking a person for images who was eating there as effectively. We requested the following desk ‘Is this man famous?’ and he stated, ‘He is the president of Chile’. We stated, ‘yeah right.’ And then the supervisor stated, ‘Yes he is!
He was leaving at the same time as us, so we introduced ourselves and said we were from Canada and we chatted for a bit and said in our excitement, “We’ve by no means even met our Prime Minister earlier than!” He stated “I’ve met Justin (Trudeau)”
He then requested if we had been going to Patagonia as a result of that’s the place he’s from. And we stated, ‘We will say hi to your home for you’ His Excellency Gabriel Boric was very gracious, pleasant and welcoming. We are nonetheless a bit in shock that we truly talked to a President of a rustic out in a traditional on a regular basis setting. And that occurred on our first day in Santiago. Not a foul first day in Chile!
16. Museo de la Memoria y Los Derechos Humanos (The Museum of Memory and Human Rights)
The Museum of Memory and Human Rights commemorates the atrocities carried out by the dictator Augusto Pinochet between September 11, 1973 and March 10, 1990. Unfortunately, it was closed after we took the metro out to see it on a Monday, however it’s a place that needs to be visited when in Santiago. Inside there are shows depicting the torture and indignities that happened throughout this brutal reign.
17. Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino (Museum of Pre-Colombian Art)
The Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, or the Museum of Pre-Colombian Art, is positioned within the Bellavista neighborhood which is a good place to see a few of Santiago’s greatest road artwork. This museum has an intensive assortment of pre-Columbian artwork from throughout Latin America in addition to artifacts from Chile and Easter Island.
The museum was based in 1888 and it’s one among Chile’s oldest museums on show! There are over 6,000 items on show right here at this museum so that you’ll undoubtedly need to include a number of visits if you wish to see all the things! The museum itself is open each day from 10 am – 6 pm (besides Mondays).
18. Watch Sunset from the W Hotel
One of our favourite locations to observe the sundown was to go to the highest of the W Hotel. Overlooking the Andes Mountains, the town, and Sky Costanera it greeted us with beautiful views. There is a bar and rooftop patio full with an infinity pool.
Make certain to guide reservations because the patio is for visitors of the resort. We acquired fortunate they usually allow us to up however, you have to to guide a desk. Be ready to spend some cash. We paid about $15 USD per cocktail. But it was price it for the view and environment.
19. the Museo Historico Nacional
A go to to the Museo Historico Nacional is a good way to study Chile’s historical past. The museum is positioned proper subsequent door to the Plaza de Armas and is straightforward to seek out. As you enter, you’ll be greeted by a formidable assortment of weapons and artifacts from varied intervals all through Chilean historical past. You’ll additionally see a number of totally different uniforms worn by troopers courting again centuries in the past, together with these worn by Native Americans or Spaniards throughout the colonial interval.
- Address: San Francisco 469, Providencia
20. Cementerio General de Santiago (General Cemetery)
Cementerio General de Santiago (General Cemetery) is a must-see for historical past buffs. You’ll discover the mausoleum of Nobel Prize-winning poet, Pablo Neruda, in addition to a number of different notable figures from Chile’s previous buried there (together with Gabriela Mistral, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945). The cemetery was established in 1822 and continues to be an energetic burial floor immediately.
If you’re into issues that go bump within the evening, you’ll have enjoyable on a ghost tour of Cementerio General de Santiago. Tours final about an hour and a half and embody stops on the grave of Carlos Gardel (a well-known tango singer) and Pablo Neruda
21. Metro Art Santiago – Subway Stops
Getting round Santiago is sort of straightforward. We took the metro and located it to be probably the most inexpensive option to journey. It is quick, environment friendly, and inexpensive. You have to buy a BIP card after which fill it up. Our resort gave us free BIP playing cards, so all we needed to do was load it with sufficient pesos to cowl a couple of days of fares. The subways are price visiting simply to see the artwork installations. The fare to trip a method is 750 pesos. (85 cents US).
We put the subway stations in our listing of issues to do in Santiago, as a result of most of the underground stops have lovely artwork shows.
Where to Stay in Santiago
We stayed on the Four Points Sheraton positioned within the coronary heart of the enterprise middle of Providencia. We discovered this to be a superb location that was inside strolling distance of Sky Costanera and the trendy buying facilities of Santiago. It was additionally inside strolling distance to Metropolitan Park and the Teleferico. We had been simply two blocks from the Subway so it was straightforward to get to the previous metropolis middle and Plaza de Armas as effectively.
Book a room on a better flooring for excellent metropolis views. Breakfast right here was superb. We beloved the buffet with an array of recent fruits, pastrys, meats, and cheeses and an omelet station. See their web site for charges and availability.
Another place to remain in Santiago is the W Hotel for a extra upscale expertise within the El Golf neighborhood of Santiago. It’s somewhat farther away from the points of interest, however it’s near a metro line so you possibly can simply hop on to discover all the metropolis’s prime points of interest. It additionally has probably the greatest views in all of Santiago for sundown.
Santiago is a large metropolis with so much to do
There are loads of issues to do round Santiago on straightforward day journeys. Here are a couple of strategies to get you out of the town.
21. Day journey to Valparaiso
Valparaiso is a port metropolis in Chile, and you’ll take a ferry from the port of San Antonio to Valparaiso. This is an particularly in style day journey for guests who want to see the colourful homes and hillside views, in addition to the various murals and road artwork on buildings all through the town.
Valparaiso has been nicknamed “La Ciudad de las Artes” (The City of Arts) due to its many museums, theaters, galleries and music venues. The most spectacular attraction right here is Cerro Alegre; it’s actually a hill however presents 360-degree views over Valparaiso’s bay space the place you will note colourful homes constructed into hillsides together with church buildings scattered all through this picturesque townscape.
22. Andes Mountains, Valle Nevado, El Colorado
The Andes Mountains run the size of Chile and Argentina, which implies they’re usually seen from Santiago. They’re the longest mountain vary on the earth, they usually include a number of the most lovely surroundings you will discover anyplace on Earth.
The Andes are residence to 2 peaks that really make it into their very own class: Aconcagua (22,841 toes), which can also be the tallest peak outdoors Asia; and Ojos del Salado (23,838 toes), a volcano in northern Chile with an energetic crater on prime that has been energetic for over 400 years.
Valle Nevado is a ski resort near the town. In the winter is presents one of the best ski and snowboarding in South America and in the summertime you are able to do some downhill mountain biking.
23. Wine Tasting in Chile Valley
Santiago is the proper base for wine tasting in Chile. The nation produces 40% of the world’s wine and is greatest recognized for its reds, created from grapes grown excessive up within the Andes Mountains. There are many various vineyards to go to all through Santiago however we advocate beginning with a go to to Chile Valley.
The Maipo Valley is residence to a number of the greatest vineyards in Chile, they usually’re all inside straightforward attain of Santiago. A wine-tasting tour here’s a should for any wine lover, as you’ll have the ability to pattern a wide range of wines created from totally different grapes at every winery. Many excursions will even embody lunch or dinner at one of many wineries in your method again into Santiago.
This tour takes you to 2 prime wineries, Concha y Toro and Viña Undurraga the place you’ll take pleasure in 3 tastings at every winery whereas studying concerning the Chilean wine business.
Map of the Best Things to do in Santiago
As you possibly can see, there are many issues to do in Santiago. Whether you’re searching for a day journey or an in a single day journey, there’s one thing for everybody! We spe
Santiago is the capital of Chile and one among Latin America’s largest cities. It has a inhabitants of over six million folks, which makes it residence to greater than half of Chile’s total inhabitants. Santiago has all the things you’d need in a giant metropolis: a formidable skyline, buying malls, museums, and theaters galore!