Introduction
Nestled in the the embrace of the Andes Mountains, Santiago de Chile is the capitale and the biggest city of the country. It attracts travelers from all around the world for its vibrant culture and complex history. In this article, you will find the 10 things to do when in Santiago!
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Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Useful informations
- 10 things to do in Santiago
- 1. San Cristobal
- 2. Barrio Paris, Londres
- 3. Plaza de Armas
- 4. Sky Costanera
- 5. Museo National de Bellas Artes
- 6. Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
- 7. Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos
- 8. Eat a Completos
- 9. Walk around the Bario Lastrella & Yungay
- 10. Cerro Santa Lucia and the Terraza Neptuno
- Guided tours
- Day trips
Useful informations
If you are arriving from another country you can land at the airport Arturo Benitez, Santiago but I f you are already traveling around Chile there are multiple connexion with buses or flights from other cities in the country.
- Currency : Chilean pesos. 984 pesos = 1chf / 1€ / 1$
- Adaptor : You need an adaptor if you are from the UK. If you are from the rest of Europe like Switzerland you don’t need an adaptor.
- Visa : If you have an EU or Swiss passport you don’t need a visa. You are allowed to stay 90 days without a visa. Your passport will be stamped at the immigration.
10 things to do in Santiago
1. San Cristobal
It is one of the largest urban park in the world and it is located in the northern part of Santiago. It’s has an elevation of 880meters which makes it the highest point of the city.
You can access by funicular or cable car. It’s the most popular option even if it’s possible to walk to the top as well. There is operating tours so it’s better to check ahead on https://funicularonline.cl/. The best time of the day to go is during sunrise or sunset.
2. Barrio Paris, Londres
It is an historic neighborhood of Santiago known for it’s European architecture and bohemian vibe. It’s a great place to get your breakfast or a coffee in its numerous cute cafés. It’s a place to enjoy the cute streets and walk around.
3. Plaza de Armas
This square is in the heart of the city but also very important for the history of city. Historically known as the foundation of the city by Pedro Valdivia in 1541, they recently found out that it is actually much older. Some older foundations were discovered a few years ago and are declared as Inca’s remains. Walk around the square during the morning and learn more about its history with a guided tour.
4. Sky Costanera
Sky Costanera is the tallest building in South America. You can visit its observation deck and enjoy the 360°view of the city. I recommend going for the sunset. As you can see on the pictures the sunset is pretty epic! The entrance is 12000CLP p.p. ( 11chf/ 12€/ 12$).
5. Museo National de Bellas Artes
As we know, the national museum of Fine Arts is a must see in Santiago. Unfortunately we didn’t have the time to go but we heard it has a lot of Chilean arts and international pieces as well. The building is also beautiful. The entrance is free so you have nothing to loose.
6. Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
Another museum that it worth the visit is the museum of precolombian art. We went into this one and really enjoy it. It has a huge collection of precolombian art from older civilisation like the Incas or the Aztecs. The entrance is 10’000CLP per person (9chf/10€/10$) and 5’000 for international students.
7. Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos
This museum is dedicated to preserve and showcase the recent historical events in Chile that occurred during the dictatorship of Pinochet. It is very interesting to visit to learn more about this dark period of history that is still impacting the country today.
8. Eat a Completos
A must try in the Chilean food is their typical snack! It’s a hotdog with guacamole and tomatoes. Yummy!
9. Walk around the Bario Lastrella & Yungay
Bario Lastrella is well known for its restaurants and bohemian vibe. I recommend having lunch or dinner there once. Bario Yungay is more artistic with lots of painted wall as you can see on the pictures. There are also some nice restaurants and cafés.
10. Cerro Santa Lucia and the Terraza Neptuno
This park was the first public park in Chile. It was built during the colonial time and has a lot of influence from Europe. You can admire the view from the hill as well. It’s truly a beautiful spot.
Guided tours
We decided to take a free guided tour to visit Santiago the first morning of our trip. Neither my boyfriend nor I went to South America before and we felt reassured to walk around the city with a local that told us which neighborhood was safe and the ones to avoid. Honestly it was very helpful and we decided to do a walking tour in every big city we travelled to. We booked our free tour on Guruwalk.
There are other popular city tours that you can book to visit Santiago. I haven’t tried them but I let you some popular choices right down below.
Day trips
We took a day trip to Valparaiso from Santiago. We used a local bus and figured our way in the town but I regret that we didn’t take a guided tour. We didn’t have any explanation about the city and it was a bit dumb from us.
There are several other day trip worth from Santiago but we didn’t have the time to experience them. Here are the most popular.
That’s a wrap for the 10 things you shouldn’t miss in Santiago. If you have any other question do not hesitate to comment down below or to send me a dm on instagram.
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