Santiago is the capital of Chile and the largest city in the country, with approximately 7 million inhabitants. Founded in 1541 by Pedro de Valdivia, a Spanish military officer who came to this part of the continent by order of the Viceroyalty of Peru to conquer new lands and search for gold. On his arrival in Chile, he was named “Governor and General Captain of the Kingdom of Chile”.

Nowadays, the city is divided into 37 districts or communes that all together create the city of Santiago; 26 of them are inside the urban area, and the ones that have the most touristic areas and restaurants are: Providencia, Las Condes, Vitacura, and Santiago Centro. In other districts, like Quinta Normal, you can find very interesting museums, like the Museum of Memory and Human Rights.

The public transportation in Santiago is in general very safe; we recommend taking the subway, which is very clean, safe, and punctual. The city is very well connected by the “Metro de Santiago” with 7 lines, but the ones that will lead you to the touristic and historical areas are Linea 1 (red) and Linea 5 (green). In order to use the service, you must buy a transportation card called “BIP!” sold at all metro stations. The cost of the card alone is CLP 1,550 (does not include initial top-up), and you can charge it with the desired amount in the same place. This card can be used by more than one person, so you just need to get one card.

In some metro stations, you will find interesting pieces of art, like the mural at the Universidad de Chile metro station called “Visual Memory of a Nation” by the Chilean painter Mario Toral. The mural is 1200 square meters (12915 square feet) and is divided into past and present, recreating visually the history of Chile.

Below, we are giving you some ideas of places we recommend visiting in your spare time in this incredible city!

1. Hike up to Cerro Santa Lucia

A small hill in the middle of the city, known by the Mapuche people as “Huelen”. It was very important for the foundation of the city, as according to history, the Spanish conqueror, Pedro de Valdivia, settled his first campsite on its foothill and founded the city of Santiago from here. It became a public park in 1872 and a National Monument in 1983. Location: The main entrance is at Alameda Ave. Nearest Metro station: Santa Lucia (Line 1/Red). Schedule:

– Summer. Monday to Sunday from 08:00 a.m to 08:00 p.m.
– Winter. Monday to Sunday from 08:00 a.m to 07:00 p.m.

Fee: Free.

2. Cableway to the summit of San Cristobal Hill

Anciently known as “Tupahue” which in Quecha means “Sentinel”. This hill is part of the most extensive urban park in Latin America and the fourth in the world, with 737 ha (1821 acres) called “Metropolitan Park”. It offers one of the best views of the city, at 880 mt (2890 ft) above sea level. You can reach the summit by walking or by taking the cableway or funicular to the top, or “cumbre,” where you can find a statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking the city.

• Cable Car – Oasis Station: Location: El Cerro 750, Providencia. Nearest Metro station: Pedro de Valdivia (Line 1/Red). Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6:40 p.m. Ticket: CLP 3,400 round trip/CLP 2,650 one way . You must buy the ticket online at Teleférico Santiago.
• Funicular –  Pio Nono Station: Location: Dominica S/N, Providencia. Nearest Metro station: Plaza Baquedano (Line 1/Red). Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Ticket: CLP 1,250 per person, round trip. You must buy the ticket online at Funicular Santiago.
• There is a “combined service” option, starting with the funicular to the summit and ending with the cable car from the summit to the Oasis station.
  – Starting station: Pio Nono: Location: Dominica S/N, Providencia. Nearest Metro station: Plaza Baquedano (Line 1/Red). Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  – Ending station: Oasis: Location: El Cerro 750, Providencia. Nearest Metro station: Pedro de Valdivia (Line 1/Red). Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6:40 p.m.
  Ticket: From CLP 7,390 to CLP 9,280 per person, round trip. You must buy the ticket online at: Funicular round-trip combined service.
• On Mondays (or any other day!), you can hike up to the summit of San Cristobal Hill by entering through Pio Nono entrance and hike up through the Zorro Vidal trail is a 40 min hike of 1,20 km. Location: Dominica S/N, Providencia. Schedule: from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket: Free.

Before you come down, we recommend trying the Chilean beverage called “Mote con Huesillo”, which is boiled wheat with cooked dried peaches and caramelized peach juice, a sweet reward!.

3. Visit the local museums

Santiago has many museums that we recommend visiting, some are outside the more touristic area but they are worth visiting if you have time. All rates shown below are in Chilean pesos (CLP):

• Museum of Memory and Human Rights (Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos): in order to grow as a society, we must not forget our past. This museum offers an interesting collection that “seeks to draw attention to the human rights violations committed by the Chilean state between 1973 and 1990”. Location: 501 Matucana Ave. Nearest Metro Station: Quinta Normal (Line 5/Green). Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fee: Free
• Chilean museum of Pre-columbian Arts (Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino), located in the downtown area, is part of a private collection that offers two permanent exhibitions: “Chile before Chile” and “pre-Columbian art pieces” grouped according to the different cultural regions in America. So here you can find pieces from the Aztecs in Mexico all the way down to the Selk’nams in Patagonia. Location: Bandera 36, Santiago Centro, Nearest metro station: Plaza de Armas (Line 5/Green). Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fee: CLP 7,000 per person.
• National Museum of Natural History (Museo Nacional de Historia Natural), if you are fond of knowing the natural heritage of each country or if you are traveling with kids, we totally recommend this museum. One of the oldest in America, founded in 1830, offers a permanent exhibition that starts with the origin of the Universe and continues with an ecological vision of the Chilean territory, recreating the different bioregions you will find in our country, including their native inhabitants as well as their flora and fauna. They even have a full-body whale skeleton!. Location: Quinta Normal Park, right outside Quinta Normal metro station (Line 5/Green). Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Fee: Free.
• Museum of Visual Arts & Archaeological Museum of Santiago (Museo de Artes Visuales y Museo Arqueológico de Santiago). Both museums are located in the same building in the Lastarria neighborhood. The museum of Visual arts, offers exhibitions of different contemporary Chilean artists, while the Archeological museum offers a permanent exhibition of different native artifacts as well as some videos. Location: Lastarria 307, Mulato Gil de Castro square. Nearest Metro station: Universidad Católica (Line 1/Red). Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fee: CLP 1,000 per person (Free on Sundays).
• National Fine Arts Museum (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes) sits just across the beautiful Parque Forestal in the Santiago Downtown area. The building known as “Fine Arts Palace”, was built from 1905 to 1910 as part of the buildings to celebrate 100 years of the Independence of Chile (1810). The architect was Emilio Jéquier, a Chilean-French who studied in France. The National Fine Arts Museum is not only about Chilean art collections; art lovers will also find here Italian drawings dating from the XV–XVII century, a large number of Spanish paintings, as well as African sculptures.
  Location: José Miguel de la Barra 650, Santiago Centro. Nearest Metro station: Bellas Artes station (Line 5/Green). Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Fee: Free (contribution).
• Museum of Contemporary Arts. (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo). located along Parque Forestal, on Ismael Valdes Vergara street, right in the back of the Fine Art Museum. Since its foundation in 1947, the museum has specialized in providing a comprehensive selection of modern artworks from Chilean artists
  Location: Ismael Valdés Vergara 506, Santiago Centro Nearest Metro station: Bellas Artes station (Line 5/Green). Schedule: Tuesday to Friday, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Saturday, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Fee: Free (contribution).

4. Visit Pablo Neruda’s home-museum 
Our Nobel Prize winner, Pablo Neruda, had three houses; two are located in the coastal area of Valparaiso, and one is located in Santiago. He named the one in Santiago “La Chascona” (The uncombed) to honor his secret love, Matilde Urrutia. Location: Fernando Márquez de la Plata 0192, Bellavista neighborhood. Nearest metro station: Baquedano (Transfer station between Line 1/Red and Line 5/Green). Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Fee: CLP 8,000 per person (includes audio-guide in Spanish, English, German, French, Italian, and Portuguese).

5. Visit the Arts & Crafts village at Pueblito Los Dominicos
Located a very short walk from Los Dominicos metro station (Line1/Red), right next to San Vicente Ferrer church, whose main characteristics are the two copper domes on the top of the towers. At “Pueblito Los Domínicos” you will find a variety of Chilean artisans and all kinds of handicrafts, from jewelry with lapis lazuli stone, textiles from the north and south of Chile, pottery from Pomaire village, and many other crafts. Some artisans even use their shops as their working areas. Location: Apoquindo 9085, Las Condes. Nearest Metro station: Los Dominicos (Line 1/Red). Schedule: Monday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

In Santiago, as in any other large city, we have robbers. They aren’t violent, but they are awfully quick! So we recommend leaving all your important documents (credit cards, passports, IDs, etc.), cash, jewelry, technology, etc., at your hotel and just walking around with the necessary items and some cash.

Please note that the cost of entrance fees is subject to changes that depend on each facility. Feel free to contact us; we can help you coordinate or book any of these activities.