Santiago de Chile Main Places of Interest

Note: ExperienceChile.Org can arrange airport transfers in and out, accommodation in Santiago, pre and post the rest of your trip, as well as build in local Santiago tours and excursions to vineyards, and / or destinations on the coast.

Introduction

The first thing to point out is that on this page is a brief summary of the key places of interest in Santiago.
Many more places, along with more details, can be found by linking to this page:

Santiago de Chile, the capital, is a mix of the historic and the modern in terms of architecture and “interesting” areas.

In reality, a “place of interest” will vary from person to person. For example, some people may find two historic, streets worthwhile visiting, whereas others may feel “what’s the point”!

Therefore, here, we are going to highlight the main day time places of interest that most visitors to the capital usually find interesting to see when they are here.

However, perhaps the most impressive and obvious place of interest is the Andes Mountains, visible from many places in city, especially from a high vantage point, and this view is “a must” to see when in Santiago.

Vineyards

In addition, there are the vineyards that, although not in the city, are accessible for half day and day tours from the city, as is Valparaiso or Zapallar on the coast.

The Key Areas Containing Places of Interest in Santiago are:

Downtown, with sub district Lastarria
Providencia, with sub district Bellavista
Las Condes, with sub district El Golf
Vitacura, with sub district “Sanhattan”

What follows is a brief mention about the principal places of interest for the visitor within each of the above-mentioned suburbs of Santiago. More information can be found in the introduction page for Santiago here:

Downtown Santiago (the Centre of the City)

Known for a number of “historic pockets” of older buildings, and museums as well as the presidential La Moneda Palace.

Downtown Santiago is the part of the city that the Spanish conquistadores established when they arrived here in 1541. Consequently, it is the only place in Santiago where there is anything that resembles architectural history.

Lastarria

Line 1 Metro: Universidad Catolica
One if the most interesting of the small, historic neighbourhoods is Lastarria and this is worth an exploration as well as a place to stop for a coffee or lunch.
Almost adjacent to the suburb of Providencia border, as well as being next to the southern side of the Parque Forestal. Lastarria comprises, older, 19th Century European-style buildings, boutique-style restaurants, and cafes. It certainly has a “vibe” and is popular with visitors coming to Santiago.

La Moneda Palace

LINE 1 Metro: La Moneda
The building is only three floors in height and designed in a double square shape with two inner courtyards. Originally the “the Mint”, where Chile’s money was manufactured, it is now the seat of the President of Chile. At the side facing the main O’Higgins Avenue is a large exterior space under which is the Cultural centre – also a place of interest, and at the opposite side is a plaza.

The public are allowed to pass through the inner court yards on certain days.

Plaza de Armas

Practically all Chilean villages, towns and cities, have a central plaza. Santiago, despite its present-day size, also has its original central plaza called The Plaza de Armas, which used to be the central hub around which, in the day, Chile’s initial administration centres were situated.

Today there are still some of the old, original buildings that played a significant role in Chile’s history, as well as a plaza to wonder around and think back to how it once must have been.

Pre-Columbian Museum

As far as museums go, the Santiago Pre-Columbian Museum is considered to be “World Class”. It showcases many artefacts from the period prior to Christopher Columbus arriving to the “New World”.

Central Market (Mercado Central)

Metro Line 2: Cal y Canto (southern exit)
Santiago’s Central Market is the main market for fish, vegetables, meat and fruit. In addition, there are a number of local stores that sell natural, herbal remedies. In the same area, but on the other side of the Mapocho “River”, is the “Vega”, which is the main market in Santiago for fruit and vegetables and an interesting place to wonder through.

However, the Central Market is often interesting to look around and see the varieties of fish that are harvested from the Chilean Pacific as well as the cuts of red meat. In the atrium area there are numerous restaurants that offer fresh sea food. Consequently, this is a popular lunch-time stop off.

Bellas Artes (Fine Art Museum)

Metro Line 1: Santa Lucia (northern exit) or Universidad Católica (northern exit)
The building housing Santiago’s Fine Arts Museum, called “Bellas Artes”, dates back to the 1800’s. Located bsdie the tree-lined “Parque Forestal”, the museum often showcases travelling World Class art exhibits as well as permanent art and sculpture exhibits.

San Francisco Church

Metro Stop: Universidad de Chile (southern exit)
Considered to be the “oldest building” in Santiago, constructed between 1586 and 1628 (44 years), it has survived three major earthquakes. It is said that the small, wooden-carved Virgin del Socorro that sits on the main alter, was brought to Chile by Pedro de Valdivia, on his saddle, in 1541.

Behind the church is the Colonial Museum “Museo Colonial de San Francisco”
Here there are numerous artefacts and an attractive, inner garden.

Providencia (East of Downtown)

Places of interest include the San Cristobal hill with the Virgin Mary overlooking the city, a touristic cable car and Bellavista where one of Pablo Neruda’s houses is open to the public.

Sub District Bellavista

Line 1 Metro: Baquedano
A short walk north from the metro stop called Baquedano is the bohemian sub district of Providencia. At the end of the Pio Nono Street (in Bellavista) is the station for the funicular railway that leads up to the viewing platform at the base of the Virgin Mary almost on top of the San Cristobal hill, which is in the “Parque Metropolitana”. There is also a cable car that descends down and long a stretch of the “Parque Metropolitana” to ground level.

From here is an impressive view over most of Santiago and the hills beyond, not to mention the Andes mountains.

Pablo Neruda’s House (La Chascona)

Also, in Bellavista is one of the hoses of Chile’s Nobel-Prize winning poets, Pablo Neruda, called La Chascona. Today this is a small museum which is open to the public.

The Sky Tower at the Costanera Centre (Metro Tobalaba)

One of, if not, “the” latest tourist attraction and therefore place of interest in Santiago is the Sky Tower that forms part of the Costanera Centre shopping mall. This is easy to spot because the tower is the highest building in Chile and, thus far, South America.

From the top floors there is a spectacular viewing platform that opens up an excellent 360-degree view over all of Santiago. On a clear day this is an excellent option and one from where you can initially become oriented for your stay in Santiago.

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