What do you know about Santiago, Chile? After spending a week in the intriguing city of Rio de Janeiro, a four and a half hour flight put us in the capital of Chile. We had no preconceptions and came away somewhat smitten.
The flight into the International Merino Benítez airport in Santiago took us right over the Andes which were in plain view from the window seat - and then we landed. Santiago sits in a valley butting up to the Andes to the east and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west. The mountain ranges provide a nice temperature drop, much more in tune with our Canadian constitution than the heat and humidity of Rio. Cool in the evenings and mornings, the temperature still rose to the mid 20’s by the afternoon. It’s late spring here in South America, and I will always remember the sweet, fresh morning aromas of cool air and spring flowers. (By the way, if you travel to Chile, do NOT lose that flimsy little paper that they give you at the airport that looks like a grocery store receipt; it’s a form of entry visa that you have to scan on your way out of the country.)
We have travelled to a few countries that have come out of recent hard times of communism or civil war, and I have always been impressed with their energy and forward spirit. Santiago gives off that vibe. It’s a ‘happening’ place. Stately old architecture and history rub shoulders with dramatic highrises.
I love this photo taken in downtown Santiago where the stately old neoclassical Metroplitan Catedral de Santiago is reflected in the glass of a modern highrise, such a symbol of the old meshing with the new.
Speaking of moving forward and energy, Santiago claims the tallest building in South America, the Gran Torre, nearly 1,000 feet high. It is said to symbolize Chile’s growing economy and to promote the city of Santiago and was built in a sustainable fashion with extra earthquake precautions. It is like a runway model in the sky, and I could not stop taking pictures of that beauty. You could go to the observation deck for an amazing view of the city, if you wish. Here’s an early evening shot from our rental apartment.
If you like modern architecture, here are a few more Santiago gems:
There are roughly seven million people in the metro area, but Santiago is an easy city to traverse, especially if you ride the fast, efficient, and easy metro system with a “Bip!” card (I’d buy one just for the name, the sound it makes when you tap it on the turnstile.) We stayed in the Las Condes area, northeast of the downtown, in an apartment hotel (these seem quite popular in Santiago). I knew this was a modern area, but I was surprised at the affluence. Highrises and upscale malls dominate (the Costanera Center Mall is the largest in South America and is simply overwhelming), and we had a view of that beautiful Gran Torre from our window. Despite the affluent area, our temporary apartment was very nicely priced compared to some major hotels and allowed us to do some food prep which I like when travelling. This might be a good tip - when looking for accommodation, research apartment hotels or temporary apartment rentals. We took the red metro line into the centre each day.
Saturday morning vibes in Las Condes. I wonder where they were going?
Santiago is divided into areas or ‘barrios’, and the main ones of interest to travellers are clustered around the city centre, all within walking distance of each other. Most of the historic sites are centred there. They say that the Plaza de Armas in the centre of the city in Barrio Bellas Artes is ‘kilometre zero’ in Santiago with everything radiating out from the square. The plaza is anchored by the Metropolitan Catedral de Santiago, a neoclassical building that was constructed beginning in 1748. It was not open when we visited, but I imagine the inside is ornate.
Plaza de Armas is also home to an historic post office, the Corrêa Central de Santiago. The post office dates to 1881 (although it was revamped in 1908) and sits on historic land that once was the home of the founder of Santiago, Pedro de Valdivia, and once was a Presidential Palace.
Also to see at the Plaza de Armas are several statues of important people in Santiago’s history, one being the huge statue of Pedro de Valdivia holding the Charter of Foundation of Santiago while sitting on his horse. The sun was too brilliant to get a front view.
At the centre of the Plaza de Armas is the marble statue/fountain Monumento a La Libertador Americana (To The Freedom of America).
Next to the ‘old’, of course, is a modernistic STGO (abbreviation for Santiago) ‘statue’, always good for an Instagram photo op.
The plaza is a pleasant place to visit, surrounded by Santiago’s historic roots and new architecture, but is also the gathering place for artists, photographers, street performers, and tourist groups, so I imagine it can get crowded in the summer.
There are historic buildings everywhere you look in central Santiago, but a few beauties are the Palacio La Moneda (Moneda Palace), the ex Congreso Nacional (Former National Congress Building), and the Tribunales de Justica (Supreme Court).
The neoclassical Palacio de La Moneda is the Seat of the president of the Republic of Chile. Construction began in 1784.
The Former National Congress Building and it’s grounds were grandiose - and not open to the public when we were there. Pictures were taken through the security bars. It is a national monument.
The Tribunales de Justica is another neoclassical building constructed between 1905 amd 1930.
While walking in the downtown close to the Plaza de Armas, we loved the local markets. Within a few blocks, we attended three. Without searching, we walked into the main Mercado Centro, or Central Market, which opened in 1872 and is considered a Chilean national monument. It not only has aisles of fish vendors and fresh produce, it contains numerous restaurants, one of which we returned to for a lunch of authentic fish soup.
A short walk away, just north of the centre and across the Rio Mapocho canal which flows through the city, we stumbled upon a flower market, the La Esquina Se Florea La Peña.(literally translates to “the corner blooms worth”) where numerous sellers were displaying the most beautiful and aromatic and largest flowers we have ever seen.
Adjacent was the Mercado Tirso de Molina, maybe less intriguing inside but notable for its modern dramatic roof and for being a typical local market. It is much newer than the Mercado Central and contains fresh flowers and produce and has a food court on the second floor with small, authentic restaurants.
Just south of the Barrio Bellas Artes is a little barrio, Barrio Paris-Londres, which certainly lives up to it’s name with a French flair. The area is young, developed in 1923 by a group of architects, and consists of only a couple of cobble-stoned streets with shops and renovated mansions. It is a sweet place for strolling.
Across the srreet to the north of Barrio Paris-Londres, we found one of our favourite spots in Santiago, the Biblioteca Nacional, the National Library. The library was established in 1813 and contains some historic collections and documents. You already know that some of my favourite things are UNESCO sites and street art. I have added library cafes to the list.
Adjacent to the National Library is an important park, Cerro Santa Lucia in the Barrio Lastarrio neighbourhood. Cerro Santa Lucia is symbolic of the origins of Santiago when Spanish settlers arrived in the valley. Although there are several entrances, the most dramatic is through the Neptune Fountain and terraces. You can climb the hill to the Hidalgo Castle, stroll through the circular gardens, and sit in a small square with another statue of Pedro de Valdivia who set up his first camp right here in 1540 before calling the area ‘Santiago’ on February 12, 1541. An Indigenous ceremony was being prepared as we walked through.
Barrio Lastarrio is a small, ‘hip’ neighbourhood on the east edge of centre. It’s a great place to stroll with leafy streets and little cafes and art centres, including the huge Gabriela Mistral Cultural Centre for arts and exhibitions. A not-so-cultural experience is Emporio La Rosa which is considered the classic ice cream shop in Santiago. We had to check it out. I’m not normally an ice cream connoisseur, but Lavender Vanilla is pretty tasty. By the way, Chile leads Latin America in ice cream consumption.
Here are some street sights from Barrio Lastarrio:
The Gabriela Mistral Cultural Centre:
And, finally, the piece de resistance:
Barrio Bellavista lies just northeast of Barrio Lassario across the Rio Mapocho canal. This is known as the bohemian quarter with lots of bars and lots of graffiti/street art/murals. It’s a fun walk. I expect it gets pretty wild at night.
Here’s some colour from Barrio Bellavista:
We did take the green tram line to a barrio outside the centre, Barrio Matucana, for the sole purpose of visiting the Museo de la Memoria, or the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. This museum is dedicated to the victims of human rights violations (including imprisonment and torture) during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet between 1973 and 1990. As we witnessed in Poland in their human rights museums, groups of school youth were being toured through the museum. These museums are so important as a reminder to us adults that we don’t ever want to go back, and they are an education to young people about what ‘could be’ if we are not vigilant. There is much information online about Chile’s turbulent political history.
The museum also raises the issue of human rights throughout the world. This is the ‘Human rights, universal challenge” room.
Across the road from the museum is the large and beautiful Parque Quinta Normal with beautiful paths, a small ‘lake’, playgrounds, and the Chilean National Museum of Natural History:
Santiago has many parks and green spaces, including one running all along the Rio Mapocho canal through the city with trees, benches, statues, and playgrounds. The largest park, again easily walkable from the centre and from our apartment, is Parque Metropolitano, 722 hectares in size, making it the largest urban park in Latin America and one of the largest in the world. It has hiking trails and roads, a swimming pool, zoo, culture centre, a botanic garden, and funiculars. A popular hike in the park is to see the statue of the Virgin Mary at the highest point of San Cristóbal Hill, about 850 metres above the city. The road up to the statue provides a real work-out for cyclists, and an easy (but fast) ride down.
Walking around Santiago, I was quite interested in the uniqueness of it’s skywalk street crossings. They are art in themselves, and I would love to go on a hunt for more. Here are just two (as always, a traditional and a modern). As they say, don’t forget to look up.
Given Santiago’s unique geographical position in a valley surrounded by mountains yet only less than two hours drive from the Pacific Ocean, and it’s semi-arid climate, there are plenty of day trips within easy reach. We chose two highly enjoyable adventures.
Santiago is the gateway to the Cajun del Maipo, a gorge leading to the Andes Mountains and filled with rivers, streams, mountain peaks - and lots of outdoor adventures. We joined a tour with Get Your Guide (huge shout out to them and to guide Andres) to hike for eight kilometres in the Valle de La Engorda (or, literally, Fattening Valley due to being a place for cattle and goats to graze and fatten up). The valley is a couple of hours drive outside of Santiago which required our skilled driver, Óscar, to navigate sharp turns, washouts, rocks, and mining trucks. We reached a goat shelter, currently empty for another couple of weeks until hundreds of goats return to graze, and this was where we started our hike. The first couple of kilometres were the steepest and rockiest but completely manageable, leading up to a gorgeous swampy valley looked over by the active San José Volcano, 5, 592 metres, and the magnificent Cerro Marmolejo, the southernmost mountain in the world over 6,000 metres. This was such a great taste of the Andes. To make the hike more memorable, we were accompanied the entire way by a retriever dog who was very well-behaved, strong, smart, and knew every nook and cranny of the hike and valley. The guide thinks he might be owned by local goat herders. We were intrigued by a hose running for kilometres from the valley down to the road. It was providing mountain-fresh water to the goat shelter. Here are just a few pictures of a great day.
The other day trip we made is very popular, to the oceanside/hillside city of Valparaiso. This trip is often done on organized tours with a stop in Chile’s wine country thrown in. We chose to go solo, taking a bus from Santiago’s Pajaritos station to Valparaiso’s Terminal Rodoviario. The price was $25 Canadian for a one and a half hour return trip for two people.
Valparaiso is an important port city that was attractive to European immigrants in the late 19th century. The historic quarter was named a UNESCO site in 2003. In the early 2000’s, artists began to settle there, and the city is now known for a rather bohemian atmosphere with cobbled streets, tiny alleys, painted houses, and street art everywhere; but there is also now a focus on education and entertainment. The streets are steep, so much so that there are many funiculars in the city (it’s difficult to say how many and how many of those are operational; there was apparently up to 30 at one point in history) - and a lot of steep stairways.
Here’s a tip if you visit Valparaiso on your own and take a bus, as we did. The area around Terminal Rodoviario is truly risky for pickpocketing or phone-snatching (I was even warned by a passing local). We grabbed a Uber as fast as possible and went to the main plaza, Plaza Sotomayor, and then immediately left the dock area, climbed the hills, and wandered the adorable streets in peace and quiet. Without planning, we covered the main atmospheric streets and had a superb day. The city is a photographer’s dream. (If you do want to be more purposeful in finding the ‘best’ street art for which the city is known, I recommend an organized street art tour; there are all sorts of tours of the city available online, but we enjoyed letting ourselves get safely ‘lost’ for a few hours.) Here is just a small sample of our four hours in Valparaiso:
That was how we spent our week in Santiago. I was surprised and smitten with this city. It’s a wonderful mix of history and cutting-edge new. It’s got a picture-perfect backdrop, it’s easy to navigate, and there is a lot to experience. You get the impression that out of political turbulence and trauma, Santiago is only moving forward with energy. Chile is apparently one of the healthiest economies in Latin America. Yes, Chile and Santiago have their issues with social inequality, but that’s a universal issue that all governments need to address.
One week gave us a good overview, but you could deep-dive into the barrios, the politics, the neoclassical architecture, the new designs, the culture, the history, the art galleries and museums, the shopping, the food, the wine country, the outdoor adventures, or the oceanside communities. As they say, “10/10 recommend”.
Our next stop is Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Enjoy this photo drop:
