If you happen to visit Santiago during a summer weekend, like I did, you will find the city relatively peaceful with less crowds. The capital of Chile has 5 million inhabitants and all the people that we met complained that it is too crowded. It is really a nice and peaceful experience to walk around and move quickly from one side to the other with the city’s extensive and modern subway network. It is even nicer to see how many cultural activities are happening in Santiago! Believe me, you will be impressed by the amount of concerts, open air cinemas, theatres and museums. Plus, the city is super green in the summer with tons of parks where you can chill out or go for a run. The city is definitely a kind of place where you would stay longer and combine the remote work with travelling. If you do that you will probably want to stay in . Barrio Lastarria: known for its bohemian atmosphere. It is in fact a trendy neighbourhood teeming with cafes, art galleries, and boutiques. You will be sone throw from the cultural centers, and you will love the vibrant street art that adds flair to this artistic district.
Shop like a local! Beyond Mercado Central, La Vega Central is another vibrant market showcasing the diversity of Chilean produce. From colorful fruits and vegetables to local delicacies, the market is a sensory delight for those seeking an authentic Chilean experience.
If you feel like a tourist, one of the main attractions is Cerro San Christobal; a hill overlooking the town. We got a funicular to go up there and we enjoyed beautiful views of the city center from above and the mountains around. I recommend you to have an enjoyable walk in Parque Metropolitano (one of the largest urban parks in the world) dnd after that try a nice meal in the restaurant area at the bottom of the hill. The visit to Neruda’s house, which is in the neighbourhood, is of course a must. While visiting the house and listening to the stories on the audio-guides, you can tell that the city changed a lot in the past 50 years. 60 years ago Neruda had a view of the mountains from his living room. Now, you have to try hard to see them as they are covered by skyscrapers. Yes, Santiago is developing at a very fast pace.
The other attraction in town is beautiful Cerro Santa Lucia. Just another hill, a bit lower than San Christobal but with a lovely palace on top of it. Just a perfect location for a Sunday pic-nic, easily accessible on foot.
Of course as every big city in South America, Santiago has its Plaza de Armas where you can have a rest, enjoy the peace and watch the locals chatting and playing cards.
The city is full of architecture gems and you will definitely enjoy walking in the main downtown passing through Palacio de la Moneda (government building), nearby cultural center, city theatre, University and financial district.
If you are a history lover, like I am you definitely have to visit two important sights that will guide you though the painful past of Chile. As you probably know from 1973 to 1990 Chile was ruled by a Augusto Pinochet. Museo de la Memoria and the Parque por La Paz are two places where the history of those years is shown and both places offer very accurate description and can be very emotional. The access is free of charge and I seriously think that if you want to spend some time in Chile these are definitely the must visit sights, no matter what your political views are. In the Museo de la Memoria (The Museum of remembrance) we can follow the history of Pinochet’s regime step by step and year by year from the very first day of the golpe to its end. We can hear the last speech of Allende and the first speech of Pinochet. We can watch the documentary showing tough images of the 11th of September 1973 when Pinochet divided Chile into two factions and attacked his own country with the Chilean army from land and sea. All this to “stop the communists” elected by the Chilean citizens. The museum walks us through the dark years of dictatorship; the curfews, the imprisonments and torture of young students, the executions. We can watch the testimonials of those who survived, we can go through personal objects of the prisoners. The museum brings us to the last days of the dictatorship and the results of the referendum when the citizens kicked Pinochet out of politics.
The second historical museum is Parque por la Paz (ex Villa Grimaldi). It is a small park a bit outside the city. The visit is done with an audio-guide where we can hear the story of each part of the park. This visit can be even more emotionally demanding than the aforementioned museum as the cruel tortures and events that took place here are described in detail. Hard to imagine that this beautiful park, today full of loud green parrots, witnessed such a cruelty inflicted by humans to other humans.
Practical info:
Internet connection: reliable
Public transport: great, no need to rent a car
Apartment rentals: can be fairly expensive but there are some good deals. Look for adverts of locals who sublet the apartments during holidays.
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