Having fun
in Santiago!
Santiago has many fun places to offer, not only
for the locals but also for the many tourists that visit the city every year.
Among the many options are shopping, dining, partying, outdoor activities and
visits to museums to know more about arts, history, and culture. In this blog
you will find all you need to know to have a good time discovering Santiago.
Visiting
Santiago’s downtown is a must for anyone who wants to learn more about Chile:
Palacio
deLa Moneda: The Chilean presidential house was built in 1805 and was
originally the place where coins were produced, the word “moneda” means coin,
giving this building its name.
Nowadays
the courtyard and the ‘Constitucion’ square located behind la Moneda have statues of past president and impressive water fountains.
Below the
‘la Moneda’ there is a museum called ‘Centro Cultural Palacio la Moneda’ which
is “is a private non-profit organization that aims to develop, study,
disseminate, promote and preserve all forms of art, culture and education” (http://www.ccplm.cl)
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| the palace of moneda |
Plaza de
Armas: Also located in downtown and nearby ‘la Moneda’,
Plaza de Armas is the main square in Santiago and the first one built in
Chile. Other ‘plazas de armas’ can be found in every city in Chile according to
the Spanish tradition that back in the 1700’s started building their cities by
establishing a main square with important government buildings and a church
around it first, and then building
houses around it. Amenities of ‘Plaza
de Armas’ in Santiago include art sales,
statues, public dance displays and the Chilean cathedral.
If you have
religious or architectural interests you can visit the following churches that
are very old:
- - Iglesia de la Merced.
- - Catedral (Chilean cathedral)
- - Iglesia San Francisco
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| plaza de armas |
Two
important hills you will want to visit are the ‘cerro San Cristóbal’ and the
‘cerro Santa Lucia’.
Cerro San
Cristóbal: offers many outdoor activities and programs during weekends. Visitors
can choose to go up the hill by car, walking, riding a bike or taking an
elevator. On top of the hill there is a huge statue of Virgin Mary and a
chapel. The view from ‘cerro San
Cristóbal’ is amazing and great part of the city can be seen from there.
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| cerro san cristóbal |
Cerro Santa
Lucia: is a beautiful place to visit with also a good view but not as impressive
as ‘cerro San Cristobal’. If you are in the area make sure you visit ‘Feria
Santa Lucia’, a marketplace where crafts, handmade items, music, instruments, food
and souvenirs can be purchased.
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| cerro santa lucía |
Other
places that offer fun activities for the tourists are: Museo de Bellas Artes
(museum), Parque Forestal (park), Barrio Lastarria (shopping, architecture and
food), Plaza Yungay (historic square), La Chascona (Pablo Neruda’s house),
soccer matches and the cementerio
general (main cementery, architecture).
Also keep
in mind during the winter that Santiago is only an hour away from upscale
skiing and snowboarding centers. During the summer you can visit the ocean and
beautiful beaches that are also located approximately an hour away from the
city.
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| pablo neruda's house |
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| barrio lastarria |
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| parque forestal |
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| plaza yungay |
There are
many restaurants in Santiago but if you would like to try typical flavors and
Chilean dishes we recommend visiting the following:
Mercado
Central:Has a fish market with a great variety of fish and seafood. If you do
not know how to prepare it you can instead go to one of the many restaurants
also located in the ‘Mercado Central’.
La Piojera:
Bar and Restaurant that offers traditional drinks and food, and live music. ‘La
Piojera’ is an excellent place to meet new people and to dance ‘cueca’ (the
traditional Chilean music style and dance style).
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| mercado central |
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| mercado central |
Emporio La
Rosa: You can visit this ice cream shop in any of its locations (One in Parque
Arauco and the other one in Parque Forestal). It is worth visiting due to its
exotic and unusual ice cream flavors such as ginger-chocolate and rose.
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| emporio la rosa |
La Piojera:
Bar and Restaurant that offers traditional drinks and food, and live music. ‘La
Piojera’ is an excellent place to meet new people and to dance ‘cueca’ (the
traditional Chilean music style and dance style).
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| la piojera |
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| la piojera |
Whether
your partying style is just having a drink with friends or dancing all night
long Santiago has to offer what you are looking for.
Patio
Bellavista counts with several bars with different styles where live music,
karaoke and poetry shows can be seen.
The bars also offer food and they sell souvenirs.
If you want
to dance and experience latin music and also English music you can visit the
club ‘Murano’ or ‘Urracas’.
Other
places to visit are: Plaza Nunoa (drinks, happy hours and live music), bar
Teclados (drinks, music and delicious cheesy French fries) and Barrio Suecia
(bars, karaoke and dancing clubs). If
you love beer we recommend you to visit http://www.mapcity.cl/#t=1 for a list of bars that offer craft beer and homebrewed in Santiago.
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| patio bellavista |
