This post is the continuation of the previous text which I wrote about Santiago de Chile. I am focusing only on attractions here. If you are looking for some basic information and useful tips about visiting Santiago, I recommend you to check my profile.
There are hundreds of museums and other interesting places to visit in Santiago and around the city. For obvious reasons, I cannot describe here all of them, so I've decided to choose 15 attractions which in my opinion are the most interesting.
1) La Vega market
The largest food market in the capital and throughout Chile. Here you will find dozens of stalls with colorful vegetables and fruits from all over the world. An interesting place for shopping, but also to visit for tourists who may be tempted to try products that they have never had the opportunity to eat before.
If you get tired of walking between the stalls, go to the first floor of one of the La Vega buildings. There you will find over a dozen restaurants serving cheap lunches. Ask for "colaciones", the special of the day, and you will certainly eat well and cheaply.
2) Cerro san Cristobal
A towering hill that offers a great view of the entire city and the Andes Mountains stretching across the horizon. You climb up there in two ways: by walking along the picturesque paths or by riding the cable car. Walking is completely free and takes about 40 minutes. You have to pay for the queue.
I especially recommend you to go there in the early morning and watch the sunrise from the top. An unforgettable sight.
There is also a zoo and several other smaller attractions on the hill.
3) Cerro Santa Lucia
A smaller hill located in the city with historic ruins of fortifications. Entry is completely free, but the gates of the hill are closed at night. It is worth getting lost in the maze of paths leading to various terraces, find the perfect place for yourself, sit on one of the many benches with a book or hot coffee and rest for a while. There is no other place in Santiago that relaxes me as much as Cerro Santa Lucia
4) Palacio de la Moneda
19th-century building and seat of the President of Chile. The only way to visit the Palacio de La Moneda from inside is to make a reservation at http://visitasguiadas.presidencia.cl and visit the site with a special guide. I advise you to visit the website early enough, as sometimes the first free dates require several days or even several weeks of waiting time.
5) Plaza de Armas
One of the most important plazas in the city, the square is always bustling with life. The locals meet here for a chat, hang out with cold drinks in the shade under the palm trees, watch the performances of many street artists or ... play chess. Chess stands are set up every morning, and anyone can come and try their luck to defeat one of the senior champions who are occupying the chessboards until late hours.
Here you have a good chance to meet couples dancing the cueca, a traditional Chilean dance, or Chimchineros who perform their traditional dance, spinning quickly around with percussion tied to their backs.
6) Museo de la Memoria i los Derechos Humanos
Entry to the museum is free, you can also ask for an electronic guide, which is available in five languages.
Definitely one of the most important museums on the map of Santiago, which allows us to better understand the modern history of the country, the period of dictatorship and all related repressions, and the course of the political transformation. A very large facility, full of interesting news and documents.
I recommend booking a whole day for this trip. Visit the museum first, then take a break in a local park. There are many other attractions around the Memorial Museum, including the Museum of Modern Art, Museo de Moneda de Chile, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, and Museum Gabriela Mistral Education.
7) Bio Bio Mercado
Place quite remote from the center but with an excellent metro connection. Search for a station called Bio Bio and ask passers-by about the street market.
It is a huge market, divided into thematic sectors, where you will find everything - from tools, clothes, electronic devices, food, and furniture to less conventional things: old slot machines, mannequins, artifacts from the past. I even found a working traffic light for sale.
Entry to the market is completely free. Watch out for crowds - it's quite easy to fall victim to pickpockets in such places. I wouldn't recommend this place to kids either.
8) Costanera center
The largest shopping center in the capital, which in itself may not be a particularly attractive place, but I think it is worth visiting because it is located in the tallest building on the continent and the second tallest in the southern hemisphere.
The Costanera skyscraper is 300 meters high. Interested persons, for a fee, can enter the viewpoint, which is located at the very top
9) Centro Gabriela Mistral
The Cultural Center, built before the dictatorship, was an act of social insurgency - it was built from scratch by residents, street artists came to make their work pleasant and other residents prepared meals for the workers.
During the dictatorship, the building was a center of surveillance of citizens, and the original function of the center was not restored until 1989.
Currently, many cultural events, workshops, and exhibitions take place in Centro. At the back of the building, in a small alley, there is also a tiny street market where local artists sell their works.
10) National Museum of Fine Arts
The museum is situated in a beautiful building with my favorite sculpture in front of the front door. The sculpture shows an angel leaning over a dying man. His facial expressions beautifully reflect love and suffering. On the other side, there is a lovely park where young people always hang out.
The museum itself has divided into two parts: the permanent exhibition is a private collection of the founder's works, mainly dating back to the 19th century. From the point of view of a European, it is not impressive, but it is worth visiting anyway, especially since the entrance to the museum is free. The second room is a temporary exhibition, mostly devoted to contemporary Chilean artists. Very interesting, definitely worth seeing.
11) Museo a Cielo Abierto
It is away from the center but well connected to the metro network. It is a neighborhood with lots of graffiti covering virtually all of the surrounding buildings. Perfect place for a walk on a sunny day.
As the museum is situated quite far away, I do not recommend visiting it in the evenings. The area can be dangerous. It's best to go there in a group and be especially careful.
12) Clubs and pubs in Bellavista
Bellavista is a neighborhood of everlasting parties which start each day in the evenings and are silent in the morning. You will find tons of clubs, pubs, restaurants, and street artists here.
The largest number of hotels and hostels are also located in this place. If you are looking for accommodation in a place that is not necessarily quiet but offers a lot of fun, I highly recommend La Chimba Hostel, where I worked for a year.
13) Cafe con piernas
A type of cafe unique to Chile, where coffee is served by waitresses in skimpy skirts and high heels or in bikinis.
The first cafe con piernas were established in the early 1970s, and currently, there are over 150 places of this type in the country, including the most famous in Santiago: Cafe de Brasil, Cafe Caribe, and Cafe Haiti.
14) Visit in Valparaiso
Valparaiso is a picturesque town on the coast to which I will devote a whole post one day. It is a city located on many hills, which can be overcome by stairs or by taking the special, historic funicular.
The village is artistic, full of street art, graffiti, hidden sculptures, and other art installations. You can also see sea lions and pelicans there.
15) Visit in San Jose de Maipo
San José de Maipo is a town located in the mountains, offering interesting hiking or horse-riding routes, places where you can bathe in the river, as well as extreme sports such as climbing and rafting. A favorite place for rest for the citizens of capital especially crowded during summer weekends.
