Santiago First Impressions:

Cool (vibe) Hot (temp: 30 C) Bohemian Laidback Old and New Quirky Proud Vibrant Colourful Great Wine!

We are wandering the streets of Barrio Lastarria, one of the hip, vibrant, boho areas of Santiago where jewellery, art and handicraft stalls, endless wine bars and enticing restaurants line the coblestone streets. There’s a bluesy sound emanating from some musos on a corner and the whole vibe is chill and effortlessly cool.

We’re here for just a few days prior to heading south to explore Patagonia, so private tours will be the best way to learn about and absorb the atmosphere of this fascinating city.

Getting There:

It’s an easy 14 hour flight to Santiago, direct from Sydney, and we arrive on the same day that we leave, but 2 hours earlier!

We arranged our entire trip through South America Tours in Sydney who are experts in everything South American, especially Patagonia, which is where foundor, Nico (Nicholas Samuel) is from. They specialise in crafting bespoke, privately guided journeys, tailored entirely to your preferences, and have done an amazing job of ensuring our journey is both deeply immersive and flawlessly executed.

On arrival at Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport we are met by our personal tour guide Maiti, who speaks excellent English. She tells us about the new President being installed today (be prepared for possible protests and road closures in the city centre). “No problem here”, we say, as we aren’t planning on venturing far on our first day anyway.

We check into our beautiful accommodation at Hotel Cumbres Lastarria and after a quick lunch upstairs on the 8th floor, overlooking leafy trees and the quirky ‘mobile phone’ building, we head out for a wander.

---

Day 1 – National Museum of Fine Arts

Our destination is Santiago’s National Museum of Fine Arts (Museo Nacianal Bellas Artes, MNBA), which seems like as good a place as any to keep ourselves awake after our long haul across the Pacific.

Housed in a beautiful neoclassical building and positioned overlooking pretty Forestal Park, it is a leafy but very warm 15 min walk from the hotel along the parkway.

The museum houses Chile’s principal collection of paintings and sculpture under a spectacular domed glass roof, designed and built in Belgium and shipped to Chile in 1907, just in time for the celebration of the centenary of Chile’s Independence.

We wander around this beautiful space until our bodies protest (it’s the middle of the night at home), then make our way back to our hotel sanctuary for a much-needed nap

---

Day 2 – Exploring Santiago’s Historic Centre

The best way to see Santiago is to walk. Its historic centre is a compact and walkable downtown area centered on the Plaza de Armas, home to the Metropolitan Cathedral, the La Moneda Palace, Santa Lucía Hill, and the Lastarria neighborhood (where we are staying). It’s filled with magnificent colonial architecture, monuments, museums, and its historical roots date back to the 16th century.

We are collected at 9am from our hotel by Maiti and our driver Rodrigues, and set out on a driving/walking tour of the city and beyond.

As predicted yesterday, the streets are busy with people waiting to see the new president, José Antonio Kast, make his way to La Moneda Presidential Palace where he will be delivering his first speech to supporters from the balcony. Baracades block most roads as preparations begin for the great Military Parade so we can’t access the Plaza de Armas (the original place where the armoury and military base was establishedin the city), or the Precolumbian Museum. We watch the military drills for a little while until we are whisked away by Maiti to explore further. We head into the depths of the historic district and pass by the grand, wedge-shaped Renaissance-inspired Bolsa de Comercio (Santiago Stock Exchange), then duck across Bernard O’Higgins Ave to check out the delightfully arty Metro Station.

It’s then a quick 10 minute stroll via a beautifully fountained courtyard to Iglesia de San Francisco (The Church of San Francisco), the oldest colonial building in Santiago (founded in 1554), which still remains standing after 15 magnitude 7 earthquakes! It boasts magnificent Mudéjar-style wooden ceilings, rustic white stone walls, and to one side of the chapel lies Cristo Yacente (Reclining/Dead Christ), a life-like body of Christ enshrined inside a solid, carved timber and glass case. The effect is sobering and beautiful – it is a very special place.

Museo San Francisco, next door to the church, houses one of the most valuable collections of viceregal art in South America. Its collection of unique colonial works represents the artistic richness of the era, and the profound story of the Franciscan presence and its legacy in Chile.

We continue on and emerge into a magical place – the picturesque neighborhood of Barrio Paris-Londres. Sitting at the intersection of Londres Street and París Street and tucked behind the Church of San Francisco, it is hard to believe we are only a few steps away from the hustle and bustle of the Presidential parade. We are worlds away, in fact, enjoying the quiet charm of this arty European-style area, its cobblestone streets and beautiful Parisienne-style architecture.

Like clockwork, our driver appears at a nearby cobblestone street corner, and we climb in for a well-earned rest as we drive to our next stop – Santa Lucia Hill, the actual spot where Santiago was founded. Adorned with wonderful facades, fountains, gardens and “Neptuno Terrace” at the summit, we climb the stairs for panoramic views over the city to the magnificent Andes Mountains beyond.

Sightseeing done for the morning, we head back to Lastarria via Cerro San Cristóbal, the 860m tall hill overlooking the entire city of Santiago with its 14-meter-tall statue of the Virgin Mary (the Immaculate Conception). We cross the Mapucho River and arrive back via the bohemian Bella Vista District with its numerous restaurants, boutiques and avant-garde galleries.

Back in Lastarria we are spoilt for choice for lunch, but choose Utopia, a popular restobar best known for its signature cocktails and traditional Latin American/Chilean dishes. We opt for the mixed empanadas, a glass of bubbles and a cappuccino.

That night it’s drinks and shrimp pizza at the the bar in Hotel Cumbres, sharing stories with new friends about our day of exploration.

Day 3 – Valparaiso & Vina del Mar!

It’s an early 8am start this morning as we head out on our second private tour, this time with our new guide Franco and driver, Jose. We are heading to the vibrant, historic port city of Valparaiso, just 120km north-west of Santiago. It’s famous for its chaotic, colorful hills, historic funiculars, and sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. In 2003 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its unique architectural and urban development.

It’s a cool morning as we drive through the fertile valleys north of Santiago and head towards an increasingly dry, semi-arid terrain. We are on Ruta 68 (Chile Route 68) and emerge from a tunnel into a thick morning fog, blanketing everything including the endless vineyards lining the roadsides.

We stop for coffee and a wine tasting at Rio Tinto Casablanca, but spy something even more exciting than Chilean wine – llamas! There are two in a paddock behind the restauarant, so we brave the cold with a quick walk over to meet them. These gentle South American camelids are related to alpacas, camels and guanaco, and have long been prized as livestock guardians (in place of dogs), and as a pack animal owing to their nimble mountain-climbing abilities. Alpacas, on the other hand, are visibly shorter and are predominantly bred for their incredibly soft, lightweight fleece.

Photos snapped and feel-good llama encounter over, we jump back in the car and continue on to Valparaiso just as the fog lifts and the sunshine returns. It’s not long before we arrive in this vibrant city and we begin our walking tour which takes us around a maze of steep streets, over cerros (hills), up and down a few escateras (stairways) on a winding path through a labyrinth of alleyways lined with quaint, colourful old houses – the most colourful I think I’ve ever seen.

It’s steep, fun, the houses cling to the clifftops and cover the hills, and there’s street art everywhere! It has magical ocean views, a busy harbour, seagulls gliding, boats bobbing, even airforce jets buzzing overhead. It’s a fabulous sensory overload! There are numerous churches, street stalls and markets, cats and dogs, buskers, jugglers, fast drivers and funiculars – I even opt to take a slippery slide down to the funicular station entrance!

We ‘play’ on the Piano Keys Stairs (Escalera Piano), an interactive street art installation featuring 29 steps creatively painted to resemble a giant piano keyboard, and take selfies in front of an expansive view of multi-coloured houses tumbling down to the harbour. As Valparaiso is also the site of Pablo Neruda‘s house, now a multi-level museum built into the hillside, we explore its four floors, narrow, winding staircases and his eccentric art collection. Neruda is perhaps the most important Latin American poet of the 20th century. He was a diplomat and politician and received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. He built his house ‘La Sebastiana‘ in order to escape the city fatigue and enjoy its refreshing sea breezes and expansive panoramic views from every window.

Next is lunch at Fauna, overlooking Valparaiso Bay, a highlight with its sunny deck, fresh local cuisine, and beautiful views – ‘La vista corre por cuenta de la casa’ (the view is on the house). Here’s Fauna’s Menu.

After lunch we take the Queen Victoria Furnicular (Ascensor Reina Victoria) down to meet Jose for our return to Santiago, but there’s an important detour we have to make first – a visit to the popular seaside town of Vina del Mar. We drive along its esplanade past ships, the President’s summer house, beachside street sellers, cafes and over canals until we reach the famous Flower Clock – Reloj de Flores. Originally created for the 1962 FIFA World Cup, this working, GPS-controlled timepiece is made of thousands of seasonal, blooming flowers and features 3-metre-long hands and an arrangement of flowers spelling out “Viña del Mar”.

As beautiful as the clock is, it’s the authentic Moai statue located right outside the Museo de Arqueología e Historia Francisco Fonck that I’m keen to see. It is one of the very few genuine Moai statues from Easter Island (Rapa Nui) to be found anywhere outside of the island itself, and at least if I never make it to the island (which is at the top of my bucket list), I can at least be content with having seen one here in Vina del Mar.

It’s been another great day of sightseeing, and we’ve really enjoyed our stay in beautiful Santiago. We’ll definitely be back to see more sights, visit the Precolumbian Museum (Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino) try a lot more restaurants, and hopefully make it to Easter Island for all the Moai statues.

But for now, we are ready for an early night, as tomorrow morning we fly from Santiago to Puerto Natales to begin our exciting and in-depth exploration of Patagonia – the ‘Land of the Giants’.

---

Explore Further:

---

Santiago Guided Tours: