Santiago

There is something a little bit special about this, the biggest city in Chile. Santiago is not only easy on the eye, vibrant with color and nature, but it’s also easy to navigate around. A blessing for any traveler without a lot of time up their sleeve.

House and Pet Sitting

Mine was an impromptu visit. I got a chance to spend 10 days in Santiago looking after a house and dog while the owners were on holiday. If you’re interested in doing the same thing or need someone to look after your pet, here’s the site. There’s other house-sitting sites but this is the one I’ve had good personal experience with.

My first day in Santiago was the 18th September which is a major holiday for Chileans. It’s a day of celebration for the beginning of their independence from Spain. Then on the 19th they have a public holiday where they celebrate ‘The Day of the Glories of the Army’. It’s also the beginning of spring. A lot to celebrate so it makes sense that this, Fiestas Patrias celebration can sometimes be a week long.

Holiday Celebrations

Because of this, for me for the first 5 days, the city felt almost asleep. The majority of shutters were down, mini marts were open for short hours and traffic was minimal.  There was still vibrant hints of life though. On the 19th at regular intervals a booming noise overhead would draw my eyes to the perfect formation of fighter jets. And a few times during the day lines of helicopters dotted the skyline. 

Chile’s Flag Rules

Chile’s flag were also everywhere on display. On flag poles, off the side of buildings, out of windows and off balconies. Further research told me this flag hanging is mandatory over the 18th and 19th September and is punishable with fines for lack of observance. Research also said it’s not heavily enforced though.

Cerro San Cristobal

I was lucky enough to be staying in the neighborhood at the base of this hill which has a beautiful, big, white Virgin Mary watching over the city from its summit. It houses many great restaurants, coffee shops and bars in the streets around its base. Part way up is a zoo and there are heaps of walkways. The latter a big advantage with a 7 month old puppy to entertain. 

There is a paved road to the left of where you get on board the funicular (at the top of Pio Nono street).  The road climbs slowly around the side of the hill and eventually finishes at the top having provided a complete 360 degree of views of Santiago.  The photo at the start of this blog post shows that even dogs love the views from this climb, especially when you can see the Andes in the distance.

As well as the paved road there are additional dirt paths through the trees and plenty of opportunities to check out the native foliage and bird song. There’s restaurants and souvenir shops at the top as well as public drinking fountains dotted along some of the paths. Which also cater to dogs, at the fittingly lower level.

It’s also a great place for sitting back on lush green grass and watching all the other walkers, skateboarders and cyclists take advantage of the fact that at this time of year the sun doesn’t go down until 8 pm.

Other Tourist Sites

Plaza de Armas

The Plaza de Armas (the square of weapons) is the main square of most South American cities and Santiago is no different. The concept of building up neighborhoods around a central square block protected by arms and surrounded by government offices goes back to the Spanish conquistadors times. This tourist spot gets its own metro station, funnily enough named Plaza de Armas, and therefore easy to get to.

This, Palacio de la Monedo and Cerro Santa Lucia are in what is now termed, the old part of the city. The new part of the city being where the tallest building in the South Americas is housed, the Torre Costanera.

Torre Costanera

It costs about $20 to ride to the top and houses a good shopping mall at its base including the huge supermarket, Jumbo. This is a very impressive supermarket with a vast array of products and choices. There didn’t appear to be a huge range of supermarkets in Santiago but mini-marts were everywhere.

Cerro Santa Lucia

Cerro Santa Lucia is another great example of an oasis in the middle of the city. It’s only about a 20-30 minute walk from Plaza de Armas. I walked around its base to start with. While on one side I had large buildings, apartment blocks and streets teaming with traffic.  On the other I had nature and peace and quiet. 

The view from the base is blocked by the beautiful tall trees. And you might be fooled into thinking that there can’t really be that great a view of Santiago on offer. But once you’re inside the park and start climbing you realize it is so. Not only do you get a wonderful view but you also get plenty of landscaped grassed areas. Fountains, dirt pathways and step; a smorgasbord of discovery to partake in.

Definitely worth a visit, take some snacks and beverages and have a picnic. Or just lay on the grass and read a book, you’ll forget that it’s even possible you’re in the middle of a big city.

Palacio de La Moneda

In English, ‘Palace of the Mint’. Originally it was used, as the name suggests, as the place where they made the money. It is now the seat of the government of Chile and houses the President and other cabinet ministers. You can actually go inside on a guided tour but have to book a week in advance.

Pueblito Los Dominicos

This is a wonderful artisans market at the end of one of the metro lines. It’s very easy to get to and well worth the trip.  Set up like a small village, it has dirt paths meandering past around 200 shops made of mud and straw. Everything is nestled under trees and foliage with an ample amount of seats set up in picturesque spots. Here you can take a rest, soak up some sun and listen to the peacefulness.

Everything from shrubbery and rabbits to lapis lazuli jewelry, copper wares, wood and ceramics products. All tastefully crafted. I spent a couple of hours here. Just wandering, checking the wares and in some cases watching the artists at work. There’s places to eat, have cold drinks and ice-creams. 

An additional fascinating extra of this market is the permanent bonsai garden and insects display. There’s a whole wall of preserved insects and butterfly’s behind glass cases. The species come from all over the world, Africa, Australia, Asia and South America. The shear size and beautiful colors of these creatures had me completely mesmerized. Look out for the sign below and definitely go check them out.

How To Get There

Get on the metro line 1 (the red line) and head to the last stop which is Los Dominicos. Depending on where you come out you’ll either see the big white building with two green domes in front of or behind you. Head towards that, a 5 minute walk and the entrance to the market will be on your right.

Metro

The Metro currently encompasses 7 lines and is an easy to navigate system. It’s a quick and cost effective way to get around Santiago. The fares range between 670 pesos (90 us cents) and 800 pesos ($1.10 us).

To get on the metro you’ll need to purchase a bip! card (named after the sound it makes as you swipe it) the cost of which is 1500 pesos ($2 us).

Electrical Plugs