Santiago Chile

In our armchair travels we’ve left Brazil and now have arrived in Chile. Chile is a long, narrow country that stretches along the western edge of South America. It has over 6,000 km of Pacific Ocean coastline.

Santiago is Chile’s capital and largest city. It sits in a valley that is surrounded by the snow-capped Ande Mountains and the Chilean Coast Range.

The best way to get a good look at Santiago is from the Parque Metropolitano also known as Cerro San Cristobal. This park is the city’s largest green space. The park is located on the east of the Bohemian Bellavista neighborhood. To reach the park there is the historical funicular railway.

The summit of Mount San Cristobal has a giant statue of the Virgen de la Inmaculada Conception, weighing in at 37,000 kilos and rising up 15 meters in height from the base of the hill. Here visitors come to pray, meditate or gaze at the spectacular views from the terrace balcony.

The funicular railway takes visitors through the park. They can get off at any of the stations along the way offering attractions and tourist sites. Among the highlights is the Victoria Fortified Tower, the Botanical Garden and the Winery Museum.

During the summertime there is the Tupahue swimming pool where you can swim and sunbathe.

This is one of the most visited parks in the city. It is a great place to jog, mountain bike, watch birds or just go walking.

The Museo de la Moda is a privately run fashion museum offering a large permanent collection of Western clothing most from 20^th century designers. Among the highlights are John Lennon’s jacket from 1966, the “cone bar” that Jean Paul Gaultier designed for Madonna and an evening gown worn by Lady Diana in 1981. The collection has 10,000 items and only some of them are on display at a time. There are also temporary exhibits such as a tribute to Michael Jackson and a “Back to the 80s” show. There is an onsite cafe.

Poet Pablo Neruda built himself a hideaway La Chascona which loosely translates to “messy hair”. The name was inspired by the unruly curls sported by his mistress. Since Neruda loved the sea the dining room is fashioned after a ship’s cabin and the living room after a lighthouse.

There are audio tours available  in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. They will inform you of the history of the house and the collection of colored glass, shells, furniture and artwork all done by famous friends. There is a cafe and gift shop.

Centro Gabriela Mistral is an impressive cultural and performing arts center. It was named after Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral who was the first Latin American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. You can hear concerts and watch performances.

On the bottom floor are large exhibition spaces and rotating art exhibits. There are free tours of the center.

NAVE is an experimental cultural center that found its home in a 20^th century mansion. Here artists can showcase their work whether it be  in dance, performance, music or theater..

Biblioteca Nacional de Chile is Chile’s impressive national library with high ceilings, stained glass domes, checkered floors and antique furnishings. It is one of the largest and oldest libraries in Latin America. It hosts gallery exhibitions and has free Internet and a cafe.

Sky Costanera is the tallest building in Latin America. Up on top you can get a 160-degree view of Santiago and the surrounding mountains.

Palacio Cousino was built between 1870 and 1878 by the Cousino-Goyeneschea family. Their fortune came from winemaking and coal and silver mining. Here you can see how Chile’s elite lived in the 19^th century.

There are Carrara marble columns, a half-ton Bohemian crystal chandelier, Chinese cherry wood furniture, gold cutlery and the first electrical fittings in Chile.

Palacio de la Moneda is an ornate neo-Classical building that is home to the presidential offices. It was designed by Italian architect Joaquin Toesca in the late 18^th century and was originally the official mint. The inner courtyards are open to the public. You can schedule  guided tours.

Parque Bicentenario this lovely park has over 4000 trees and features chaise lounges and sun umbrellas. There is a state-of-the-art playground for children.

The Plaza de Armas is a beautiful plaza with a fountain in the center built in honor of Liberator Simon Bolivar. It’s shaded by over a hundred Chilean palm trees. On weekday afternoons and weekends you can find entertainers here and snack stands.

Catedral Metropolitana overlooks the Plaza de Armas. It was built in the neo-Classical style between 1748 and 1800.

Cerro Santa Lucia is a lovely manicured park.

There are many trails and stone steps leading through terraces to the Torre Mirador at the top. If you prefer you can take an elevator up.

Iglesia de San Franciso had the first stone laid in 1586 and is Santiago’s oldest surviving colonial buildings. There is a clock tower finished in 1857. Attached to it is a colonial art museum. On the main altar is a carving of the Virgen del Socorro or Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes is a fine art museum that has made its home in the neo-Classical Palacio de Bellas Artes. It features a fine permanent collection of Chilean art. There are free guided tours on Saturdays and Sundays.

Museo Historico Nacional displays colonial furniture, weapons, paintings, historical objects and models offer a look into Chile’s colonial and republican history.

Barrio Paris-Londres is a tiny neighborhood that was created on the grounds of the Franciscan convent of Iglesia de San Francisco. It consists of two intersecting cobblestone street, Paris and Londres. Both are lined by European-style townhouses that were built in the 1920s.

 

 

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/chile/santiago/attractions/a/poi-sig/363286

https://www.welcomechile.com/santiago/

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