“Cheap” dollar and sky-high local prices meant that shopping trips to
Santiago de Chile
were once again in the travel plans of Argentines.
Its
wide range of malls
with brands, models and, above all, prices that cannot be found in Argentina is a magnet that is once again very attractive, as it was until 2017.
The last long weekend of Holy Week was a good example: more than 40 thousand Argentines crossed into Chile essentially to shop, and at the Los Liberadores pass, which connects Mendoza with the trans-Andean capital, they had to endure queues of several hours to be able to cross.
City in transformation
But Santiago is much more than malls and shopping, and it would be a shame to travel without knowing at least some of its
tourist and historical attractions
.
Furthermore, because the trans-Andean capital has undergone
a great transformation
in the last 15 or 20 years, which has turned it into one of the
most modern cities in Latin America
, with a growing state-of-the-art Metro network and glass towers that impact the mountainous landscape.
In addition to “gentrification” phenomena that have given new life and
turned traditional neighborhoods into a trend
, while the network of urban highways and cycle paths grows year after year.
Today, Santiago
offers a large number of experiences that go beyond shopping
and malls with brands from all over the world; from first-class gastronomy to a great cultural proposal, from adventure tourism to urban parks and neighborhoods with a lot of movement and an attractive nightlife.
Without forgetting another important point in favor, which is connectivity: there are a
large number of flights from Ezeiza, Aeroparque, Córdoba and Mendoza
, both from Aerolíneas Argentinas and Sky Airlines, Latam, JetSmart and KLM, which allows you to get
tickets at very low prices. good prices
on certain dates.
Here,
some must-see sites in the trans-Andean capital to combine with a shopping trip
and enjoy a thriving and constantly transforming city, which from every corner offers the impressive backdrop of the Andes Mountains.
Metropolitan park
Cerro San Cristóbal and La Chascona
With more than 700 hectares, the Metropolitan Park is the largest green space in Santiago, where you can spend several hours. In addition to the Japanese Garden, it houses the Adventure Park and public swimming pools, although the greatest attraction is the Mirador de la Virgen, at 1,000 meters above sea level, where there is a giant sculpture of the Virgin Mary and steps that form a stage where masses are celebrated.
From the top you can get excellent panoramic views of a large part of the city, and you can go up in several ways: on foot, by bike, along a vehicular path, by cable car or funicular.
Very close to the base of the cable car there is a must-see: La Chascona, which is the name of the house that the poet Pablo Neruda had in Santiago - he had another in Isla Negra and a third in Valparaíso - where his remains were laid to rest in 1973. .
Built on the slope of the San Cristóbal hill, La Chascona is a succession of environments joined by stairs in which, among the extravagant original decoration, different collections that the poet kept there are displayed, from books to figureheads, conch shells or bottles of all parts of the world. The place was declared a Historical Monument and houses the headquarters of the Pablo Neruda Foundation.
Trendy neighborhoods
Bellavista, Lastarria, Brazil and Italy
At the foot of San Cristóbal Hill, the colorful
Bellavista
is
the most bohemian neighborhood
in Santiago, with a mix of bars, clubs, art galleries and restaurants of all kinds, from fast food to those specializing in Italian or Asian dishes. If you are looking for nightlife, the backbone is
Pío Nono Street
, full of pubs with live music.
Very close to Bellavista, just crossing the Mapocho River,
Lastarria Street gave its name to an entire neighborhood that was
highly visited for its elegant restaurants, cafes and high-end bars, on semi-pedestrian cobblestone streets flanked by old buildings and populated by stalls. of crafts.
A
sophisticated nighttime experience
in a nerve center of the city, near the historic center, Bellavista and San Cristóbal Hill. A must-see is
Santa Lucía Hill
, a high green walk in the middle of the city, where two forts or castles and other military installations were built at the beginning of the 19th century.
In the 1870s it became a green promenade with ponds, water fountains, terraces with vegetation, gardens, a hermitage, viewpoints, the transformation of Castillo Hidalgo into a museum and other constructions inspired by French landscaping.
To the north of Lastarria, next to the Forest Park, await the
National Museum of Fine Arts
and, next door, the
Museum of Contemporary Art
, overlooking the Mapocho River.
Other neighborhoods that have been transformed are
Brasil
, around the square of the same name, which became another
nerve center of Santiago's nightlife
, where live music is never lacking and bars and clubs abound.
Italy
, between the communes of Providencia and Ñuñoa, is a neighborhood of old houses and quiet streets that became a
center of multicultural gastronomy
: there are restaurants serving Chinese, Ecuadorian, Thai, Turkish, Peruvian or Vietnamese food, among many other nationalities.
There, a visit to the
Condell market
is a must , which houses small shops and stands of entrepreneurs, as well as restaurants and cafes. In Guillermo Franke Square there are games for children and, depending on the day, a crafts fair.
Center
La Moneda, Plaza de Armas and Central Market
The
La Moneda Palace
, facing the famous Alameda Avenue, is the political and historical center of Chile, where the government house operates and which became famous when, in the 1973 coup d'état, it was bombed. There, in the chair of the presidential office, then-president Salvador Allende committed suicide.
There are guided tours
.
On the esplanade in front of the historic building there is a
modern semi-underground and glazed cultural center
, with temporary and permanent exhibitions, activities and workshops and headquarters of the
National Cinematheque
of Chile. Behind the building, the
Plaza de la Constitución
displays statues of former presidents of Chile.
It is worth the walk along the pedestrian
Paseo Ahumada
, full of historic shops and cafes like Haiti, to the
Plaza de Armas
, the founding point of the city flanked by the Cathedral, the Archbishopric and old buildings.
Three blocks later is the unmissable
Mercado Centra
l, where you can buy all kinds of fresh foods,
especially fish and seafood
, or taste them right there, since it is considered one of the most characteristic gastronomic centers of Santiago, with restaurants where you can taste Typical Chilean food, based mainly on seafood. In 2012, National Geographic voted it the
fifth best food market in the world
.
The Counts
Malls, Parque Araucano and Los Dominicos Craft Center
An excursion to Las Condes, one of the top residential neighborhoods in Santiago, will inevitably include visits to
famous malls such as Parque Arauco, Open Kennedy
- one in front of the other - and
Las Condes
, further towards the Cordillera.
Parque Arauco and Open Kennedy are in front of the enormous
Parque Araucano
, a large green space with many
games for children
, the
KidZania
space , where the little ones can play different professions and be firefighters, police officers, doctors, painters, postmen and more (entrance pay).
The modern Entre Parques bridge connects it with the
Juan Pablo II park
, forming a green space
1,500 meters long by 200 meters wide
, with views of the mountain range.
At the eastern head of Metro Line 1, the
Los Dominicos Craft Center
is like a small town with small streets and dozens of
craft stores
, mainly semi-precious stones, saddlery and basket weaving, but much more. There are also places to eat.