Santiago de Chile Travel Guide
Travel to Santiago de Chile - Chile's lively capital with impressive Andean backdrop
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Set on a wide open plain with a spectacular Andean backdrop on a clear day, Santiago is a modern city with a distinctly European appearance. The centre of the city is easy to navigate – for a sprawling city of 5 million its heart is compact and served by a modern subterranean metro system.
The lively plaza at the heart of the city is full of the hustle and bustle you would expect from a Latin American capital city. Museums such as the Museo Precolombiano, the central market and the land mark Cerro Santa Lucía are all within walking distance. A little further is the larger Cerro San Cristóbal and the leafy bohemian district of Bellavista.
Seven years had passed since Pizarro and his band of conquistadors had entered and conquered the Inca capital of Cuzco in Peru. Pedro de Valdivia volunteered to venture south into unknown territory that would later be known as Chile to settle it and claim it for Spain. An 11 month hike brought him and 150 others to a valley south of the massive Atacama desert. On the 12th of February 1541 he founded Santiago de la Nueva Extremadura beneath a rocky hill he had named Santa Lucía.
Streets were drawn out with pegs and string in what was Picunche indigenous territory and the first buildings constructed along the grid pattern markings in the new city were quickly razed in a Picunche raid. Starting badly, the city continued on the same track, suffering earthquakes and never growing particularly rapidly – few colonisers were attracted and little wealth was to be found here.
After independence Santiago became the capital of a new republic and things steadily improved. Dozens of impressive public buildings were built and the city underwent a transformation. Today Santiago and its surrounding suburban area covers almost 40 square km.
Attractions in Santiago de Chile
Colonial Centre – The heart of the city, the lively Plaza de Armas, is surrounded by republican-era architecture and is the centre of the city's colonial history.
Pre-Columbian Art Museum – Housing the best collection of Pre-Columbian art in the country, including ceramics, gold artefacts and tapestries.
Cerro Santa Lucía – Now a beautiful public park, this rocky outcrop was where the city was founded by Pedro de Valdivia.
Cerro San Cristóbal – The other side of the river past Barrio Bellavista, this towering hill that can be climbed on foot or by cable-car offers spectacular views over the city.
Barrio Bellavista – Quiet leafy streets, village-like Bellavista is considered the city's bohemian district.
Parque O'Higgins – The largest park in the city it is the most visited by Chilean families. Sports facilities, an amusement park, a recreation of a Chilean town and a cowboy museum are some of the attractions.
Activities in Santiago de Chile
Travel outside the city to the region's best ski resorts and Chilean wine estates.
Relaxing
Watch the sun set over Santiago from Cerro San Cristóbal and see how the city lights up.
Getting Around
Transportation in the city is good. The clean, modern and reliable metro system covers the tourist areas and extends out into the suburbs. Buses, called Micros, are cheap and widely used.
Taxis are easy to find and are metered.
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