Chile, Santiago de Chile – Welcome to the Capital

Spring Reading Is Brought to You By:

Upon landing we needed to reach downtown. Anyone can recommend you a taxi here . But usually it gets expensive. We decided to ride by bus instead. The bus network is quite good by the way. When getting out of the airport we encountered a stand of Sematur company providing information for tourists. Unlike its competitor – Oficina de Turismo – this agency offers perfect leaflets and plas of the city. The staff is friendly , they are well informed and they mostly speak in English. Moreover, we received a map including the overview of subway and instructions how and where we can find the right bus. Buses stop at the subway stop. Therefore, one can get in downtown quick and easy. By the entrance to subway, buy a ticket. It is valid until you exit the subway.

Once we find us accommodation we set off to downtown. Locals gave us a tip  to see Cerro San Cristóbal. The vista is amazing from this summit. You see the entire town. There are three ways to get there – hiking, taking a cable car or ride a sort of a mountain railway which can take you up to the summit. 

The vista is nothing but impressive. In clear weather you can see as far as the distant slopes of the Andes while seeing the entirity of Santiago. When we get down again we moved to city center. While walking there we visited Barrio Bellavista, a district known for many restaurants, bars, inns, dance clubs – really vibrant district. We continued to Palacio de La Moneda, the presidential palace close to Plaza de Arma square.

Don’t forget to take passport with you. You need to show it for identification purposes when entering the palace. The police stands everywhere guarding the building. The we moved to Plaza de Arma. There are many street artists. Music, dance, juggler – all of this happens on the square. From here, we moved to have a taste of the famous local drink of Terremoto La Piojera. Terremoto means earthquake. It is served in half-a-litre glass including fermented wine, ice cream, and grenadine. They say after one this drink you need to have one more to not to get dizzy. This drink is so strong one has enough after having just one drink.

Our next stop was in Mercado Central historic buildings which houses a fish market and restaurant. We decided to try out some fish specialties. Everbody hear speaks Spanish only, menus are in Spanish as well. For us it was sort of hit and miss. Eventually, food was amazing, bit more expensive but worth it.

Feria Municipal La Vega fruit market was our next and last stop. Don’t hesitate to go there and get a peak. Mostly, there are locals who buy huge quantities of fruits. Stop here for a while and observe what’s happening around in this magical place.

Santiago is an amazing place – roaming dogs, music playing all around, small stands selling Chilean hot dogs with huge layer of avocado and mayo. Sure thing here are markets of local artists and artisans. This is Santiago.

 GPS: 33°23'31.3"S 70°47'50.1"W (airport)

Text and photos: Kateřina Janovská