Santiago is a city of 7 million framed by the Andes, a metropolis where you can ski in the morning and drink Carmenere at a rooftop bar in the afternoon. The city’s attractions span colonial history in the Plaza de Armas, bohemian culture in Barrio Bellavista, world-class museums in Barrio Lastarria, and the mountain parks that define Santiago’s skyline. This guide covers essential Santiago attractions with locations, opening hours, ticket prices in Chilean Pesos, and practical tips. Most attractions cluster in the walkable central districts of Santiago Centro, Lastarria, Bellavista, and Providencia.
Things to Do in Santiago: Essential Attractions and Experiences
Cerro San Cristobal and Parque Metropolitano
Cerro San Cristobal rises 300m above the city as Santiago’s largest green space at 722 hectares. The summit features a 22m statue of the Virgin Mary, a small chapel, and the best panoramic views in the city spanning from the Andes to the Coastal Range. Reach the top via the funicular (CLP 2,000/US$2 round trip from Pio Nono station at the Bellavista entrance), the teleferico cable car (CLP 3,000/US$3 from Pedro de Valdivia Norte), or a steep 45-minute hike. The park also houses the National Zoo (CLP 4,000/US$4), two swimming pools (summer only, CLP 6,000/US$6), and the Japanese Garden. Open Tuesday-Sunday 8:30am-7pm (closes earlier in winter, 6pm). Go on a clear morning for the best Andes views. The smog obscures the mountains on winter afternoons.
Plaza de Armas and the Historic Center
The Plaza de Armas has anchored Santiago since the city’s founding in 1541. The square is ringed by the Metropolitan Cathedral (built 1748-1800, free entry, open daily 9am-7pm), the Central Post Office, the National History Museum (free, Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5:30pm), and the Municipality of Santiago. The plaza fills with chess players, portrait artists, and evangelical preachers throughout the day. The surrounding pedestrian streets (Paseo Ahumada, Paseo Estado) are Santiago’s commercial spine. The area can feel edgy after dark; visit during daylight hours. The Museum of Pre-Columbian Art (CLP 6,500/US$6.50, Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm) one block west at Bandera 361 houses an extraordinary collection of pre-Hispanic art from across the Americas.
La Moneda Palace and Cultural Centre
La Moneda is Chile’s presidential palace, a neoclassical building from 1805 that was the site of the 1973 military coup. The changing of the guard ceremony takes place every odd-numbered day at 10am (and the 20th of every month regardless). Free guided tours of the palace interior run Monday-Friday; book at least 5 days ahead through the La Moneda website with your passport number. The Cultural Centre La Moneda beneath the plaza hosts rotating international art exhibitions (CLP 3,000-5,000/US$3-5) and has a good craft shop for Chilean artisan products. The surrounding Plaza de la Ciudadania is a vast open square popular with skateboarders. Metro: La Moneda (Line 1).
Barrio Bellavista
Bellavista is Santiago’s bohemian quarter, a neighborhood of street art, university students, and the city’s densest concentration of bars and restaurants. Pio Nono Street is the main drag, lined with clubs that fill from midnight onward on weekends. The real charm lies in the side streets around Calle Constitucion and Calle Antonia Lopez de Bello, where colorful murals cover every wall. Pablo Neruda’s Santiago house, La Chascona (Fernando Marquez de la Plata 0192), is a quirky tribute to the poet’s love of the sea, built like a ship with narrow passages and nautical details. Entry CLP 8,000 (US$8), open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm. Book ahead during peak season. After visiting, walk up to Patio Bellavista, a courtyard complex of restaurants and craft shops.
Barrio Lastarria
Lastarria is Santiago’s most charming neighborhood, a grid of cobblestone streets packed with independent cafes, arthouse cinemas, design shops, and the city’s best small museums. The Museo de Artes Visuales (MAVI) at Jose Victorino Lastarria 307 focuses on contemporary Chilean art (CLP 2,000/US$2, Tuesday-Sunday 10:30am-6:30pm). The Gabriela Mistral Cultural Centre (GAM) at Av. Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins 227 is a performing arts complex with free exhibitions, a good cafe, and theatre/dance performances (tickets CLP 5,000-15,000). The neighborhood peaks on weekends when the Santa Lucia Market sets up along the pedestrian streets. Have coffee at Cafe Haiti (Diagonal Paraguay 210), a Santiago institution since 1952 known for waitresses in short skirts and coffee served by men in ties.
Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos
Chile’s Museum of Memory and Human Rights documents the Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990) through photographs, testimonies, documents, and multimedia exhibits. The building itself is an architectural statement: a glass box symbolizing transparency confronting a dark past. The exhibits are in Spanish with English audio guides available (CLP 2,000/US$2). Located at Matucana 501, Quinta Normal (Metro: Quinta Normal, Line 5). Entry is free. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm. Allow 1.5-2 hours. The museum is emotionally heavy but essential for understanding modern Chile. Combine with a visit to Parque Quinta Normal across the street for green space afterward.
Mercado Central and La Vega Central
The Mercado Central (Central Market) at San Pablo 967 is Santiago’s iconic fish market housed in an 1872 cast-iron building imported from England. The central hall concentrates seafood restaurants where waiters compete aggressively for customers. The food is decent but overpriced for tourists (CLP 15,000-25,000/US$15-25 for a seafood platter). Locals eat at the smaller stalls around the edges or walk two blocks to La Vega Central, Santiago’s massive produce market where you will find every Chilean fruit and vegetable at local prices. La Vega is chaotic, authentic, and best visited in the morning (7am-2pm). Take Metro Line 2 to Puente Cal y Canto. Watch your pockets in both markets.
Cajon del Maipo
Cajon del Maipo is a dramatic canyon carved by the Maipo River into the Andes, 50km southeast of Santiago. The area offers hiking, hot springs, and the Embalse El Yeso reservoir, an unreal turquoise lake at 2,500m elevation backed by glaciers. Day tours from Santiago cost CLP 35,000-55,000 (US$35-55) including transport and a picnic. The road is unpaved for the final 20km. Tours typically depart at 6am and return by 5pm. Bring sunscreen, water, and layers as the temperature at the reservoir can be 15°C cooler than Santiago. The best months are October through April when the road is clear of snow. In winter (June-September), parts of the canyon close due to ice and snow.
