Santiago, Chile has never been on my list of places to visit. All I knew about Chile in general is that it had suffered under a brutal dictatorship in the not so distant past. So my recent visit really only transpired because it made more sense financially to fly to Santiago and then home after doing an extended stay in Argentina rather than to return to Buenos Aires to fly home from there. I had not planned on Santiago, but I think the two-day trip there was just what the doctor ordered. The limited time forced me to enjoy being a tourist and to get out of my comfort zone a bit.

First Impressions

I arrived in the city around midnight on a Thursday night. When my driver picked me up from the airport and brought me to my hotel, I began to feel a sense of panic. The streets were dark, everything was heavily graffitied and shuttered. And the hotel seemed like it was in the middle of a random neighborhood. I admitted to myself that I hadn’t done a ton of research – just picked a place that looked cute and clean from the reviews. Maybe I had made a mistake. I asked the receptionist if the neighborhood was safe, and he looked shocked. “Yes, it’s safe. Why do you ask? It’s a good neighborhood”. I thought to myself, “maybe it’s fine. Maybe it’ll look better in the morning”. And thank goodness it did!

In the morning I was able to appreciate just how splendid my hotel really was. And how the neighborhood really was quite fine, having restaurants and bars very near to it. My hotel was an old mansion that some guy had built for his lady in the early 20th century. It had been restored and had high ceilings, large windows, and elegant finishes. Breakfast was included, and when I went down to get breakfast before starting my day of touring the city and heard them playing Aretha Franklin in the dining room, I knew without a doubt that I had made a superb choice.

Touring Around Santiago

I bought an Airbnb Experience to take a tour from San Cristobal Hill to downtown Santiago. I am soooo glad I took this tour. It allowed me to see all the big sites that are mentioned, while getting some context around those sites as well. The tour was also great because Valentina, my guide, asked me what I was most interested in doing or seeing and tailored the tour for me. Of course I mentioned food. So she also took me around and gave me time to try out tasty snacks as well. Here’s what I did on the tour.

Took the funicular up San Cristobal Hill 

I didn’t want to walk up a hill. So the funicular was a nice way to get all of the views without all of the effort. There’s a tradition that when you make it up the hill you have a traditional drink, mote con huesillo. It’s sweet with a rehydrated peach and wheat berries on the bottom. To me, it tasted like sweet tea with peach – it was delicious.

We walked down the hill and through the Bella Vista neighborhood, where my guide told me I could find one of Pablo Neruda’s houses/museum, La Chascona, and a good place to dance salsa that night (both things that I had asked her about).

Visited a few markets — La Vega being the largest, little Vega, and Mercado Central

The produce was vibrant, and there were lots of smells in the market, both good and… interesting. Valentina told me to hold my purse close, as this area was rampant with pickpockets. We also passed tons of people selling things on the street outside of the market. Very near to the market, I also tried another traditional Chilean food, empanadas de pino. It’s a beef empanada that also has hard boiled egg and olives inside. Honestly it wasn’t my favorite, but I’m glad I gave it a try.

Other Spots Visited

• La Catedral Metropolitana – Absolutely beautiful. I’ve been to a lot of cathedrals in my travels, but for some reason this one really stood out to me.
• The president’s office (La Moneda) – Apparently unlike the White House he doesn’t actually live there. But Valentina told me the story of how it was bombed in 1973 when the military coup overthrew the government and Pinochet came to power.
• Plaza de Armas – a major square, good for people watching
• Artisanal Market – I was hoping for some souvenirs, but I didn’t find anything that caught my fancy. Luckily this was not very far from a popular strip for bars and restaurants. Also, the market was right across the street from Cerra Santa Lucia, another popular hill in the city.

Relaxing and a Night Out

After the tour, I was left to my own devices. I went and checked out Lastarria, a street/neighborhood with some cool restaurants, cafes, stores, and a street market. I bumped around and drank wine. In particular I went to a restaurant called BocaNariz, which has an extensive wine list. I tried a ceviche made with reineta, one of the more popular fish in Chile, and it was delish!

After all the bumping around I decided to go back to the hotel and rest before a night out. I then had dinner at a nice sushi/peruvian fusion restaurant called Osaka in a very nice part of the city. And after, I returned to Bella Vista for a night of salsa at Maestra Vida. I have to admit that it was a push for me to go to the club alone; I had never gone out to a club solo. But I wanted to do this to push my limits and also I just really wanted to go dancing. And I’m so glad I did. I stood at the bar for a few songs when I arrived, drinking water, but eventually someone asked me to dance, and I didn’t stop dancing for the rest of the time I was there. The music was great, and the atmosphere was fun.

Museums and a Low Key Day

On my final day, I wanted to visit some museums. I took a few hours out to visit the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. It’s a free museum and excellent, albeit sad. It’s dedicated to remembering those who lost their lives/disappeared during the coup and Pinochet’s reign.

After walking around this massive museum, I went to Barrio Italia, which I had heard was another cool, well-to-do neighborhood with good restaurants and cafes. I tried Lusitano, a Portuguese restaurant, and drank lots of wine and relaxed with a book.

Later, I finally visited Pablo Neruda’s La Chascona, which was a house with a very interesting design, to say the least.

I spent the rest of the day lounging around the hotel, which graciously gave me pisco and dessert while I waited in one of the grand rooms on the first floor until it was time to catch my flight.

Final Thoughts on Santiago, Chile

My impression of Santiago is that it’s a big city with a bit of grit. The streets in some of the main areas are crowded and full of people selling things, there is a ton of graffiti seemingly everywhere (less so in some of the more affluent neighborhoods), and you need to be aware of your surroundings when you go around town. But I also saw a lot of calm, beautiful spots, with people just relaxing in a park or hanging at a cafe. And the city sits in a valley surrounded by mountains, which is quite beautiful.

I rarely take short trips such as this to foreign places, but my time constraints on this trip forced me to go out and actively just play the role of tourist. It also forced me to take advantage as much as I could, which is also why I pushed myself to go to the salsa club. Unfortunately with such a short trip, it’s hard for me to form any thoughts about the people of Santiago, their general attitudes, and interactions with tourists. But the people I encountered seemed nice enough. All in all, I think my two-day trip was just enough to have a very pleasant experience, and perhaps whet my appetite to explore Santiago a bit more in the future.

Please scroll to the bottom to subscribe to my blog to get more content on travel and pushing the limits of your comfort zone, including other areas of life such as career, relationships, and finance.