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Fresh powder skiing one day, wine tasting another, sunbathing on a beach the next…welcome to life in Chile's vibrant capital, Santiago. With its stunning setting on a plain with the magnificent backdrop of the Andes, Santiago is modern and cosmopolitan. It consists of skyscrapers, universities, theatres, art galleries and more, with beautifully kept gardens and squares dotted about in between. The culture shock typically experienced in other Latin American countries comes in a much reduced form here: colonial, Latin and European influences are all present in their own way, yet coming together as an attractive, subtle blend quite unique to South America
Plus points:
Proximity to ski resorts & beaches
Excellent selection of courses
Conversation club each week
Good accommodation options
High standard of living
Climate
Santiago and its surrounds are at their best in the verdant spring
(September-November) or during the fall harvest (late February-April).
If you're a skier, June-August is the time to hit the Chilean ski
resorts. September includes the anniversaries of contentious dates
like Pinochet's military coup (September 11) and Armed Forces Day
(September 19), which can result in civil disturbances - they're
rarely more than just inconvenient, but it's best to steer clear.
City sights
Plaza de Armas (Arms Square): Since colonial times Santiago's
focus has been its main square the Plaza de Armas in the heart of
the old town. Surrounded by the grandest of the city's surviving
Spanish public buildings it acts as a haven from Santiago's often-oppressive
traffic. Local artists come here to sell their latest canvasses
and although visitors are unlikely to pick up an undiscovered masterpiece
it's a good spot for an atmospheric outdoor drink. The square's
western side is taken up entirely by the Metropolitan Cathedral,
built in the mid-18th century, with the later addition of its two
bell towers in the early 19th century. Near the cathedral, occupying
the northwest corner of the square, is the Correos Central (central
post office). This ornate wedding-cake-style building was once the
palace of Chile's colonial governors and then, after independence,
the residence of heads of state until the mid-19th century. But
the square is most notable as the home of a thriving Santiago institution
- on weekday evenings, trestle tables are set up along the east
side of the square and dozens of passers-by pit their wits against
each other in fiercely contested chess matches. Another well-attended
attraction is the weekly outdoor concert performed by the Santiago
police band on Sunday mornings.
Palacio de la Moneda (Moneda Palace): The bombing of Moneda Palace
by air force jets during General Augusto Pinochet's coup against
Salvador Allende's Socialist government in 1973 is one of the 20th
century's most enduring images. It was in this colonial building
that Allende finally took his own life, with a gun given to him,
according to local legend, by Fidel Castro. Built in 1805, during
the last days of Spanish rule, it serves as the official seat of
Chilean government and was the residence of for a number of heads
of state. Pinochet himself, however, set up home at the Diego Portales
building near the Santa Lucia Hill. The palace is not open to visitors
but its ornate façade is worth a close look, there are still visible
bullet holes from Allende's last stand.
Casa Colorada (Coloured House): This elegant 18th-century colonial
mansion just off the Plaza de Armas is an attraction in itself.
However it also houses the Museo de Santiago (Santiago Museum),
which gives comprehensive coverage of the city's history from pre-Colombian
times to the founding of Chile as an independent republic.
Museo Casa La Chascona (La Chascona House Museum): La Chascona
is situated in the lively Bellavista neighbourhood. It has been
meticulously restored since it was vandalised by supporters of General
Pinochet. Today it houses a collection of Nobel-Prize-winning poet
Neruda's possessions.
Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino (Chilean Museum of Pre-Colombian
Art): The Museum of Pre-Colombian Art houses a collection to rival
any in the world. Located in a handsome colonial building, the Palacio
de la Real Aduana (Royal Customs House), it treats visitors to an
endearing display of artefacts from Latin America's pre-Hispanic
civilisations. Tastefully presented and meticulously cared for.
The items on show give a unique insight into the lost cultures of
the Mayans, Aztecs, Incas and many other groups which once dominated
this vast continent.
Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts): This fine arts museum,
housed in a turn-of-the-century copy of Paris' Petit Palais, evokes
the city's aspirations to lift itself out of the cultural wilderness.
It occupies an entire block in the Parque Forestal area, the city's
most 'European' neighbourhood, which is rapidly becoming Santiago's
main red-light district with its elegance fading fast. Nevertheless,
the country's best collection of painting and sculpture is on display
here and it regularly hosts exhibitions by contemporary artists
from Chile and abroad.
Iglesia de San Francisco (Church of San Francisco): Hemmed in by
the hellish traffic along Avenida Bernardo O'Higgins, the Church
of San Francisco and its adjacent Franciscan Monastery are a welcome
island of serenity. The church was originally built in the late
16th century by Chile's conquistador, Pedro de Valdivia, although
regular earthquakes ensured little of the original structure remains.
What can be seen, however, is still one of Santiago's oldest buildings
and the monastery houses an interesting collection of ecclesiastical
art from the colonial era.
Santiago Parks: Santiago's most attractive feature is its four
huge parks that offer spectacular views of the Andes, as well as
welcome respite from the city's traffic. All the following parks
are open from dawn to dusk. The landscaped hill, Cerro Santa Lucia,
to the east of the Downtown area was where Araucanian Indians besieged
Santiago's original Spanish settlers for two years, before reinforcements
arrived from Peru. Now under siege by urban sprawl, it is popular
among courting couples by day and a notorious gay pick-up spot by
night. From its summit there are uninterrupted views of the Andes,
and the tree-lined avenues around its slopes are good for walking
or jogging.
Cerro San Cristobal: A pine-forested spur of the Andes that juts
into the city's heart is Santiago's largest open space. At its summit,
a 36m-high (120ft) white statue of the Virgin Mary dominates the
horizon. This is where, in 1987, Pope John Paul II held mass to
celebrate his only visit to Chile (much criticised because of the
Pinochet regime's human rights record). Hiking trails crisscrosses
the forested slopes and facilities include a public barbecue area,
two outdoor swimming pools and a modest zoo. The summit can be reached
by road from the bottom of Calle Pedro de Valdivia or by the funicular
railway that leaves from the terminal on Calle Pio Nono in the Bellavista
area.
Parque Quinta Norma: In the 19th and early 20th centuries Santiago's
beautiful people would come to Parque Quinta Norma for a promenade.
However, the well heeled have left the area for good and a solidly
working-class district now surrounds this leafy park. After all
it retains a peaceful Mediterranean feel and is a good place to
take a stroll while waiting for a train at the nearby Estacion Central.
The park also provides the setting for some rather neglected attractions
including the Natural |
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