Choose from 56 Fun Things to Do in Santiago
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San Cristobal Hill (Cerro San Cristobal)
The Santiago skyline is dominated by San Cristobal Hill (Cerro San Cristobal), a forested mountain rising 2,821 feet (860 meters) above the city. The site is protected as part of the Santiago Metropolitan Park (Parque Metropolitano), one of the most famous city parks in Chile, and was developed into a public green space at the start of the 20th century, after the astronomical observatory was constructed on top of the hill. Today, the park serves as a scenic escape above the smog that can grip Santiago on winter days, and offers fantastic views across this city of 6.5 million to the Andes Mountains.
The Basics
When to Get There
The park is open daily, with the funicular running Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 7pm and on Monday from 2 to 7pm. Each attraction within the park as its own opening hours.
The Basics
The hill's walking trails, picnic spots, and amphitheater are all dwarfed by the 72-foot (22-meter) Virgin Mary (Virgen de la Inmaculada) statue, erected in the 1930s on the highest point in the park (Pope John Paul II hosted mass here in 1984). Most guided tours of Santiago visit San Cristobal Hill, with some mountain bike tours offering a fun and popular way to get to the top. Alternatively, take a ride on San Cristobal's funicular, a steeply pitched railway starting at the PÌo Nono park entrance, or the slightly less expensive cable car, located at the Pedro de Valdivia Norte entrance. Both the funicular and the cable car make stops at the swimming pools and Chilean National Zoo on the way to the top.
How to Get There
San Cristobal Hill is located about 5 miles (8.3 km) from central Santiago and the Plaza de Armas.
- The park itself is free, but there are parking fees and separate admission costs for the pools, the Chilean National Zoo, and the amphitheater.
- Choose a tour that combines a day of shopping, sightseeing, or wine tasting with a visit to San Cristobal Hill.
- Half-day sightseeing tours last about three to four hours, while full-day options are about eight hours long.
- The Mirador Terraza Bellavista viewpoint, near the top of the funicular, hosts a snack shop and some souvenir stands.
San Cristobal Hill is located about 5 miles (8.3 km) from central Santiago and the Plaza de Armas.
When to Get There
The park is open daily, with the funicular running Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 7pm and on Monday from 2 to 7pm. Each attraction within the park as its own opening hours.
Things to Do With Kids in Santiago
San Cristobal Hill is a great destination for both local and traveling families in Santiago. Other popular family-friendly sites include the Chilean National Zoo (set halfway up San Cristobal), the city's two swimming pools (Piscina Tupahue and Piscina Antilén), and the Plaza de Juegos Infantiles Gabriela Mistral, a playground with an interactive fountain.
Address: Avenida Alberto MacKenna, Santiago, Chile
Admission: Free
From $ 24
Vitacura
The name of this street, and the neighborhood that surrounds it, is synonymous with fairly close-in luxury in Santiago. It’s just to the north of sprawling (but also pricey) Las Condes, and contains some of the highest-valued real estate in the city, including world class hotels, restaurants, shopping, and one of the nicest urban parks you’re likely to visit in South America.
Shopping takes place on Vitacura itself, and then on two main tree-lined boulevards called Nueva Costanera and Alonso de Córdoba, where there is loads of shopping for clothing and home design, including international boutiques, and a couple of local stores. For restaurants, choose from several reservations-only, dress up restaurants on Nueva Costanera, many of which have won awards, including recently, Boragó, which was named one of the top 50 restaurants in South America. The other two Chilean restaurants also named are close by, Osaka, in the W Hotel on Isidora Goyanachea, and Ambrosia, a bit further up from Parque Bicentenario, a lovely park with waterfowl to feed, chaises to sit in (under umbrellas), a few running paths, and a dog agility park.
Vitacura is also home to two worthwhile museums, the Museo de La Moda (fashion museum) and the free Ralli art museum, both easily accessed by taxi from anywhere in Vitacura.
Practical Info
Staying in Vitacura means either long walks to the metro or taking a taxi. It’s a great place for business travelers, and families will feel right at home in its near northern-Californian vibe, where that vibe includes the toniest mall in the city, with a newly-opened luxury boulevard, with the most exclusive shops and restaurants.
Address: Santiago, Chile
From $ 50
Cousiño Palace
The Chilean building boom of the late 1800s, spurred by rising silver, copper and nitrite prices worldwide, inspired some of the city's most marvelous architecture. Grand palaces were built with stern neoclassical facades fashionably adorned with touches of baroque and art nouveau frill. The finest of them all is at the heart of the ritzy Calle Dieciocho neighborhood: the Cousiño Palace.
The mansion was designed by architect Paul Lathoud for the Cousiño Goyenechea family, a prominent clan who owned everything from the famed Cousiño-Macul Vineyards, to assorted coal and silver mines. The French-inspired building often draws comparisons to Versailles, and has hosted foreign dignitaries from Marshal Tito to Queen Elizabeth.
The mansion was designed by architect Paul Lathoud for the Cousiño Goyenechea family, a prominent clan who owned everything from the famed Cousiño-Macul Vineyards, to assorted coal and silver mines. The French-inspired building often draws comparisons to Versailles, and has hosted foreign dignitaries from Marshal Tito to Queen Elizabeth.
Today, you can tour its soaring marble halls and 12 sumptuously decorated rooms, each offering a glimpse into the lives of the Chilean aristocracy during those heady boom years.
Practical Info
On the southern border of Santiago's historic center, Cousiño Palace is close to the University of Chile in the once opulent neighborhood of Calle Dieciocho. The area is more maneuverable in a car than the narrow, congested streets immediately surrounding Plaza de Armas, seven very pretty blocks away. Still, it's much more convenient to take the L2 yellow line to the Toesca station. Travelers must visit on a 45-minute guided tour, which are offered throughout the day. Most guides speak both Spanish and English.
Address: Calle Dieciocho 438, Santiago de Chile, Chile
Hours: Monday-Friday 9:30am to 1:30pm, 2:30pm to 5pm; Sat-Sun 9:30am-1:30pm
Admission: Varies
From $ 125
Yerba Loca Sanctuary
With its glacial ravines, rocky peaks and hillside meadows blanketed with wildflowers, the Yerba Loca Sanctuary presents a startling contrast to bustling Santiago and the natural reserve makes an easy day trip from the capital. Sprawling through the central Andes, the reserve is home to an impressively diverse landscape, with highlights including the looming peaks of Los Piches and El Altar, both reaching over 4,000 meters, the dramatic La Paloma Glacier and the picturesque pine, cypress and eucalyptus forests of the Villa Paulina valley.
Hiking, mountain climbing, horseback riding and camping are all popular pastimes for visitors to Yerba Loca and the protected reserve is also home to over 500 plant and animal species, including Chilean condor, culpeo fox, Darwin's leaf-eared mouse and the tiny cordilleran hummingbird.
Practical Info
The Yerba Loca Sanctuary is located 25km northeast of Santiago in central Chile and is open daily from 8:30am-6pm in winter and 8pm in summer. Adult admission is $2500 CLP.
Address: Santiago, Chile
Admission: $2500 CLP
From $ 185
Santa Rita Winery
Ancient grapes and full-bodied wines are a huge part of Chile’s culture—and no place is this more apparent than on a visit to Santa Rita Winery, located in the scenic foothills of Alto Jahuel. Travelers can wander the grounds through thick groves of old-world vines, sample some of Santa Rita’s world class wines or tuck into delicious fare at the Done Paula restaurant or the more casual La Panaderia Café.
A tour of the vineyard offers travelers a perfect opportunity to get in touch with the country’s deep roots while learning more about the tradition of wine making that started in Chile hundreds of years ago. The nearby Andean Museum showcases some 2,000 pieces from the nation’s past, rounding out any traveler’s voyage through the country’s ages.
Practical Info
Santa Rita Winery is located 45 minutes from Santiago between the El Golf and Alcantara stops on the M subway line in Region Metropolitana. Vineyard tours typically last between two and three hours and include samples of the winery’s famous reds and whites.
Address: Camino Padre Hurtado 0695, Alto Jahuel, Chile
From $ 23
MontGras Winery
The brainchild of brothers Hernan and Eduardo Gras, and partner Cristian Hartwig, MontGras Winery opened in 1993. Using state-of-the-art technology, the award-winning winery is best known for its full-bodied syrah, malbec, carmenere, and cabernet sauvignon wines.
The Basics
Wine lovers can peek behind the scenes of the winery in Palmilla and discover its winemaking process on one of a number of a guided tours. One tour includes a walk around the vineyards, a visit to the wine cellar, and a guided wine tasting, while another excursion offers hands-on experience in the vineyards to try picking, selecting, and treading grapes. You can even create your own wine blend during a special workshop, and finish by bottling, corking, and labeling your wine to take home with you.
Things to Know Before You Go
- The legal drinking age in Chile is 18.
- Advance booking is required for tastings and winery tours, which are conducted in both Spanish and English.
- The winery and parts of the vineyards are wheelchair accessible.
How to Get There
The MontGras winery is located in Chile's Colchagua Valley, about a 10-minute drive north of Santa Cruz. There is no public transport to the winery, but it's possible to visit as part of a tour with transportation or take a taxi from Santa Cruz.
When to Get There
Winery tours are possible year-round, and advance bookings are highly recommended. The annual harvest typically runs from mid-February through the end of April.
Chile's Colchagua Valley
A prime Chilean wine-growing region, the Colchagua Valley runs along the Colchagua riverbank. Naturally sheltered between the Andes and the Coastal mountain ranges, the area features an ideal terroir for wine growing. It is most known for its red wines; the most popular varietals are cabernet sauvignon, carmenere, merlot, malbec, and syrah. Aside from wine tasting, visitors come to the region for cycling tours, horseback riding excursions, and rides on the Santa Cruz Wine Train.
Address: Camino Isla de Yaquil s/N, Palmilla, Region del Libertador Gral, Chile
From $ 29
San Francisco Church (Iglesia de San Francisco)
Visitors to Santiago can take a trip back in time just by walking through the doors of the famous San Francisco Church (Iglesia de San Francisco). This iconic church ranks among the city's oldest and most beautiful religious structures, dating back to the original Spanish settlements.
Marvel at the bold and imposing red exterior, then enter to find soft yellows, blues and whites decorating the interior. Learn from your guide about the legend of the statue of Virgen del Socorro and savor the silence of the church, where you can spend some time in quiet meditation or prayer before returning to the hustle of Santiago city streets.
Practical Info
The church is located near Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral, next to Parque San Borja.
Address: San Francisco, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile
From $ 38
Baños Morales
It's immediately obvious when you look on a map that Chile is a narrow country. From the salty shores of the Pacific Ocean, rarely is it more than 100 miles east to the snowcapped Andes. For urbanites living in Santiago, Baños Morales is a favorite spot for escaping to Chile's mountains"”leaving the heat of the lowlands behind and retreating into the hills. Here at an elevation of nearly 6,000 feet, visitors are surrounded by snowcapped peaks and glacially fed alpine lakes, as well as springs that are naturally heated by the rich, volcanic earth. While the town of Baños Morales itself houses no more than three dozen people, it's nearby Monumento Natural El Morado that draws hikers and travelers in droves. Hike the Sendero El Ventisquero trail that leaves from Baños Morales, and passes by hot springs, lakes, and vistas over the 3.5 mile trail. Horseback riding is a popular option for those who prefer not to hike, as is soaking in thermal springs to ease the achy joints. While here, take a deep breath of fresh mountain air that blows through the Andean valleys, and leave the city smog behind to commune with the natural beauty.
Practical Info
Baños Morales is located 56 miles from the capital city of Santiago, and while it's technically possible to visit as a day trip, most travelers opt to stay overnight in Refugio lo Valdes. For hikers, there is an admission fee of $4 for visiting the natural park.
Address: Chile
From $ 110
Termas Valle de Colina
Just outside of Santiago is the weekend getaway spot of Cajón del Maipo, a narrow river valley that snakes its way up to the Andes. The valley has a few small towns in it, with places to eat and stop and shop, but the real prize is way up towards the very top of the (rough) road, shortly before it dips into Argentina, and that is the hotsprings at Termas Valle de Colina.
About a 2.5 hour drive from Santiago, at the foot of the San José volcano, at an elevation of about 8,000 feet are the eight different pale blue pools of the hotsprings, which have been channeled away from their source with different mixes of cool water, to make for comfortable soaking. The waters contain several types of minerals including magnesium and calcium that are said to have curative properties.
From the pools, it’s occasionally possible to see wildlife, such as Andean condors, foxes and less commonly, owls. Generally speaking, October to March is a good time to schedule a visit to Termas Valle de Colina, but since they are in the pre-cordillera, which has unstable weather, it is best to be vigilant about forecasts, as there can be occasionally be blizzards even into November.
Practical Info
People believe in UFO activity here, but even if you’re a nonbeliever, the skies here are stunning both during the day, with sharp peaks against bright blue skies or at night, when on a clear night, with no light pollution, the stars shine bright. Or choose a full moon night for a totally different experience.
Address: Santiago, Chile
From $ 110
Vina del Mar
Viña del Mar is Santiago’s closeby seaside cousin, just a little bit over an hour away on one of the country’s busiest highways. Viña, as it is commonly called calls itself the garden city, for the profusion of flowers, all over the city, and at Quinta Vergara, the large park there, as well as the iconic flower clock that faces the ocean walk so popular among locals and visitors.
In the summer, Viña fills up with Chileans as well as Argentines from just across the Andes, and international visitors as well. There are restaurants and nightlife, close proximity to more historical Valparaíso, and of course, the long Pacific coastline. Viña del Mar also has a casino and a couple of other points of interest, including a castle you can visit, and the aforementioned Quinta Vergara park, where the summer song festival is held ever February. And there are also a couple of museums, with the most famous being the Francisco Fonck Museum of Archaelogy and Natural History marked by a stone moai outside. The museum houses artefacts from many indigenous Chilean cultures, including the Rapa Nui (from Easter Island). It also has a large display on insects, including giant crickets, blue morphos butterflies and iridescent scarabs.
Practical Info
Even if you weren’t planning on going anywhere, be sure to check out the MERVAL, or local train. With a view unlike any other subway you’ve ever been on, straight over the Pacific Ocean, it’s well with the couple of dollars it will cost you.
Address: Vina Del Mar, Chile
From $ 18
Undurraga Winery
This quiet winery is a short drive from Santiago, on what is referred to as the Autopista del Sol, which heads straight west from Santiago, arriving at the seaside town of Cartagena. Undurraga has a long history in Chile dating back to the 19th century, when this area of the Maipo valley was first used for wine grapes. Basic tours of the winery in English and Spanish start with a description of the operations, and then past some traditional Mapuche (indigenous) carvings, and past a small grotto that visitors can enter to better understand the terroir, between alluvial soils, rocks and roots that comprise the land on which the grapes are grown. Groups can be large, though English tours are usually smaller, and private tours are available.
A walk past a test garden that shows a number of different varieties of grapes is educational at many times of year, and guides can show you the ways in which different varieties of grape leaves’ shaped differ. The area worked here is small, as Undurraga has terrain in the south and further out to the coast as well, but this location in the Maipo Valley is where all the wine is produced.
The wine production area is a sleek concrete structure, and in it, the fermentation process is underway in metal tanks, and newly, large concrete egg-shaped structures, before being either put in oak (reds) or bottled (whites). A walk through the barrel cellar room ends with a tasting, which may include wines just about to hit the market, or some which have already been selling. There is a shop that sells the wines visitors have tasted, as well about fifty other wines, and souvenirs including food products, such as jarred copihues (Chile’s edible national flower), flavored salts, and different kinds of merquén (a smoky chili spice mix). Tours include a souvenir glass.
Practical Info
Time your visit for spring to summer if you’d like to see the vineyards just flourishing, late summer for harvest time, and if you’re after the bright reds and yellows of fall foliage, try to hit this winery in late May.
Address: Camino a Melipilla, Km 34, Talagante, Chile
From $ 20
Valle Nevado Ski Resort
Inspired by the French resort Les Arcs, Valle Nevado contains almost 7,000 acres of skiable domain – the largest accessible ski spread in South America. This new ski center rests snugly in one of the best locations of any resort in Chile and caters to all levels. It also offers off-piste runs and hosts an extensive terrain park full of rails, boxes, jumps, and a quarter-pipe suitable for even the most enthusiastic freestylers.
Detachable lifts have changed the ski industry forever – and Valle Nevado´s The Andes Express was the first one to be built in Chile, reflecting just how modern the resort aims to be. Five new runs were built in 2010.
The ski area also contains a spa, sauna, Kid´s Zone, emergency services, a cinema, and an outdoor heated pool with nearby cocktail bar.
Detachable lifts have changed the ski industry forever – and Valle Nevado´s The Andes Express was the first one to be built in Chile, reflecting just how modern the resort aims to be. Five new runs were built in 2010.
The ski area also contains a spa, sauna, Kid´s Zone, emergency services, a cinema, and an outdoor heated pool with nearby cocktail bar.
Address: Chile
From $ 32
Los Dominicos Handicraft Village
A charming old cloister has been turned into a crafts center that is popular with tourists and locals alike. The whitewashed walls and dirt paths bring a bit of charming country living into Santiago, helped along by cages with birds as fantastical as peacocks (who often put on a show), and the occasional cat that wanders in and out of shops. In independently-owned shops, the main items on offer here are lapis lazuli (a blue stone only found in Afghanistan and Chile) jewelry, thick woven sweaters and shawls, painted tiles, terra cotta dishes and three-legged pigs from Pomaire, as well as thrown pottery.
What makes Los Dominicos extra special, besides the tranquil atmosphere is that the artisans are often at work when you visit their shops, and are happy to explain what they’re working on, or how items are made.
Los Dominicos has two traditional restaurants, where you can often see families enjoying empanadas or pastel de choclo, a traditional meat and chicken pie with a layer of creamy corn baked on top.
Practical Info
The busiest days at Los Dominicos are Saturdays and Sundays. It is never truly packed, but if you prefer more tranquility (though some shops may be closed), try to come mid-week.
Address: Santiago, Chile
Hours: Daily
From $ 100
Vina Casas del Bosque
The award-winning Vina Casas del Bosque winery lies within the Casablanca region of Chile. Casas del Bosque started as a boutique family winery in 1993 and now maintains 573 acres (232 hectares) of productive vines; the winery’s specialty is Sauvignon Blanc, but Chardonnay, Riesling, Syrah and Pinot Noir are also grown.
Considered one of the best wineries in Chile to visit, Casas del Bosque offers a variety of tastings and tours, lasting anywhere from 35 minutes to two hours. During the warmer season, visitors can tour the vineyards by bike or have a picnic lunch amid the vines. Come harvest time, guests become the harvesters while getting a behind-the-scenes look at how grapes are processed.
Restaurant Tanino, under the leadership of Chef Álvaro Larraguibel, serves a menu of dishes made from locally sourced ingredients and paired with Casas del Bosque’s wines.
Practical Info
On weekend afternoons Casas del Bosque offers free tram tours of the vineyards.
Address: Hijuelas Nº 2 Ex Fundo Santa Rosa, Casablanca, Chile
From $ 80
San Antonio Valley
Located a one hour drive from both Santiago and San Antonio, San Antonio Valley is one of the youngest wine growing regions in Chile. It was at the turn of the century when high quality wines started getting produced here with increasing success: elegant Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnays and the otherwise rare Pinot Noirs. The proximity to the Pacific Ocean and the Humboldt Current are responsible for cool mornings, warm days and a significant temperature drop during the night. Spring frosts happen with regularity as well, all of which leads to a longer ripening period of the grapes. The result are especially aromatic grapes that are well balanced in sugars and acids.
Despite its rising popularity, San Antonio Valley is still very small compared to the other sprawling centers of the Chilean wine production and hosts only a small number of producers. Instead of mass producing, these wineries have each found their specializations in the beautiful hilly terrain. Accordingly, tourism infrastructure is limited as well, but especially Matetic Vineyard, which is managed biodynamically, is worth a visit. The all organic farm uses alpacas for weeding, cow manure for fertilizing and grapes are harvested by hand. All of this has gained San Antonio Valley plenty of recognition and has definitely put the region on the radar of wine-lovers across the world.
Practical Info
San Antonio Valley is located close to the Pacific Ocean, south of Casablanca and about 90 kilometers west of Santiago. It is most convenient to explore the region by car.
Address: Chile
From $ 166
Baños Colinas
When standing in the streets of Santiago, surrounded by whistles and horns, the snowcapped Andes stand in the east as an invitation to escape. When city dwellers do choose to escape the city, a favorite spot is Baños Colinas set high in the Andean foothills. Here at a lung-testing 8,200 feet"”where even the air in the middle of summer has a welcome alpine chill"”travelers can slink into thermal springs that are naturally heated by the earth. The waters here have healing qualities and rich deposits of calcium, and you'll notice your skin is soft and smooth after this alpine soak with a view. Speaking of views, a popular activity in Baños Colinas is hiking amidst the hills, particularly the trail to a panoramic viewpoint of San Jose volcano. Serious alpinists can continue farther to the highest peaks and ridgelines, although most travelers are content with a day hike followed up by a soothing soak in the naturally heated pools. To extend the adventure into the night, bring a tent and sleeping bag to camp atop the hills"”cradled beneath a blanket of stars that bursts through the inky black night.
Baños Colinas is located 2.5 hours from the capital city of Santiago. The final eight miles are on a rough dirt road that can often be impassable in winter, and travelers should prepare for inclement weather during any time of the year. Admission to the hot springs is approximately $11 for adults and $6 for children, and while camping here is a popular activity, modern facilities are limited.
Address: Chile
Admission: $11 Adult, $6 Child
From $ 85