Santiago's Must-Sees story in the September 2010 Issue of Explore TACA

Santiago's Must-Sees

By Juan Ernesto Jaeger (Text and Photos)

Santiago has quietly taken over the region's top rankings on quality of life. According to América Economía's 2010 competitiveness standards, Chile's capital is in second place behind Miami among the best cities for doing business. That's just the tip of the iceberg: The urban character that identifies this South American metropolis has given it an unparalleled brand power. Santiago stands out for being reasonably clean, orderly and safe—although some people still think it's a bit boring and provincial. During our visit we found out that Santiago has the necessary ingredients to lay out diverse excursions that will fascinate travelers.

Climbing Cerro San Cristóbal
This hill is the city's lungs and the best place to appreciate the capital's true size. On weekends, thousands of residents take over the paths to jog, ride bicycles or simply hike with their families. Cerro San Cristóbal is part of Parque Metropolitano de Santiago, one of the world's largest urban parks at more than 1,700 acres.

The summit is only about 1,000 feet away, but reaching it will be a challenge. The reward? Santiago's best panoramic views, with the Andes as the backdrop. You can reach the top on foot or by teleférico (aerial tram) or funicular (cable car). The hill has 10 lookout points that cover the city, so you can see where you came from and where you're going. If you plan to eat afterwards, Camino Real restaurant features an interesting wine museum, a menu with modern Chilean cuisine and a respectable selection of artisanal domestic beers. parquemet.cl

Strolling Through the Neighborhoods
The best way to become acquainted with the city is walking its streets. Santiago has many neighborhoods that are more than groups of houses, streets and trees. Some of the neighborhoods have beautiful architecture and have become icons of the city.

For example, Barrio Italia, a traditional neighborhood in the Providencia commune, doesn't have any tall buildings. Its early-20th-century houses have been turned into restaurants and design stores—like a former hat factory that was redone with contemporary touches and is now Mucca restaurant. A couple of blocks down Italia Avenue, more than 20 furniture restorers work on their pieces on the sidewalks. The neighborhood has attractive and diverse cuisine from Germany, India, Italy and even Russia sharing the spotlight with small art galleries, bars and gourmet cafés.

José Victorino Lastarria Street, the central point of Barrio Lastarria, is a small oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Santiago's downtown, and is located between Parque Forestal and Alameda, the city's main thoroughfare. The jewel of this area is the Museo de Artes Visuales (mavi.cl), displaying contemporary Chilean art. As you get closer to Merced Street, notice the many Neoclassic buildings. Don't miss Emporio La Rosa, where you can sample rose ice cream.

First-class cuisine is available along Isidora Goyenechea Avenue in Barrio El Bosque. That's where you can find the W Santiago and its two bars: the über-contemporary Whiskey Blue, featuring the city's most diverse cocktail menu, and Red2One, the rooftop bar with a spectacular view of the Andes. Plaza Perú is the place for a brief respite before continuing on to El Golf Street—one of the city's most elegant residential sections where the business world, the nonstop flow of workers and the nightlife live in harmony. What else would we find in Santiago's most contemporary intersection? Interdesign, offering designs by renowned and new furniture designers; La Feria Chilena del Libro, a bookstore you'll be hard pressed to leave without buying a book; and Tiramisú, specializing in pizzas.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Parque Forestal is Chile's main center for the visual arts. It was inaugurated in September 1880 and is South America's oldest museum. Ópera/Catedral, an old downtown building that was remodeled to set up three sister restaurants—Restaurant Ópera, Ópera/Catedral (bar and live music) and Café de la Ópera, a solid choice any time of day-—s two blocks from the museum.

Across the street is Brainworks, a furniture and design store with a '60s style. Doubling back toward the museum, two stores down, Metales Pesados bookstore has an excellent, carefully selected collection of literature, social sciences and visual arts.

Bellavista and Santiago's Bohemian Culture
Bellavista is the place for those who want to get a few drinks and feel the rhythm of Santiago's nightlife. In 1955, when Chilean Nobel-prize winner Pablo Neruda moved into a house built on the grounds of a former windmill, this neighborhood began attracting artists and intellectuals. Today its colorful facades have been turned into restaurants, bars, stores and theaters where you breathe a bohemian air with cultural overtones. Bellavista's latest shopping offering, Patio Bellavista, is on Constitución Street.

During the day, when the pace in Bellavista is slower, visit La Chascona, one of Neruda's three houses (the other ones are in Isla Negra and Valparaíso), which is now a museum administered by the poet's eponymous foundation.

What definitely raised the status of the neighborhood was the opening of The Aubrey on the foothills of Cerro San Cristóbal. This is Santiago's first boutique design hotel, located in a beautifully restored house from 1927. The renowned Pasta e Vino, one of Santiago's top Italian restaurants, is next door.

Shopping and Luxurious Flavors
The intersection of Alonso de Córdova and Nueva Costanera streets has become the center of luxury shopping. What until a few years ago was a completely residential area is today filled with brand-name stores like Vuitton, Armani and Gucci. Its revival has been so strong that the area's first five-star hotel is opening at the end of the year.

In six blocks that boast this neighborhood's hottest offerings, Alonso de Córdova has 168 stores—making it a true open-air shopping center where luxury is ubiquitous. There are also two award-winning restaurants, Puerto Fuy and Europeo; and La Mar, by renowned Peruvian Chef Gastón Acurio.

Ski Season
The 2010 season in Greater Santiago's ski centers is coming full speed ahead. Half a million foreign and domestic visitors are expected. The first snows of the season have already fallen and promise a great time for lovers of the white sport. Farellones, El Colorado, La Parva and Valle Nevado are ready with attractive offers.

Best of all, you can go up and ski for the day, since all the locations are 30 miles (about one hour) from downtown. Santiago is one of those rare metropolises that have ski centers within the urban core.

This year, Valle Nevado will open two new ski lifts and the ski surface will reach 2,200 acres. La Parva will debut a beginner's path and a school for toddlers. El Colorado and Farellones will have a new ski lift and a renovated snow park.

If skiing or snowboarding don't give you enough of an adrenaline kick, Valle Nevado offers heliskiing—an option that's not available anywhere else in South America and takes skiers to unexplored places by helicopter. chileanski.com, vallenevado.com, elcolorado.com, laparva.cl, farellones.cl

TACA flies directly to Santiago from Lima.

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