Santiago, Chile – Day One!

Santiago, of course, can’t be missed in your Chilean travels – we spent multiple days there and saw all the major highlights. We would recommend at least 2-3 days to see everything. This blog is day 1 – check out the next two blogs for day 2. All of these activities can be spread out over 3 days,

Santiago is a walkable city, but it’s big – it’s important to group what you do each day based on location. If you aren’t interested in walking, the subway is the quickest and cheapest (not to mention, cleanest) way to travel. It costs 580 to 690 chilean pesos (abbreviated as CLP) depending upon when you go and if you have to transfer via bus. Pay attention to time – they shut down at about 11pm. Whatever mode of travel you use, use the Andes Mountains as a guide – they will always be to the east.

DAY ONE

Iglesia de San Francisco – Av Libertador Bernado O’Higgins 816
– 15 minute walk –
Mercado Central – San Pablo – have lunch here!
– 6 minute walk –
Plaza de Armas at the Museum of National History – Plaza de Armas
– 3 minute walk –
Chileno de Arte Precolombino – Bandera 361
-20 minute walk –
Parque Forestal
– 8 minute walk –
Dinner at Bocanáriz Restaurant and Wine Bar – José Victorino Lastarria 276

But first, lodging! We elected to stay at Hotel Plaza San Francisco, a 5-star gem located in the San Isidro area of Santiago at Avenida Liberator Bernardo O’Higgins 816. Situated near the Universidad de Chile, the hotel is beautiful and charming, with an amazing staff and comfortable rooms. The entrance is luxurious with a beautiful bar to the left and a nice restaurant in the back.

The only environmentally-sustainable hotel in downtown Santiago, Plaza San Francisco features free wifi, a buffet breakfast included in your stay, a spa and fitness club, and a pool. Be sure to try out a Chilean favorite – the Pisco Sour.

While in the downtown area of Santiago, we toured the Iglesia de San Francisco, a Franciscan church on Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins. It is the oldest building in Santiago, consecrated in 1622; unfortunately, however, the bell tower and rebuilt tower were destroyed in earthquakes, in 1647 and 1730, respectively. Spend some quality time here – you can liesurely tour in and out of the many rooms filled with valuable works of art, including 42 paintings of the Cuzco school representing the life of Saint Francis. Some of the paintings date all the way back to the 17th century. In addition to the paintings, you can check out the Colonial Museum and the church’s alter, featuring an image of the Virgen del Socorro. It’s open Monday – Saturday from 7:30am to 8:30pm, Sunday from 9am to 2pm, and Mass on Tuesday – Saturday at 9am, 10am, and 7:30pm and Sunday at 10am, 11am, noon, 1, and 7:30pm. Entrance is free.

Don’t miss the beautiful grounds and gardens in the center of the church. Make sure to say hi to the awesome peacock that roams around and shows off for tourists.

While nothing quite beats the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan in terms of size, Santiago’s Mercado Central rivals it for utter lawlessness. There’s fish, oysters, octopus, squid, people, mussels, clams, more people, and more fish. Mixed in with all this are restaurants, shops, musicians, and more people. It’s so crowded that the tables have clasps for your purse to stave off pickpockets. Despite the crowds and intense environment, it’s a really cool place with an exciting and fast-paced feel.

The Mercado Central de Santiago was opened in 1872 and is classified as a historical monument and heritage site. Its main focus is diversity of Chilean food and goods. In one swoop, you can have empanadas for lunch, shop for groceries, buy some jewelry, pick up some wine, and order a prescription refill. The restaurants are amazing – you’ll have your pick of different types of awesome Chilean food. Check out all the restaurants here.

If you’re into seafood, we recommend eating there Tuesday through Saturday, when the catch is the most fresh.

Mercado Central is open Saturday – Thursday from 7am to 5pm, and Friday from 6am to 7pm.

After exploring Mercado Central, take a quick 5 minute walk down 21 de Mayo and stop at Plaza De Armas, the heart of Santiago. Open throughout the day, take in the historical and politically significant buildings, such as the Central Post Office, the Royal Palace, and the Metropolitcan Cathedral of Santiago. The Royal Palace, or Real de Santiago, used to be the government seat of Santiago. Today, the government seat stands at the palace at La Moneda, and the original palace is now the National History Museum. We highly recommend seeing the Plaza De Armas during the weekend – if you are using public transportation, it tends to be less crowded, and you will have the opportunity to see more of Santiago’s artists and musicians.

Check out the picture above – that is of the Metropolitan Santiago Cathedral, or Catedral Metropolitana de Santiago. With its entrance facing Plaza de Armas, this cathedral is the center of the archdiocese of Santiago de Chile and serves as the administrative center for the archdiocese. It’s a gorgeous cathedral, and worth the quick look inside. It was originally an adobe building, but that burned down and was replaced in 1647 and then again in 1730; the final product of what you see here was completed in 1789. There is no fee to go in and see it and/or to worship, but it does have strict hours – 9am to 7:30pm Monday-Friday.

While at the Plaza de Armas, be sure to check out the National History Museum, located on the east side of the plaza. Photos inside the museum are prohibited, so, unfortunately, we can’t show you all the amazing history and artifacts housed in the museum (aside from the cut out which Dad and Andy posed for in the foyer). But, trust us – it’s very cool and definitely worth you time and money. When you’re done exploring the museum, spend a few minutes basking in the sun in the beautiful outdoor courtyard.

The building that now houses the National History Museum originally served as the meeting place for Chile’s first Congress in July 1811, morphed into a telegraph office, and eventually became a museum in 1911. The museum is laid out perfectly – it moves from Chile’s origins in the preconquest period to the 20th century. The museum displays are in Spanish, so be sure to make the adventure worth you money and snag an English brochure and English audio guide (free). It’s open Tuesday – Saturday, from 10am to 5:45 pm and costs 600 CLP. Be prepared for the dossiers to expect you to put most of your belongings in lockers located at the front of the courtyard.

If you’re into history and/or museums, take this moment to check out the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, a quick 4 minute walk from the Plaza de Armas. Take a quick toodle west, down Compañía de Jesús and make a left onto Bandera. Located at Bandera 361, the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino is  a multi-story museum dedicated to the study and display of pre-Columbian artwork, packed full of fascinating artifacts from Central and South America. It shows off the 5-century long collection of Sergio Larraín García-Moreno, who founded and secured the museum in 1981.

The museum’s stunning collection is broken up into four areas: Mesoamerica – artifacts from the Teotihucan and Mayan cultures, mainly; Intermedia – artifacts from the Valdivia people and the Ceraguas and Diquis cultures; Centrales – mostly artifacts from the Chavín culture; and Andes Del Sur – modern pieces from Chile and Argentina. The top floor is the permanent collection; watch for changing exhibits on their website.

Museo Chilean de Arte Precolombino offers displays in both English and Spanish. In addition, guided tours in English are available for free, but they must be booked in advance. It’s open Tuesday – Sunday, 10am to 6pm, and costs 3,500 CLP. If you go on the first Sunday of the month, however, it’s free!

On your way to dinner, stroll through Parque Forestal, a gorgeous park located in the historical downtown area of Santiago. There are two art museums in the park – the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo. Be sure to check out the Fuente Alemana Parque Forestal, a huge and elborate fountain.

For dinner, don’t miss Bocanáriz Restaurant and Wine Bar, located at José Victorino Lastarria 276. This is one of the best places in Santiago to wine taste and learn more about Camenere wine, which Chile produces more of than anywhere in the world. With over 344 bottles of wine and an awesome menu to pair them with, this place is pretty neat. And by “neat” we mean, crazy trendy and crazy hard to get into. You have to have a reservation. Don’t even try to get into this place without a reservation. Unless it’s a Monday. At like 2pm. And you’re alone. Or, as Chandler Bing once put it, “Made a few calls, pulled some strings, and they agreed to seat us at 11:30 if we both had the chicken and didn’t get dessert.” Good luck.

Happy Santiago travels! Stay tuned for Day 2 and 3!