Viva Santiago
This Chile city is coming into its own as an art-besotted metropolis with a burgeoning foodie scene, vibrant neighbourhoods and lively nightlife that goes until the sun rises
It’s time to add Chile’s up-andcoming capital to the pantheon of great South American cities. Home to 40 per cent of the population of the country, Santiago is an art-besotted metropolis that’s home to a burgeoning foodie scene, vibrant neighborhoods and nightlife that goes until the sun rises. If you’re lucky enough to visit, here are a few of the things you should experience.
Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos: Come here first so you can better understand how far the city — and country — has come. This compelling museum chronicles the overthrow of the government and subsequent dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet between 1973 and 1990. With video clips, heartbreaking artifacts, first-person narratives and photos, it details how a democracy was broken, with thousands of people “disappeared” in its wake, and how it ultimately was taken back by the people.
Sky Costanera: Santiago is home to the largest skyscraper in South America, and the twostory observatory at its top offers stunning 360-degree views of the sprawling city, which is surrounded by the bowl of the Andes mountains. Below is the largest mall on the continent, and the least confusing — every floor is devoted to one type of good, making shopping a breeze.
Art Everywhere: While it doesn’t have the density of street art that neighbouring Valparaiso does, be sure to keep your eyes peeled, as the street art that the city does have — and you’ll find it in most every neighborhood — is vibrant. There also are wonderful murals down in the metro stations. And such institutions as the Museo de Arte Chileno Pre colombino and the Museo de la Moda have eyepopping displays: ancient decorative arts at the first museum, and fashion at the second.
Bellavista: Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda’s old neighborhood (you also can visit his evocative home) is not only a beaut, with handsome Belle Epoque homes and pretty parks, but it rages after dark. Sidewalk cafes and bars line the streets, with musicians strolling up and down, and the area is home to some of Santiago’s most creative restaurants. That includes Peumayan, where the cuisine of pre-historic Chile is re-created. Heck, there’s even a terrific, gallery-laden outdoor mall here, which stays open late.
If you go
Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (until 8 p.m. in January and February). Admission is free, but you’ll want to rent an English-language audio guide for 2,000 Chilean pesos. The museum is located at Matucana 501, near the Quinta Normal metro station.
Sky Costanera is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., though the last elevator goes up at 9 p.m. It’s recommended to come near sunset.
The address is Av. Andres Bello 2425. Admission is 15,000 Chilean pesos per adult, 12,000 Chilean pesos per child.
Museo Chileno de Art Precolombino is located at Bandera 361, near the Plaza de Armas metro stop. General admission is 4,500 Chilean pesos; children 10 and under are admitted for free. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Museo de la Moda isn’t near a metro stop (you’ll need to take a cab or bus); its address is Avenida Vitacura 4562. It’s open Tuesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is 3,000 Chilean pesos.
La Chascona, the former home of Pablo Neruda that is now a museum, is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (until 7 p.m. in January and February). It’s located at Fernando Marquez de La Plata 0192. Admission is 7,000 Chilean pesos per adult, 2,500 pesos for students and seniors. It’s nearest to the Baquedano metro stop.
Pauline Frommer is the Editorial Director for the Frommer Travel Guides and Frommers. com. She co-hosts the radio program “The Travel Show” with her father, Arthur Frommer and is the author of the best-selling “Frommer’s Easy guide to New York City.”