santiago @cruiseluxurious

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Table of contents

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1 Santiago. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Understand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Get In. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Get Around. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52See. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Do. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Buy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Eat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82Drink. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Sleep. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Stay Safe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Culture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

1 Restaurants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Top Best Restaurants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Top Young couples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Top Italian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Top Asian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Top Vegetarian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

1 Useful info. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152Sunrise/Sunset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152Useful phrases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152Passport and Visa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Emergency numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

1 References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

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Santiago Santiago · Understand

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Santiago

Santiago

UnderstandSantiago is the capital and economic center of Chile. With itsmuseums, events, theaters, restaurants, bars and other enter-tainment and cultural opportunities, it is the political and cul-tural center of the country. Its central location makes it a conve-nient base point from where further explore the country. Dueto its proximity to both mountains and the Pacific ocean, It ispossible to ski in the nearby Andes and later be on the beach,all in the same day.

Santiago

Santiago is a fast growing city located in the central valley ofChile between the Andes mountains range to the east and theCordillera of the Coast to the west. The metropolitan area hasabout seven million inhabitants.

HistoryFounded in 1541, Santiago has been the capital city since colo-nial times. The city boasts a downtown core of 19th centuryneoclassical architecture and winding side streets, dotted byart deco, neo-gothic, and other styles.

Santiago's cityscape is shaped by several stand alone hills andthe fast flowing Mapocho River, lined by elegant parks such asParque Forestal. The imposing Andes mountains can be seenfrom most points in the city. These mountains have caused it todevelop a considerable smog problem, particularly during thewinter months. The city outskirts are surrounded by vineyards,and Santiago is within a few hours of both the mountains andthe Pacific Ocean.

ClimateThe climate is Mediterranean, with mild winters and very warmand dry summers. During winter, it usually only snows up inthe Andes, which are an hour and a half from the city. Temper-atures at night can fall to around 0ºC in the coldest days.

It gets progressively hotter towards the summer. Summersare fairly dry although you may experience some humidity attimes. The temperature can reach as high as 35ºC. Due to theinversion effect in the Santiago basin and other factors, winterair quality in this area can be unhealthy, in large part due tohigh concentrations of particulate matter.

TalkThe Republic of Chile is an overwhelmingly Spanish-speakingcountry, with the exceptions of isolated native and immigrantcommunities. According to Ethnologue, Chile has nine livinglanguages and seven extinct.

Of the 16 million Chileans, some 14 million speak Chilean Span-ish as their first language. It is a Spanish dialect which is some-times difficult for speakers of the Castilian variant of Spanish tounderstand. It is very similar to Andalusian Spanish in pronun-ciation but it does have a lot of local slang.

Get In

By PlaneSantiago Airport is the main Chilean gateway for internationalflights. The travel time to the city center has been drasticallyreduced recently, with the construction of a new tollway, theCostanera Norte.

The ramp at Santiago de Chile

First and foremost, there is no local transport from Santiago air-port, so that is not an option. There are however airport bus-es running on two slightly different routes operated by Cen-tropuerto which both go to the city center, with Centropuerto.However, both buses also stop at the Pajaritos Metro station enroute, and due to the heavy traffic east of Pajaritos it is a goodidea to alight here and take the Metro line 1 towards Los Do-minicos to the city center.


Santiago Santiago · Get Around

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By CarEntering Santiago by car, you'll probably find yourself on theAutopista Central. To use this freeway you need a device calledTAG, or a day pass which you can buy from service stations. Itsa one day passes. You can also buy it after accidentally passingthrough it without one.

By BusThere are bus connections to all major destinations on the con-tinent. The bus ride between Santiago and Mendoza in Ar-gentina has beautiful views and takes about eight hours, de-pending on the time spent at the Cristo Redentor checkpoint.The border crossing is at about 2800 m in the Andes.

Note that fruit, vegetables or animal products are not allowedin either direction, all luggage will get checked at the border.One way fares are listed but are often cheaper if booked in ad-vance. There are also buses to and from San Juan, Argentina,with one way fares listed.

A little less safer than Turbus Terminal, yet not dangerous.Beware of pickpockets and people trying to sell you robbedgoods (iPods and cellphones are a common target). Has a foodcourt with local fast food restaurants and a McDonald's. Notethat prior to national holidays, it may be extremely overcrowd-ed.

Get Around

MetroSantiago has a metro system with five lines and 94 stations,with many holding rotating art exhibitions. Each station post-ing the exact hours for the first and last trains. Buses run paral-lel to subway lines after hours. Tickets are good for a single ridewith unlimited transfers, and there is no time limit.

Metro

BusBuses are mostly modern and run around the clock on the mainlines. The only way to pay your fare is by bip!-card. You can buythis card and charge it in any metro station or in some stores.The card also allows for travel by metro.

Rent a CarRenting a Car is also a very good decision if you want to getaround Santiago and its surroundings. You can find excellentcars, great service and cheap prices at Chilean Rent a Car. Thecompany is conveniently located few blocks away from MetroBaquedano in Barrio Bellavista, a must visit in Santiago.

SeeParque Metropolitano. This vast park is home to Cerro SanCristobal. From the top there is a beautiful view over the cityand, on a clear day, the Andes. The summit can be reachedby funicular, cable car, or a 40-60 minute hike. In the parkthere is also a botanical garden, zoo and two swimmingpools. Pope John Paul II visited its summit in 1987.

Parque Metropolitano - Santiago, Chile

Plaza De Armas. The capital's main plaza, also the site ofthe national cathedral and main post office. It's few blocksfrom the traditional Central Market and has its own MetroStation. During the last years, Plaza de Armas has been usedas a meeting and recreation place for the community of Pe-ruvian immigrants. This has lead to a lots of cheap interna-tional calling centers, traditional Peruvian restaurants andPeruvian spice and food stores, being an interesting place towalk during day hours.


Santiago Santiago · See

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Plaza de Armas-Santiago de Chile

Santiago Centro. The Centro (Downtown) area is a niceplace for a stroll down some of its major Paseos (streetsturned pedestrian walkways), but be aware of pickpockets.

La Chascona. One of three homes of the famous poet PabloNeruda, La Chascona (meaning tangle haired woman, afterhis third wife) is in the artistic Bellavista neighborhood. Thehouse is filled with lots of quirky artifacts collected by Neru-da throughout his life, as well as artwork by some of his fa-mous friends. Tours are given in English, French and Spanish.

La Moneda Palace. Presidential Palace, guided one hourtours are free, unfortunately with a reservation of at least 7days in advance. (Spanish only)

Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda. An undergroundcultural center under the La Moneda Palace, with rotating artand cultural exhibitions all year. Local crafts and souvenirsare available at middle high prices in the local gift shop. Acafe is also within the facilities. Note that most exhibitionsare not free of charge, however, prices are very affordable.

Centro Cultural Palacio De La Moneda

Parque Forestal. A long park that runs parallel to theMapocho River, also site of the National Museum of Fine Artsand Modern Art Museum.

Theatre & Dance. Santiago offers much in the performingarts, most offer discounts with student ID, even to foreign-ers, just ask.

Centro Cultural Matucana 100. Inaugurated in 2002, Matu-cana 100 is an excellent exhibition venue for a variety ofarts. From Metro Quinta Normal, walk south on Matucana(towards Alameda), M100 is on the left hand side.

Teatro Municipal. Historical performance venue, includinginternational dance and opera, worth a visit even if just fromits outside.

Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral (GAM). An impressivescale cultural center built on the former military Diego Por-tales building which was destroyed in a fire. The center hasa art and film focused library with free WiFi, a theater, con-cert halls, a restaurant, a cafe, and public spaces for resting.Located on Universidad Catolica metro station (Line 1).

Jazz Clubs. Santiago is home to an impressive jazz scene,with several intimate clubs scattered throughout the city.The Club de Jazz de Santiago is arguably the best. Locatedin the northern part of the Nunoa neighborhood, this smallclub routinely brings in some of the best local, national, andinternational artists specializing in everything from latin jazzto blues to bossa nova. Check music listings in El Mercurio.

Festival de Jazz de Providencia. A very good jazz Festivaltakes place during summer in Providencia. The Festival deJazz de Providencia takes place each year in Mapocho's river-side and showcases the best local bands and some interna-tional guests. Tickets are cheap, so it's a good alternative forsummer nights.

Cerro Santa Lucia. Junction of Santa Lucia and BernandoO'Higgins (Santa Lucia metro station). A park with fountainsand stairs leading up to a fort and viewpoint the top. Thesummit has a great view of all but the skyscraper obscuredcity center. Charles Darwin visited this peak at one point inhis travels, his words are immortalized in a plaque at thesummit. Free but registration at entrance required.


Santiago Santiago · Do

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Cerro Santa Lucia

Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. (Chilean Museumof Pre-Columbian Art). The well put together Chilean Muse-um of Pre-Columbian Art houses various artifacts from Mesoamerica and South America, featuring cultures such as theOlmec, Maya and Inca civilizations. Descriptions on the arti-facts and the ancients way of life are well written and in bothEnglish and Spanish. Highlights include a Mayan stone steleand Andean mummies, which precede their Egyptian coun-terparts.Palacio Cousino. Old palace owned by a wealthy SpanishPortuguese family. The architecture is a mix of Spanish andfrench style. Guided tour only. No pictures inside.

Parque Bicentenario. Bicentenario Avenue, vitacura. Par-que Bicentenario, Bicentenario Avenue. Beautiful park.Large extension of grass, children games, dog games, a verynice pond with black neck swans. There is also a restaurant,a cafe (Le fournil) and Vitacura's city hall. Trails for walkingand bikes

DoSpicy Chile. Free Walking Tours. Great way to experience allthat Santiago has to offer from local markets, old neighbor-hoods and the tourist spots. They have 3 different free walk-ing tours that mixes tons of info with funny anecdotes. Theguides are hilarious and knowledgeable, they are local andspeak perfect English. Its all for free as they work for tips, youpay what you think the tour is worth! Can´t go wrong.

Mountain Climbs. Many mountains are found in and allaround Chile that are great for climbing. Cerro Provincia is apopular day trip that can also be turned into longer hikes.

Skiing. Santiago is not too far, get some great skiing. Not tooexpensive and they hire out all the equipment you need atthe resorts. Some of the tour companies offer the service.

Wineries. At the end of line 4 (Las Mercedes and Puente Altostation)

Alternative City-Tours. Try local food/drinks, get to knowthe most typical Chilean places and be sustainable, CityTrekking Guide just uses public transportation and it's ownfeet. Small groups accompanied with guides who speakSpanish, English, German & even Italian.

Free Tours Santiago. (Plaza de Armas, Santiago de Chile).English speaking guides, with average information and ad-vice on food, museums, etc. One thing the restaurant they

stop at for lunch allows you to eat your own food, but willcharge a 10% service on anything you DO order.

Paseos en Bicicleta. Off the beaten track bike tours aroundSantiago de Chile's hidden gems and typical neighbor-hoods!

Foto Ruta Santiago (tours). Foto Ruta is a city tour with atwist. Offering a new and creative way to see Chile's capital.A set of clues will lead you on a journey of discovery around aselected neighborhood. Foto Ruta will give you a greater un-derstanding of the city and teaching you how to take greatphotos along the way, its fun, sociable and a great way tosee the city!

La Bicicleta Verde (The Green Bicycle, Loreto 6, Bella Vista,Santiago). La Bicicleta Verde is a good way to see lots of San-tiago in a short time, since you cover much more groundon bike than on foot. The tours involve low intensity biking,with stops along the way for the guide to explain. The morn-ing tour is the best option, covering the Bella Vista neigh-borhood, Neruda's house, La Vega central market and more.Tours available in English or Spanish. The guides are superfriendly, and the tours include a snack and drink which is anice chance to chat with the guide and ask questions. Youcan also rent bikes to go on your own.

BuySantiago has a lot of shopping centers or Malls, as known bythe locals. The main ones are:

Mall Plaza VespucioMall Plaza OesteMall Portal La DehesaMall Parque AraucoMall Alto Las CondesMall Florida CenterMall Plaza NorteCostanera Centre

In the malls you can find a variety of retail stores and Falabella,Paris and Ripley, the most famous department stores in Chile.The biggest ones are Parque Arauco and Alto Las Condes, theyboth have good restaurants and the former has a good agen-da of free music and shows. You can get to the former from Es-cuela Militar metro station and to the latter from Los Domini-cos, ask locals for directions if you're unsure of how to take bus-es.

Alonso de Cordova Street and Nueva Costanera Avenue arevery exclusive areas where you can find high fashion and lux-ury stores like Louis Vuitton, Hermes or local designers. In thisarea you find great restaurants and art galleries.

If you prefer buying handcrafts, the ones in the Centro Arte-sanal Santa Lucia are good and relatively cheap compared with


Santiago Santiago · Eat

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other handcrafts stores. Other handcrafts centers are in Bellav-ista (though a bit more expensive).

Close to Los Dominicos metro station is Pueblito Los Domini-cos steps from Los Dominicos metro station, it is more expen-sive but has a wide variety of local handcrafts and antiques, aswell as a small exhibition room and a bonsai exhibition behindit. It is very pretty with an artificial stream in a colonial lookingatmosphere. Half of the people there are usually tourists dur-ing the summer, so you won't be alone!

Plaza Nuñoa has some small shops in the plaza where you canbuy books from Latin America (Neruda, Allende, Cortazar) andalso handcrafts.

If you're already kinda familiar with Santiago, you can also go toPatronato which is located near to the downtown area and it'seasy to reach by metro (Patronato metro Station). There you'llfind cheap clothes, food and products of all kinds, as well assome foreign stores (mainly Chinese, Koreans, Peruvians andfrom the Middle East), thus allowing you to save quite a bit ofmoney. It would be better to go alongside a local, though, sinceit's easy to get lost due to the very short and slim streets andthe very high quotient of visitors.

Similarly, those who want more surprises and know the basicsabout Santiago can go to the famous Persa Bio Bio located inthe Franklin area, also not too far from downtown and near tothe metro (Franklin station).

Eat

Pastel de choclo (Corn Pie)Is a dish based on sweetcorn or choclo, the quechua word fortender corn, or the new corn of the season. It is a typical Peru-vian dish, but is also eaten in Argentina and Chile with somevariations in the recipe, sometimes using corn meal instead offresh mashed sweetcorn.

Pastel de choclo

Pastel de choclo is traditionally served in a paila (earthenwarebowl) in individual portions, as is typical for many traditionalChilean dishes such as paila marina, pastel de papa and caldillode congrio. The filling usually contains ground beef, chicken,raisins, black olives, onions or slices of hard boiled egg.

Chilean CazuelasThe cazuela is a typical dish of Chile. The most common typesare made of chicken or beef, but there's also other types madefrom pork and turkey.

One typical dish of Chilean cazuela contains a piece of meat (itcan be a piece of ribor several pieces of bones, in the case ofbeef, or a leg of chicken), a potato, a piece of pumpkin, and thestock obtained from boiling all of them together.

These are sometimes complemented with cooked rice (in thestock), small sized noodles, green beans, celery, sliced carrots,garlic, cabbage, among others. In summer the cazuela is ac-companied by a piece of sweetcorn, cooked apart or in thesame stock.

Cazuelas

EmpanadasChilean empanadas can have a wide range of fillings, butthree basic types are the most popular. One is baked andfilled with pino, a traditional filling consisting of beef, onions,raisins, black olives, and a hard boiled egg. The second isusually filled with seafood and fried. The third type containscheese and may be baked or fried, although the latter form ismore common.

Many variations on each of these basic types are found (e.g.pino without raisins and olives, all kinds of seafood such asmussels, crab, prawns, or locos (similar to abalone), and mixedshrimp/cheese, etc.). They are considerably larger than the Ar-gentine type, usually with one empanada being enough fora meal.


Santiago Santiago · Drink

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Chilean empanadas

Sweet empanadas can also be found, though they are lesspopular. Of these, the best known is a small pastry filled witha pearpaste (empanada de pera).

DrinkNightlife choices vary widely across the city and their locationusually reflects their price and style.

Bellavista has a wide range of choices from popular places toupscale, such as a jazz bar. In addition, there are discos withall kinds of music, from contemporary eletro-pop to salsa andmerengue. This is probably the only barrio where you can find adisco that has a predominately gay audience. It is a fun atmos-phere and features drag-queen shows during Saturday nights.

Plaza San Enrique is a park located in Lo Barnechea (at the farnorth-east of the city) which is surrounded by nightclubs. Mostpopular one is Sala Murano (it can get very crowded!).

People who attend are mostly 18-25 and it is one of the safestplaces to party. Most people there are from upper-middle tohigh class, so it is more expensive than other neighborhoods.Typically, females get in for free. You can get there by micro,but though buses do pass later on, you might have to wait upto an hour for it.

In La Casa Club, Santa Filomena 11 (Providencia). A five levelclub with each floor catering to different musical tastes, lasershow, bar and special events, highly recommended.

The Santiago Pub Crawl, is a night is planned out for you so youdon't have worry about where to go, you meet people from allover the world, cover a lot of ground and it's great value foryour money.

Vitacura is located pretty far east (towards the Andes). It iscomposed of bars and some places where you can dance. Theplaces are nice and although they certainly lack cohesivenessas nightlife (since bars only recently started opening there) itcan be fun to go. It is more expensive that other areas of Santi-ago and frequented by people that live in the eastern (wealth-

ier) side of the city. Although you can get there by bus, it will behard to leave on anything but a taxi since buses don't run late.

If you want a quiet bar/restaurant in Providencia try El Candil,Providencia. The traffic outside is noticeable but not excessiveand drinking outside here has a genuinely pleasant urban fla-vor. If you fancy making a night of it, Bar Liguria is practicallynext door.

Pio Nono in Bella Vista has an intense feeling, bars line thestreet on either side. The area has a very youthful quality butolder visitors shouldn't be intimidated. One of the most livelyareas of the city at the weekend.

The Bar Liguria, Av Providencia 1373 (metro Manuel Montt).This is bar looks like a 1950's American diner and plays mu-sic ranging from classic 1950s rock to what you'd hear in amid-2000's London pub. For all that, it's clearly no tourist trapand the clientele are mainly local. It is also a great restaurantduring the day! It serves many local dishes and drinks, includ-ing great wines.

SleepIn a quiet residential district in the central Santiago chile,there is a bed and breakfast style accommodation perfectfor business travelers, students, or guests who want to get agood night's sleep in order to discover the fascinating city ofSantiago's attractions during their stay.

Some Hostel is close to bars, restaurants, clubs and both thebus and subway station. Newly remodeled rooms are cozy andcolorful, large common room with lots of places to hang outand TV and DVDs, the terrace is a great place for a BBQ andviews of the city. The water temperature in the showers herecan be a bit temperamental. And also there are hostels run di-rectly in a old building in the middle of Neighborhood BellasArtes, it has high quality infrastructure and also has a very nicecoffee shop next door where the breakfast is served. The draw-back is the 6 lane road outside which is rarely quiet and the ear-ly morning reveler returning home. Sleep is at a premium here.Good points are the staff, the location and the nearby park ar-eas.

A popular business hotel in the city, is the Santiago MarriottHotel is in the Las Condes district, near excellent dining andshopping. Offers comfortable accommodations, a Lobby Bar,two first rated restaurants, meeting space and other modernamenities and services. While Elegant hotel located in the cen-ter of the city is the NH Ciudad de Santiago, a short distancefrom the primary metro line. The hotel contains 122 suites withprivate bathrooms, and separate bedroom and living room.Rooms contain sofa, minibar, television and Wi-Fi while the ho-tel itself offers a gym, sauna and swimming pool.


Santiago Santiago · Stay Safe

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Stay SafeSantiago's air quality can decline during the winter (May-September). The locals welcome the rain which falls duringwinters as it cleans the air. Be sure to carry bottled water withyou during the summer and avoid food or drink from streetvendors. Be prepared for sauna heat on the metro during sum-mer.

By South American standards Santiago is a safe city, but visi-tors should be aware of pickpocketing and other petty crimes.Avoid parks at night and don't wear expensive looking jewelryor watches even during the day, unless you are in Las Condesor Vitacura. If you're alone, avoid large crowds of people, espe-cially downtown.

If you happen to have bad luck and get robbed, do as you'retold by the criminal and if you don't understand Spanish, giveaway your false wallet. Thieves in Chile are often impatient anddon't read very well. They are likely to beat the bejeezus out ofyou if you don't give them something that at least appears tobe valuable.

Don't flash your cell phone or camera. Carefully hide such valu-able when not using them. If you're getting robbed and thecriminal has spotted the camera expect to give it away too ifyou want to stay out of hospital.

If someone approaches you on the streets and promises to getyou better chances at changing your dollars/euros into Chileanpesos, NEVER accept their deals. They're con-people who takeadvantage of foreigners not knowing the details about curren-cy and confuse them with big words to take their cash away.

Only change your money in legal currency exchange centers,which may take more time but are much more trustworthy.There's one in the Airport but it has poor exchange rates, andthere are many more downtown and in financial areas or in themalls.

If you are going to see a football match (soccer game), be care-ful with the barras bravas who are the most fanatic but alsodangerous fans. They are often involved in troubles with thepolice both inside the stadium and outside.

Avoid buying tickets in the sections where the bravas domi-nate which it often does behind the goals. The middle sectionis the safest but if you have a friend who wants to support Co-lo-Colo and another Universidad de Chile for example, avoidshowing it.

Even if the middle section is safe, showing different shirts cancause you trouble. Either go with the same shirts or dress neu-tral. Other football matches not being the Superclasico be-tween Universidad de Chile against Colo-Colo should be pret-ty safe.

Walking to the stadium you will find people begging for somepesos so they can see the match. Avoid giving them if you wantto stay out of trouble. The barrio where the Estadio Nacional

is located is a place which is normally peaceful, except duringfootball matches, when football fans tend to get rounded up.You have to walk with precaution and keep your eyes on otherpeople when it's crowded. It's better to take a taxi to the arena,or a rental car if you can find a place to park it (but beware ofbreakins).

There are some neighborhoods/barrios that should be avoid-ed. Even if few carabineros and locals speak English, they arethe ones who know which areas are to be avoided since someof them are accessible by metro.

If you see fewer tall buildings and more houses with barredwindows and entrances, then turn back. The changes happenvery slowly, unlike some other Latin American cities, so you'dhave to travel quite a lot from a wealthy safe neighborhood toa dangerous ghetto.

Avoid especially La Legua (not to be confused with La Liguain the V Region or La Lengua on sale at the carniceria) whichis famed in Chile for its high crime rates and single police carswon't even enter the area. When police have to enter this areathey sometimes use armored cars. When it comes to nightlife,avoid goings to trendy places such as Bellavista, as it is a fre-quented place by criminals and fights involving stabbed peo-ple are common on public streets.

Try staying away from the following comunas, Lo Espejo, LaPintana, Puente Alto (especially the Plaza de Armas), La Cister-na, San Joaquin, El Bosque (not to be confused with a neighbor-hood located around metro El Golf, which is in Las Condes), SanRamon and La Granja unless you know exactly where you'regoing. Though these places are not completely unsafe for themost part, they can have a few unsafe spots and don't havemuch touristic significance.

The safest comunas are Providencia, Vitacura and Las Condes.All of them have lots of local security guards, besides Cara-bineros, and locals are more likely to speak english, especiallyyoung people.

They are not completely safe, though, petty theft still takesplace, so keep your eyes open. Lo Barnechea can be tricky asit is the only comuna that has both extremely wealthy and ex-tremely poor neighborhoods, La Dehesa is wealthy and safe,Cerro Dieciocho is as dangerous as Cerro Veinte and La Legua.

The metro is regarded as safer for traveling amongst the locals,even though security has increased in the buses after the intro-duction of Tran Santiago. But some locals still prefer using themetro especially when it gets darker, since almost all the sta-tions have guards. Don't expect the staff to speak much Eng-lish. Pickpockets are very active on the metro cars, esp duringpeak travel hours.

You can usually trust in the Chilean Police (Carabineros). Al-though you can hardly find one who can speak English, theywill try to answer your questions, solve your problems or giveyou orientations. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BRIBE Chilean Police.


Santiago Santiago · History

11

History

Founding the CitySantiago is the capital of Chile. It was founded by Spanish Con-quistador Pedro de Valdivia on 12 February 1541, with thename Santiago de Nueva Extremadura, as a homage to SaintJames and Extremadura and in relation with the first name giv-en to Chile, Nueva Extremadura.

Extremadura was Valdivia's birthplace in Spain. The foundingceremony was held on Huelen Hill (later renamed Cerro SantaLucia). Valdivia chose the location of Santiago because of itsclimate, abundant vegetation, and the ease with which it couldbe defended, the Mapocho River then split into two branchesand rejoined further downstream, forming an island.

1541 founding of Santiago

The Inca ruler Manco Capac II warned the new rulers that hispeople would be hostile to the occupiers. The Spanish invadershad to battle against hunger caused by this resistance. Pedrode Valdivia ultimately succeeded in stabilizing the food supplyand other resources needed for Santiago to thrive.

The layout of the new town consisted of straight roads of 12varas (14.35 m or 47.1 ft) width, in equal intervals of 138 varas(165.08 m or 541.6 ft) perpendicular to each other. With nineroads in the east-west direction and 15 in the north-south di-rection, there were 126 blocks that formed the so called man-zanas, or square cut.

Attempted DestructionContinued resistance by the indigenous population resultedin a series of further conflicts. On 11 September 1541, the Pi-cunche chief, Michimalonco, led an attack on Santiago, begin-ning a three year long war. At the time, the Conquistadoreswere in a precarious situation, suffering persistent food short-ages in almost complete isolation from the rest of the world.

In January 1542, Pedro de Valdiviasent an emissary, Alonso deMonroy, to Peruto request help. The Conquistadors suffered 20

harsh months until de Monroy returned from Peru with rein-forcements, ending the isolation and demoralizing situation ofthe soldiers in Santiago. The uprising ultimately failed and theindigenous population moved south.

Colonial SantiagoDespite threats from Indian attacks and natural disasters suchas earthquakes, and floods, Santiago was rapidly settled. Of the126 blocks designed by Gamboa in 1558, 40 were occupiedby 1580, while nearby lands supported tens of thousands oflivestock. These early settlers constructed the first importantbuildings in the city, including the first Cathedral in 1561 andthe Church of San Francisco, built in 1618. Both structures werebuilt primarily of adobe and stone.

The bridge Calicanto over the Mapocho River was the main symbol of the cityafter its completion in 1779.

In 1767, the corregidor Luis Manuel de Zañartu began con-struction on the Calicanto Bridge, one of the most importantarchitectural works of the entire colonial period in Chile. Thebridge was completed in 1779 and linked the two halves of thecity across the Mapocho River.

In 1770, Governor Agustin de Jaureguihired the Italian archi-tect Joaquin Toescato design, among other important works,the façade of the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral and La Mon-eda, the presidential palace. The government of AmbrosioO'Higgins opened a major road to Valparaiso in 1791.

IndependenceOn 12 February 1817, the Battle of Chacabuco was fought ashort distance north of Santiago in the town of Colina. Argen-tine and Chilean armies, led by Jose de San Martin and Bernar-do O'Higgins, fought Spanish royalists. On the same day, Chileproclaimed its independence.

During the authoritarian era of the so called Republic, from1830 to 1891, the school system was introduced and cultur-al life started to flourish. In 1843 the Universidad de Chilewas founded, followed by the Pontificia Universidad Catoli-ca in 1888. By 1885, the population of Santiago had reached189,322.


Santiago Santiago · Culture

12

Nineteenth CenturyDuring the years of the Republican era, institutions such as theUniversity of Chile (Universidad de Chile), the Normal School ofPreceptors, the School of Arts and Crafts, and the Quinta Nor-mal, which included the Museum of Fine Arts (now Museum ofScience and Technology) and the National Museum of NaturalHistory, were founded.

The National Museum of Chile

Created primarily for educational use, they also became exam-ples of public planning during that period. In 1851, the firsttelegraph system connecting the capital with the Port of Val-paraiso was inaugurated.

A new momentum in the urban development of the capitaltook place during the so called Liberal Republic and the admin-istration Mayor Benjamin Vicuña Mackenna. Among the mainworks during this period are the remodeling of the Cerro SantaLucia which, despite its central location, had been in very poorshape.

In an effort to transform Santiago, Vicuña Mackenna beganconstruction of the Camino de Cintura, a road surroundingthe entire city. A new redevelopment of the Alameda Avenueturned it into the main traffic artery of the city.

Also during this time and with the work of European landscap-ers in 1873, O'Higgins Park came to existence. The park, opento the public, became a point of interest in Santiago due to itslarge gardens, lakes, and carriage trails.

Other important buildings were opened during this era, suchas the Teatro Municipal opera house, and the Club Hipico deSantiago. At the same time, the 1875 International Expositionwas held in the grounds of the Quinta Normal.

The city became the main hub of the national railway system.The first railroad reached the city on 14 September 1857, at theSantiago Estacion Central railway station.

Under construction at the time, the station would be openedpermanently in 1884. During those years, railways connectedthe city to Val paraiso as well as regions in the north and southof Chile. The streets of Santiago were paved and by 1875 and

there were 1,107 cars in the city, while 45,000 people used tramservices on a daily basis.

CultureOnly a few historical buildings from the Spanish colonial periodremain in the city, because Santiag as the rest of the country isregularly hit by earthquakes. Extant buildings include the CasaColorada (1769), the San Francisco Church (1586), and Posadadel Corregidor (1750).

The Cathedral on the central square (Plaza de Armas) is a sightthat ranks as high as the Palacio de La Moneda, the PresidentialPalace. The original building was built between 1784 and 1805,and architect Joaquin Toesca was in charge of its construction.

Correo Central

Other buildings surrounding the Plaza de Armas are the Cen-tral Post Office Building, which was finished in 1882, and thePalacio de la Real Audiencia de Santiago, built between 1804and 1807. It houses the Chilean National History Museum, with12,000 objects that can be exhibited.

On the southeast corner of the square stands the green castiron Commercial Edwards building, which was built in 1893.East of that is the colonial building of the Casa Colorada (1769),which houses the Museum of Santiago. Close by is the Munici-pal Theater of Santiago, which was built in 1857 by the Frencharchitect Brunet of Edward Baines. It was badly damaged byan earthquake in 1906. Not far from the theater is the Suber-caseaux Mansion and the National Library, one of the largestlibraries of South America.

The building of the Justice Palace (Palacio de Tribunales) is lo-cated on the south side of the Montt Square. It was designed bythe architect Emilio Doyere and built between 1907 and 1926.The building is home to the Supreme Court of Chile. The panelof 21 judges is the highest judicial power in Chile. The buildingis also headquarters of the Court of Appeals of Santiago.


Restaurants Restaurants · Top Best Restaurants

13

Restaurants

Restaurants

Top Best RestaurantsCalifornia Cantinacuisine American, Mexican, Hamburgers, Pizza, ChickenWings, Gastropub,price $8 - $19place Las Urbinas 56, Santiago, ChileLe Bistrotcuisine Frenchplace Santa Magdalena 80 | Local 7, Patio del Sol,Providencia, Santiago 05033080, ChileTiramisuprice $11 - $21place Isidora Goyenechea 3141 Las Condes, Santiago05033080, ChileIchibancuisine Japaneseprice $26 - $101place Padre Hurtado Norte 1512, Santiago, ChileDel Cocineroprice $11place Av. Pedro de Valdivia 041, Santiago 7501012, ChileBaco Vino y Bistrocuisine Bistroprice $19 - $99place Nueva de Lyon 113 | Providencia, Santiago05033080, ChileOsakacuisine Peruvianplace Isidora Goynechea | W Hotel, Santiago, ChileNRG Plusprice $4 - $11place Monjitas 467, Santiago 8320083, ChileBoulevard Lavaud (aka peluqueriafrancesa)place compania de jesus 2799, Santiago, ChileLa Marcuisine Peruvian, Seafoodprice $26 - $69place Av Nueva Costanera 3922, Santiago, ChileLiguriaplace Av Providencia, 1373 | Providencia, Santiago, ChileAstrid & Gastoncuisine Internationalprice $26 - $71place Antonio Bellet 201, Santiago, ChilePuerto Fuycuisine Seafood, Chileanprice $24 - $101place Nueva Costanera 3969, Santiago, ChileBoragoplace 8369 Av. Vitracura, Santiago 7530078, ChileFuente Alemanacuisine Sandwichesprice $6 - $9

place Pedro de Valdivia 210, Santiago 1, Chile

Top Young couplesCalifornia Cantinacuisine American, Mexican, Hamburgers, Pizza, ChickenWings, Gastropub,price $8 - $21place Las Urbinas 56, Santiago, ChileLe Bistrotcuisine Frenchplace Santa Magdalena 80 | Local 7, Patio del Sol,Providencia, Santiago 05033080, ChileTiramisuprice $11 - $21place Isidora Goyenechea 3141 Las Condes, Santiago05033080, ChileIchibancuisine Japaneseprice $26 - $99place Padre Hurtado Norte 1512, Santiago, ChileDel Cocineroprice $11place Av. Pedro de Valdivia 041, Santiago 7501012, ChileBaco Vino y Bistrocuisine Bistroprice $19 - $101place Nueva de Lyon 113 | Providencia, Santiago05033080, ChileOsakacuisine Peruvianplace Isidora Goynechea | W Hotel, Santiago, ChileNRG Plusprice $2 - $11place Monjitas 467, Santiago 8320083, ChileBoulevard Lavaud (aka peluqueriafrancesa)place compania de jesus 2799, Santiago, ChileLa Marcuisine Peruvian, Seafoodprice $24 - $69place Av Nueva Costanera 3922, Santiago, Chile

Top ItalianNolitaprice $14 - $21place Isidora Goyenechea 3456, Santiago, ChileCalifornia Cantinaprice $8 - $19place Las Urbinas 56, Santiago, ChileSquadrittoprice $24 - $101place Rosal 332, Santiago 8320158, Chile


Restaurants Restaurants · Top Asian

14

Golfo di napoliprice $5 - $13place Irarrazaval 2423, Santiago, Chilerivoliprice $24place Nueva De Lyon 77, Santiago, ChileTrattoria da Carlaprice $19 - $31place Mac Iver 577, Santiago, ChileTrattoria Calypsoprice $11 - $21place Camino al Volcan 9831, El Manzano, Santiago,ChileWallo"s Pizzaplace Simon Bolivar 3761, Santiago 8320000, ChileLa Signoriaplace Bellavista 211, Santiago, ChileLe Due Torriplace San Antonio 258 | Santiago Centro, Santiago, Chile

Top AsianAnakenacuisine Thaiprice $21 - $71place Av kennedy 4601 - las condes, Santiago, ChileIchibancuisine Japaneseprice $24 - $101place Padre Hurtado Norte 1512, Santiago, ChileZabo Restaurantcuisine International, Japanese, Peruvian, Sushiprice $19 - $27place Jose Victorino Lastarria 307 | Plaza Mulato Gil,Santiago 8320126, ChileKintarocuisine Japaneseprice $9 - $16place Monjitas 460, Santiago, ChileJaponcuisine Japaneseprice $14 - $61place Baron Pierre de Coubertin 39, Santiago, ChileDanubio Azulcuisine Chineseprice $26 - $101place Reyes Lavalle 3240, Santiago, ChileLung Fungcuisine Chineseplace Agustinas 715 / Subterraneo, Santiago, ChileKitchengcuisine Chinese, Japaneseprice $19place Cristobal Colon 5930, Santiago, ChileAkai Sushicuisine Japanese

price $6 - $9place Carmencita, Santiago, Chileotai sushicuisine Japaneseprice $4 - $11place japonesa, Santiago 775039, Chile

Top VegetarianEl Naturistaplace Moneda 846, Santiago, ChileEl huertoplace Orrego Luco 54, Santiago, ChileOrigen Organico

La Chakraplace Av Mariano Sanchez Fontecilla 534, Las Condes,Santiago, ChileOh! Salad Gardenplace Tobalaba 477, Santiago, ChileEl Vegetarianoplace Huerfanos 827 Loc 18, Santiago, Chilecafe cronopiosprice $4 - $11place barrio brasil (frente a plaza), Santiago, Chile


Useful info Useful info · Sunrise/Sunset

15

Useful info

Useful info

Sunrise/SunsetSun will rise at 07:45:04 and will set at 19:55:00 in local time.

Useful phrases

English SpanishWelcome Bienvenido (sg) Bienvenidos (pl)Hello ¡Hola!Hello(on phone) ¡Diga! ¡Dígame! ¿Sí? ¿Bueno? ¡Hola! ¿Aló?Good morning Buenos díasGood afternoon Buenas tardesGood evening Buenas tardes / Buenas nochesGood night, Night night, Nighty Night, Good night, sleep tight,hope the bedbugs don't bite!

Buenas noches

Goodbye Adiós, Hasta luego, Hasta la vista, Hasta mañanaHow are you? ¿Cómo está usted? (frm) ¿Cómo estás? (inf)Reply Bien gracias, ¿y usted? (frm) Bien gracias, ¿y tú? (inf)Long time no see ¡Cuánto tiempo! ¡Tanto tiempo sin verte!What's your name? ¿Cómo te llamas? (inf) ¿Cómo se llama Usted? (frm)My name is ... Me llamo ... Mi nombre es ...Where are you from? ¿De dónde eres? (inf) ¿De dónde es usted? (frm)I come from ... Soy de ...Pleased to meet you Mucho gusto EncantadoGood luck ¡Buena suerte!Cheers! Bottoms up! Down the hatch! Mud in your eye! ¡Salud!Bon appetit! Enjoy your meal! (frm) Enjoy! Tuck in! Get stuck in!Eat already! (inf/slang) Happy eating! Get your laughing gearround this! (inf/slang)

¡Buen provecho! ¡Buen apetito! ¡Que aproveche!

Bon voyage / have a good journey ¡Buen viaje!Excuse me ¡Perdón! ¡Perdone! ¡Discúlpe!Sorry ¡Perdón! ¡Perdone! ¡Lo siento!How much is this? / How much does this cost? ¿Cuánto cuesta? ¿Cuánto cuesta esto?Please Por favorThank you Thank you very much Thank you kindly Thanks a lotMany thanks Thanks Cheers Ta (used mainly in northen Eng-land)

Gracias Muchas gracias

You're welcome Don't mention it My pleasure No problem Noprobs Not a problem No worries No big deal

De nada No hay de qué

Where's the toilet / lavatory / bathroom / restroom / powderroom / gents/ladies? Where's the loo / bog / dunny / little boys'/girls' room? (inf/slang)

¿Dónde están los aseos ¿Dónde están los sanitarios? ¿Dóndeestá el baño? ¿Dónde está el cuarto de baño?

Have a nice day ¡Que pase un buen día!Get well soon Que te mejores Que te mejores pronto ¡Recupérate pronto!

Pronta recuperaciónWould you like to dance with me? ¿Querría bailar conmigo? (frm) ¿Querrías bailar conmigo? (inf)

¿Quisiera bailar conmigo? (frm) ¿Quisieras bailar conmigo? (inf)I love you Te amo / Te quieroI don't understand No entiendo No comprendoPlease say that again ¿Me lo puede repetir, por favor? ¿Puede repetirlo, por favor?Please speak more slowly Por favor hable más despacio


Useful info Useful info · Passport and Visa

16

English SpanishCan you please write it down? ¿Puede escribirlo, por favor?How do you say ... in english? ¿Cómo se dice ... en español?Do you speak english? ¿Habla usted español? (frm) ¿Hablas español? (inf)Yes, a little Sí, hablo un poquito de español Sí, un pocoLeave me alone! ¡Déjeme en paz!Help! ¡Ayúdame! ¡Socorro! ¡Auxilio!

Passport and Visa

Passport required Return ticket required Visa requiredAustralian Yes Yes No/2

British Yes Yes NoCanadian Yes Yes No/2Other EU Yes Yes No/1

USA Yes Yes No/2

Passports:

To enter Chile, a passport valid for at least six months is required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

Passport note:

Passports issued to children must contain a photo and state the nationality.

Entry with children:

Minors travelling alone or with one parent must have a letter of consent from both parents or the other parent when entering andleaving Chile. If alone, a birth certificate with both parents' names is also required.

Visas:

Visas are not required by the nationals referred to in the chart above for stays in Chile of up to 90 days, except the following:

1. Nationals of Greece for stays exceeding 60 days.

2. Nationals from Australia, Canada, the US and Mexico do not require a visa; however, they must pay a reciprocal tax before enteringChile.

3. Transit passengers continuing their journey on the same or first connecting aircraft provided holding required travel documentsfor onward destination and not leaving the airport transit lounge.

Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.

Types and cost:

Visitors from Australia, Canada, the US and Mexico pay a reciprocal tax when entering Chile. The fees respectively are: US$95, US$132,US$140 and US$23, payable in cash.

Emergency numbersPolice: 133Medical: 131Fire: 132

Notes:


References References ·

17

References

References Reasonable care has been taken in creating this personalized travel guide by combining information from the sources identifiedunder the section 'references'. However, the information is provided 'as is' and there is no warranty about the information in the guidebeing accurate, complete or up to date. To the maximum extent permitted under applicable law, all liability arising from the use ofthis guide will be denied. Verifying critical information (like visas, health and safety) before you travel is recommended.

Santiago data is from Wikitravel, urls:

– http://www.wikitravel.com

This page was last edited at 20:57, on 8 July 2011 by Wikitravel user Felix505. Based on work by Wikitravel user(s) Ikan Kekek,Llywinda, Titiva and Zepppep, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.

City info data is from Wikipedia, urls:

– http://www.wikipedia.com

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use fordetails. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

Weather data is from Norwegian Meteorological Institute and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation yr.no, urls:

– http://www.yr.no/place/Chile/Santiago/Santiago_de_Chile/

Sunset data is from Norwegian Meteorological Institute and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation yr.no, urls:

– http://www.yr.no/place/Chile/Santiago/Santiago_de_Chile/

Currency data is from Xavier Finance Api, urls:

– http://finance.xaviermedia.com/

Maps data is from Yahoo Local Maps, OpenStreetMap, Qype, urls:

– http://maps.yahoo.com– http://www.openstreetmap.org– http://www.qype.com


Notes

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Notes

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santiago @cruiseluxurious

Documents

city center

santiago santiago

capital city

city outskirts

andes mountains range

imposing andes mountains

fast growing city

santiago basin