Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city, is home to half of the country’s population. On this walking tour you will see all the important sites and landmarks in the downtown area.
We begin the tour at your hotel and first bring you to the top of San Cristobal Hill by cable car or “teleférico”. From here you will have a panoramic view of the entire city of Santiago where your guide will describe the city’s geography and point out the sites to be seen during the walking tour. We will descend the hill by an open-air funicular that will bring you right into the colorful Bellavista neighborhood with streets lined with lively cafes.
From there we walk by Plaza Italia and stroll through beautiful Florestal Park to reach the Lastarria neighborhood with many tiny shops and cafés. Our walking tour continues to Santa Lucia Hill, an oasis in the center of Santiago. Originally named Huelén Hill by the Mapuche Indians, this is where Pedro de Valdivia founded the city in 1541.
We continue to the historic city center visiting the Museum of Fine Arts, Central Market, and Plaza de Armas, Santiago’s main square. At the plaza, you will see the Cathedral, City Hall, Historic Post Office, and Monument to Chile’s Indigenous People, as well as enter the Museum of National History.
We then pass by the Old Congress Building and Supreme Court and continue onward to La Moneda Palace (The Government House). Afterwards, we will stop by the oldest church in Chile, the San Francisco Church, and visit a handicraft market for souvenir shopping. At the end of the tour, your guide will take you back to your hotel using the city’s modern Metro system for a real local experience.
Please note:
(1) The order of sites visited may vary depending on your pick up location.
(2) If your hotel is outside the downtown, Providencia or El Golf neighborhoods, the meeting point for this tour is the Sheraton San Cristobal Hotel located at Avenida Santa Maria 1742, Providencia. In this case, guests must make their own arrangements to arrive at the meeting point.
(3) The summer months (December-March) are hot and sunny in Santiago with daytime temperatures rising to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The total distance of this walking tour is around 5 to 6 miles. We encourage guests to wear comfortable walking shoes and to bring a hat and sunscreen.
(4) If you would like to explore the city from the comfort of your own private tour van with minimal walking, we recommend our Santiago and Neighborhoods Tour, which sees many of the same downtown landmarks and goes beyond the city center, or our Santiago City and Wine Tour, which also passes by the downtown landmarks and includes a visit to a nearby wine vineyard.