SANTIAGO DE CHILE IN 1 DAY

Send

Day 2: Rome Fiumicino Airport - Santiago de Chile in 1 day: London-Paris neighborhood, San Francisco church, Plaza de Armas, Lastarría neighborhood, Bellavista neighborhood: La Chascona, Bellavista patio, San Cristóbal hill

We woke up when it's 5 in the morning in Chile, after about six hours or so sleeping, something we didn't think about when we embarked on our route through Chile last night, in which we could say, worst plane of our life, and that we were on emergency exit with the extra of space that means. That caused that seeing the discomfort that awaited us the next 15 hours, after dinner we decided to take a "tablet"which has allowed us to rest a few hours before waking up when we were already flying over Brazil and start thinking about the route through Santiago de Chile in 1 day That awaits us in just a few hours.

Between reading times and moments of dreaming looking out the window arrive at 8 in the morning when on the right hand we begin to see the mountain range, completely clear, but still with snow and protected by a moon, almost full, which leaves us with a first vision of this trip to Chile and the unbeatable Easter Island.

Arriving in Santiago de Chile

Punctually we landed in Santiago de Chile when it is 9:30 in the morning heading as soon as we get off the plane to immigration control, with our forms already filled out from the plane, and where after a few minutes of queue and a new passport stamp , we go to the luggage collection room where we collect the bags that will accompany us during this route through Chile.

With the bags already in hand the first thing we do is stop at an ATM to get the money we need these days since today we have no open bank and we prefer to go over insurance, at least with some money in your pocket .

I exchange money in Chile

We have several options to change money in Chile
- Exchange Houses or Banks: we must carry cash and make the change in a bank or exchange house. You have to take into account the schedules and location, especially if you arrive on the weekend.
- Change in country of origin: for us the least recommended option, since we will have to pay commissions and the currency exchange in general is much worse, in addition to having to take all the money with us during the trip.
- ATM: for us the best option after doing so in several countries. The commission of your bank, besides being able to negotiate it, is usually much better than the commissions or the exchange of currency in the exchange houses. The problem in Chile is that the cashiers only let out 150000CLP and a commission of 5000CLP at the airport in Santiago de Chile and in most banks in the rest of the city and cities of Chile.
In the Plaza de la Moneda we see that there is the State Bank and we try to prove, finding that in this ATM we can remove the limit that we want without any restriction being a foreigner and we also have a commission of only 4000CLP from what we have seen and after our experience we advise you not to take out directly at the airport unless you have to pay something at that time and directly do so at Banco Estado in the center or at any of the branches that are spread throughout the city.
Keep in mind that when you enter your card and your pin number at the ATM, then you have to select the option "Foreign"If it is not impossible to get money.
In this case, if you do not want to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend using the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.

With the money already with us we have to buy a free sim card for Chile, to be able to be connected and continue working, at least maintaining RRSS, but after several laps around the airport and asking in several shops, they tell us that they only sell cards 100MB, so we have to look for them in the center. (Update: the day of our return to Spain we saw that in the departures terminal there are two stores, one of Claro and another Movistar, much larger and where they have announced that they sell the cards that we later bought in the center of Santiago de Chile ).

With everything already in our possession, it is time to go to the TransVip counters, the company with which we have hired the route from the airport to Santiago de Chile round trip, for when within 3 days we have to return to the airport to catch the flight to Calama, for 19500CLP both journeys by private taxi, for two people. As soon as you leave, you will see that there are several transfer counters, including two from TransVip, if you already have the reservation made online, you have to go to Gate 3, a few meters away, and there only provide your reservation code and leave directly by the next door, where you will see all the cars and where you will be assigned one according to the type of transfer you have chosen.

How to get from the airport to Santiago de Chile

There are several ways to go from the airport to Santiago de Chile:
- Bus: There are several companies that perform this service, among which Turbus and Centropuerto Buses stand out, departing from the door of the airport lobby and have several stops in the city, which can be seen on their respective websites. The price of the ticket is 1700CLP per person and route.
Once you arrive at a stop that best suits the location of your accommodation, there you can take another public bus or the subway, in case you have a line nearby, until you reach the accommodation.
In our case, the best option staying at the Sommelier Express Hotel would have been to stop at the Alameda Terminal and from there take the Metro line 1 from "Universidad de Santiago" to the "Santa Lucia" stop about 200 meters from our hotel.
- Taxi: The price is approximately 16000CLP per way
- Transfer: This is the most comfortable option since you only have to book online.
TransVip: We have done it through TransVip for 19500CLP round trip for two people. Once you leave the baggage reclaim hall, you just have to go to the ticket office of Door 3, provide your reservation number and exit through the door on the left to have your car assigned.
With TransVip there are 3 options with different fares on all routes. In the case of the transfer from the airport to the center of Santiago de Chile the prices are as follows: Executive Taxi (19500CLP), Exclusive Transfer (26400CLP), both have an approximate duration of 50 minutes and Shared Transfer for 14000CLP with an approximate duration of 1h40 .
It has not been more than 30 minutes when we are already in the taxi that will take us to the Sommelier Express Hotel, where we will stay the next three nights, starting our route in Santiago de Chile in 1 day, city that will be our gateway to this trip to Chile in 31 days.
With a temperature more than pleasant at this time of the morning, we arrive at the hotel when it is 11 and a little in the morning, with the luck that we already have our room available to be able to take a shower, change our clothes for something more summery, we are almost 30 degrees, and start our Santiago de Chile in 1 day.

Sommelier Express Hotel

Shortly before 12 in the morning we are ready to start the route and the first thing we do is approach to a Claro store that we have right next to the hotel to buy a free sim card for the phone and thus be able to have internet connection and calls within Chile.

Chile SIM card

There are several companies with which you can purchase a SIM card in Chile: Claro, Movistar and Entel. After our experience and telling that the only one that works in both Chile and Easter Island is Entel, we would opt for this option, since when we arrived and asked at Claro they assured us that their card was valid in both places, something that once on Easter Island we saw that it was not like that, since only Entel works there.
As we said we opted for Claro where we bought a card for 1000CLP plus a 15000CLP package that includes 1000 minutes in local calls, 6GB of navigation + 4GB of navigation in RRSS, to consume in 30 days, a price more than adjusted for everything what includes.
The process is to buy the free card for 1000CLP first and make a refill of the money you want, that can be done in specific pharmacies or stores. Once you have this recharge you just have to call the indicated number (* 103 #) and select the package you want.

Chile prepaid SIM card

Another option is to choose to buy one Holafly SIM card being in Spain, with which you will have internet from the moment you land, saving you all the time of the negotiations and making the whole process to have internet much more comfortable, fast and easy.
In this case, with the Holafly SIM you will have several Gb to surf the Internet (depending on the option you choose), they will send it to you for free at home, you will keep your WhatsApp number and you will have assistance service in Spanish. You can buy your Holafly prepaid SIM card here with a 5% discount for being our reader

More information on the Holafly post, the best prepaid SIM card for travel

Once with internet on your mobile, touch start the route through Santiago de Chile in 1 day, so being where we are we can only get closer to the Church of San Francisco, which we have right next door, in the London-Paris neighborhood, one of the best known neighborhoods in Santiago de Chile.
A good option to learn more about the history and curiosities is to book a guided tour in Spanish through the most famous places in Santiago de Chile or this free tour through the historic center of Santiago. Free!

San francisco Church. Route through Santiago de Chile in 1 day

The Church of San Francisco is the oldest colonial building that we can find in Santiago, Chile, this being one of the reasons that bring us here, in addition to the Virgen del Socorro that is on the altar and of course, the neighborhood in the which is located, which is one of those that you cannot miss in this city.

Interior San Francisco Church

We are in the interior for about 20 minutes, embobados with this austere church, and then get lost in the neighborhood that surrounds it, one of the best known neighborhoods in the city, which stands out from the surroundings and consists only of two streets that form a intersection: London and Paris, which as you can see, have been the ones that have given the name to this neighborhood.
It is worth missing a few minutes through these streets in which the architecture of the houses that border them, in European style, as well as the attention to detail that all of them show.

London-Paris neighborhood

London-Paris Neighborhood Passage

Here we also find the famous Casa Londres 38, known for being a detention and torture center that worked during the Pinochet regime and that today keeps its doors open as a tribute and reminder of what happened there. Our idea was to visit it, but we just found that by restoration they have it closed today and tomorrow, so we leave the visit for Monday that we will still continue in Santiago de Chile and being very close to the hotel, we can approach in the morning.

London 38

From here we continue through one of the main arteries of Santiago de Chile until we reach the Palacio de la Moneda, the official offices of the Chilean president, where we see the great flag of Chile and that we surround to reach the Plaza de la Constitución where we take the opportunity to sit a while and finish looking at this day that we have planned to Santiago in 1 day and where we also take the opportunity to get money at the State Bank where, as we mentioned earlier, we can take cash without restrictions.

Palace of the Currency

From here we approach the Plaza de Armas, another of the most important places in the city and one of the essentials of Santiago de Chile. As we enter the square we realize that it is one of the liveliest areas of the city, which in a way reminds us of the Plaza de Armas of Lima, saving distances.

Main Square

Although we would have spent hours and hours enjoying the atmosphere, seeing that it is practically 1:30 at noon we prefer to take a quick tour, without entertaining too much, and approaching the restaurant El Fogón a restaurant quite recommended in this area of Santiago de Chile, in which when we arrived we discovered that it is dedicated only to Peruvian cuisine. Although the idea was not to start the first day of our trip to Chile Tasting Chilean cuisine, being the time it is we decided to stay and remember also our trip to Peru for free.

We ordered a rice with seafood plus mixed pork rinds, two mango juices and 2 coffees for 23000CLP. After the experience we have to say that both both dishes and juices are excellent, so for our part, it is more than recommended.

Eating at El Fogón Restaurant

It's almost 3:00 in the afternoon when we just ate and make a short table and although our initial plans on this route for Santiago in 1 day They did not go to San Cristobal Hill, seeing that La Chascona, the house where Pablo Neruda lived, closes on Mondays, we decided to make a change of plans with the day we had planned for tomorrow to make the visit this afternoon.
Initially we value the possibility of going by subway, but seeing that we are just over a kilometer and that on the way we can pass through the Lastarria neighborhood, the bohemian neighborhood of Santiago de Chile and another one of the most famous neighborhoods in the city, we decided go for a walk and also take the opportunity to lower the food a bit.
We enter the Barrio Lastarria through Merced Street, where we find some streets full of charm, with many craft shops and a very lively atmosphere, which shows us in just a few minutes, that all those who recommended us one were not wrong Visit to this amazing neighborhood.

Lastarria Neighborhood Street

If you are in the center of Santiago de Chile and want to come to La Chascona, we recommend that you do this walk on foot, since it is not at all heavy and also really worth getting lost during an hour through the most central streets of the neighborhood, Always lively and full of color.

More practical information to prepare your trip to Chile
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Chile
- 10 amazing places to see in Chile
- Best travel insurance for Chile

As we continue the walk and move on, we approach the Cerro San Cristóbal, direction that we have to take to go to La Chascona, more atmosphere we are in the Barrio Bellavista, an area full of restaurants, terraces and shops full of charm that surround the also famous Patio Bellavista.

Approaching the Barrio Bellavista, with Cerro San Cristóbal in the background

We arrived at La Chascona when it's about 3:45 in the afternoon and we found ourselves just entering a house full of color, radiating a special energy. Upon entering we find the ticket booths where we pay 6000CLP per person, students with international accreditation pay 2000CLP, and provide us with an audio guide included in the price with which we go through the 11 rooms of the house while explaining every detail of it and The life of Pablo Neruda.

The chascona. Santiago de Chile in 1 day

La Chascona was the refuge for Pablo Neruda and Matilde Urrutía, his great lover, who gave him, even unintentionally, the name of this house, since click is synonymous with grenuda, which refers to her curls, often not tame. As we mentioned the audio guide takes you through 11 of the rooms, some of them incredible, such as the dining room, inspired by a boat.
The visit lasts about an hour, taking the visit with peace of mind, stopping to take photographs of the exteriors, you can not photograph the interiors, and enjoying both the explanation and the interesting details that are still preserved after the great looting at the time of the dictatorship.

Pablo Neruda

Despite what we had read, we have to say that we found this visit very interesting, we would say that it is essential, so we believe that it is very worthwhile to make the visit, in addition to being a perfect complement to the visit to Barrio Bellavista.
Comment that in the Lonely Planet guide of Chile and Easter Island we have read that it is advisable to book at least one day in advance, as it is usually full. In our case we have not had any problem to enter as soon as we arrive, we do not know if it was because of the time in which we have come or because of the dates, so it may be interesting to send an email or inform yourself before going, if in fact You have to book at other times of the year.
If you are followers of Neruda, a good option is to book this tour in Spanish that will take you to Isla Negra to visit Pablo Neruda's favorite house.

It's 5:00 in the afternoon when we leave La Chascona willing to follow our route through Santiago de Chile in 1 day, going directly to Cerro San Cristóbal, to Plaza Caupolicán, where the station where the funicular that ascends to the Bellavista Terrace, at the foot of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception is located.

Funicular entrance Cerro San Cristóbal

We queue for approximately 10 minutes, outside the station, and then access the building where the funicular and ticket offices are located. We pay 2600CLP per person, round trip, price for holidays and with a schedule in which the last funicular down is at 7 in the afternoon.
Initially this makes us rethink the visit, since it is 5 in the afternoon, but after seeing what we just want to spend some time in the Bellavista Terrace, to see the views of Santiago de Chile, we understand that these two hours are more than enough for this. Keep in mind that Cerro San Cristóbal also houses the Metropolitan Park and a Zoo, something to keep in mind if you have more time in the city or travel with children and you want to extend the visit in this area of Santiago de Chile.

Funicular Cerro San Cristóbal

Views from the funicular of Cerro San Cristóbal as we ascend to the Bellavista Terrace

The funicular ride does not last more than 5 minutes, in which we pass through the zoo, where a short stop is made, then continue to the Bellavista Terrace, from where you have some of the best views of Santiago de Chile. In this area we find a couple of terraces where we take the opportunity to have a couple of soft drinks, as well as several stores where you can buy souvenirs.

Views of Santiago de Chile from the Bellavista Terrace

Something to keep in mind is that if you want to come for a walk around the San Cristobal Hill, you will need several hours, but if like us, you just want to enjoy the views, in just over 45 minutes you will be ready. The time it took us to take the funicular again and arrive again at the Bellavista neighborhood where the terraces, at this time of the afternoon, are already full, just as the atmosphere of the street is much more lively.

Bellavista neighborhood

Color in the Bellavista Neighborhood

Being the time it is and being in this area of Santiago de Chile, we can not less than approach the Patio Bellavista, a patio where you can find many restaurants and shops, something else refined, to put it in some way, than the ones you can find in the rest of the city.

Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish from Santiago de Chile by travelers:
- Guided tour of Santiago de Chile
- Excursion to Valparaiso and Viña del Mar
- Panoramic tour of Santiago
- Neruda Tour around Isla Negra and Pomaire
- Tour of Cajon del Maipo and El Yeso reservoir
- More excursions and tours here

Here we spend almost an hour enjoying the shops and restaurants, almost without realizing it and that is that at this time the atmosphere is very lively and after spending the whole day of visits, taking this time a little more relaxed, it comes to us with pearls. Keep in mind that in the lonely planet guide it says that they close at 4pm, when it is actually at 4 in the morning, something that will not surprise you when you see the atmosphere and more knowing that this is one of the neighborhoods frequented by Chileans when they go out.

Patio Bellavista Entrance

Bellavista patio

When it's 8 in the afternoon and with the stomach attracting attention, we look at TripAdvisor as usual and, not wanting to eat too much dinner, we see that we are next to the Ciudad Vieja restaurant one of the most recommended San Juan de Chile, so we do not think much and we get there, sitting at the only free table that is left on the terrace and is that although the street is full of restaurants, most of them highly recommended on TripAdvisor, the only one that has the terrace Full is this, will it be for something?

After looking at the menu for a while since they have a fairly wide variety of sandwiches of different kinds, in the end we end up ordering one of breaded meat and another of tuna, more soda and a 25000CLP beer that are really spectacular. It is worth coming one night to dinner here and also let yourself be advised, since the waiters are super nice and advise you what kind of drink to drink according to your tastes, what sandwich to choose or even the type of bread that is best for each of them .

Having dinner at the Ciudad Vieja Restaurant in the Bellavista Neighborhood

It is 9:30 at night when we have finished dinner and we note that despite the time it is, it has not yet got dark and it is that at this time of the year it is from this time when the sun begins to fall, although the temperatures it shows that they have dropped a bit.
After 15 hours of flight and the route through Santiago de Chile in 1 day, counting the little time we have rested, we decided that it is time to take a walk around the Bellavista neighborhood and make our way back to the Sommelier Express Hotel, which awaits us with open arms to stay for the next three nights.

Bellavista neighborhood

Day 3: Santiago de Chile - What to see in Valparaíso: Cerro Bellavista: La Sebastiana, Cerro Cárcel: Cumming Street, Bismark Square, Cerro Alegre, Cerro Concepción, Puerto de Valparaíso - Santiago de Chile