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Santiago, Chile isn’t as well known as other countries capital cities. Many people only visit Santiago because they use the city as a gateway to explore the natural wonders of the country in the Atacama Desert, the Chilean Lakes District and Patagonia. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to see and do in Santiago! I spent about six weeks in the city exploring everything. Whether you are passing through the city for a couple of days or living in Santiago as an expat here is a look at what to do in Santiago, Chile.

What to Do in Santiago, Chile

Free Walking Tours

I always recommend taking free tours when visiting a new place, or even if you want to learn more about the city you have lived in for a long time! If you are wondering what to do in Santiago first, start your time in the city with one, or all, of these free walking tours.

Free Tour Santiago 

You don’t need to book a reservation for this city tour that runs at 10am and 3pm every-day. The tour begins in Plaza de Armas near the Cathedral. The tour covers the sights from Santiago’s main square to San Cristóbal Hill. A lot of the tour is spent learning about the history of the country, but the guide also talked about Chilean foods, coffee culture in Santiago and other cultural aspects of the city. 

About 2 hours into the tour there is a 30 minute break at a restaurant. You can relax at the restaurant and use the toilets for free without buying anything. There is a special tour menu with a couple of sandwiches, empanadas and drinks. The empanada I got was better than expected. After the break there is about another hour left in the tour. The tour ends at the Neruda Museum. There are a lot of places to eat around the area. If you need a toilet there are free ones at the bottom of San Cristóbal hill. 

In the summer months our guide was very aware that it got hot in the sun so he did a good job keeping us in the shade as much as possible. Regardless make sure to wear sun protection. It’s pretty easy to find somewhere to buy water in Santiago quickly, but I would still recommend you bring water with you.

Separate tours are offered for English and Spanish speakers. The guide I had spoke excellent English.

Strawberry Tours

Strawberry Tours offers three types of free walking tours that require advanced booking. A tour of the historical center on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 10:30 – 1:30pm. An “Untouched Santiago” tour on Saturdays from 10:30 – 1pm and a market tour on Saturdays from 10:30 – 1pm.

I took the market tour that visited the Central Market, La Vega Market, the flower market and Abastos Tirso De Molina market. More information about these markets is below. You can of course visit these markets on your own, but with the tour you learn a lot more about the history, food and the people who work at the markets. The same tour guide does the tour in both English and Spanish. My guide was knowledgable and friendly, but she didn’t quite speak fluent English.

Tours for Tips

I didn’t go on any of the tours with Tours for Tips, but they offer a Santiago Highlights tour everyday from 3 – 6pm. They also give a “Santiago Off-Beat” tour everyday from 10am – 1pm.

Museums

Despite Santiago’s lack of reputation for being a cultural hotspot, there is a good number of museums in the city. What’s great about the museums in Santiago is that so many are free! Take note that almost all the museums in the city are closed on Mondays. Some are also closed on Sundays. Here are just a few of the city’s many museums to get you started. 

Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos – Museum of Memory and Human Rights

This free history museum is one of my favorite museums in Santiago and one of the best to learn about the history of the country. The events of September 11th, 1973 and the military dictatorship that followed are the focus of the museum. It is a heartbreaking museum to visit because you learn about the tortures, disappearances and deaths that occurred in Chile during the 70s and 80s. While the museum focuses on the hardships the country has endured, it is a place of remembrance and hope for the future as well. Before visiting make sure to read my full post about the Museum of Memory and Human Rights.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes – Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts

This isn’t a huge art museum, but it has a nice collection of paintings and sculptors for a short visit. The art collection is displayed in a beautiful building. It is another one of the city’s free museums.

El Museo Histórico Nacional – The National History Museum 

Currently this museum is temporarily closed for renovations. Therefore, make sure to check that it has re-opened before trying to visit. Once it re-opens this is a great museum to visit if you are interested in the general history of Chile. It gives an overview of many topics from the earliest days of the country. You can get an audio guide in English, but the writing in the museum is all in Spanish. This is one of the city’s free museums. For more information read my full post about the National History Museum.

Cultural Activities

In addition to the museums, there are other ways to learn about the culture of the country in Santiago.

Guided Tour of La Moneda

I took a tour of La Moneda palace two times. No, not because it was so amazing. The first time I arrived I somehow ended up on the Spanish tour. The guide asked if I understood Spanish well because the English tour was already started. I went along with it and got as much out of it as I could until my brain couldn’t focus on Spanish anymore. I felt like I missed out on a lot so I decided to try again. Guess what happened? I was the only English speaker and got put on another Spanish tour! This time the guide spoke a little English and translated some of it. In reality my Spanish was better than his English. He spoke Spanish slower so I did pick up a little more from my second tour. 

So beware you may end up with limited English on this tour! I found it interesting to walk through the palace, but it isn’t as opulent as most palaces I have visited. The majority of the tour is in the inner courtyard and a few lower level rooms.

Use this form to sign up for a free guided tour of the palace. Make sure to request at least one week in advance. There are free toilets and wifi in La Moneda cultural center next door. Make sure to bring your passport for the tour, the guards will keep your passport throughout the tour. 

Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda

Right next to the La Moneda palace is the culture center. In addition to a couple of cafes, free toilets and places to sit and use the free wifi, this cultural center offers art exhibitions and a cinema. There is a huge range of exhibits that you might come across when here. I saw a photography exhibit and one from the natural history museum in Valparaíso. 

Theaters

Municipal Theatre of Santiago

At the majestic municipal theater you can attend classical concerts and opera and ballet performances. I was able to attend a free rehearsal of Raymonda, a Ballet production that was being performed the following weekend. Beforehand I wasn’t exactly sure what I was attending. I thought it was going to be a discussion about the ballet. Figuring I wouldn’t understand all of it, I assumed it would be worth it just to check out the theater. I was happily surprised that the first hour was a rehearsal of the ballet, followed by a 20 minute talk at the end. Check the theater’s calendar and you might be able to catch one of these special events before a new show premieres! Guided tours of the theater are also available in Spanish.

Las Condes Muncipal Theater

For opera, ballet and some more modern productions take a look at the theater in Las Condes. Las Condes is known as an upscale neighborhood in Santiago. There are several restaurants close to the theater around Plaza Perú.

I saw a really cool show called “Passagers” by a Canadian company which involved music, dance and acrobatics. That show is no longer at the theater, but if the quality of all the shows at the theater are half as good as “Passagers” you won’t be disappointed!

Parks

Santiago is a city full of parks. One of my favorite things to do in the city was visit all the different parks. Sundays were my preferred days to visit because the parks were filled with families enjoying a typical weekend together. It made for some good people watching! Remember, that just like museums, most of the parks are closed on Mondays.

Parque O’Higgins

This is a huge, bustling park that local families flock to on Sundays. It is a little further away from the usual tourist and expat areas so the park is used mostly by Chileans. A good sized amusement park and a large pool is inside the park. There are pay bathrooms within the park.

Quinta Normal Park

This park is across the street from the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. Within the park there is the National Museum of Natural History, a Museum of Science & Industry, a children’s museum and a Railway Museum. A pool and a little lake with pedal boats also draw people to the park.  My experience visiting on a week-day was totally different than my Sunday visit. During the week if you are in the area it is a nice park to take a stroll or relax in some shade. On Sunday you can see entertainment, rent little vehicles to drive around and buy street food. There are pay bathrooms within the park.

Sculpture Park Museum

The Santiago Sculpture park museum is an open air museum. It is basically a small park with sculptors made by Chilean artists. It’s nice for a stroll around the area and perfect before or after a visit to Cerro San Cristóbal and/or the Costanera Center.

Hills – Cerros

Something that makes Santiago special compared to other big cities, is that some of the city’s parks are actually hills you can climb and explore right inside of the city.

Cerro Santa Lucía

This is the smaller hill located right in the center of the city. The park is small enough that you can’t really get lost and all the paths eventually lead up to the look-out point, or back down to one of the entrances. While the hike up to the top isn’t particularly challenging, the concrete steps are pretty uneven, slippery and steep. There are pay toilets in a couple places in the park and a small cafe at the main entrance.

Cerro San Cristóbal

This is the city’s largest park and is full of walking trails and other things you can do. The park is so vast that it can be hard to choose what to do and how to plan your visit. Here is a look at the route I took and my recommendations for a day at the park. The earlier you start the more you can include!

Funicular

From the Baquedano metro stop, I walked for 10-15 minutes through the Bellavista neighborhood to the main entrance of the park. It was late afternoon before I got to the park, so I had an unexpectedly long wait in the hot sun to buy tickets for the funicular. There are various ticket options available, I went with the one way combined funicular and cable car (teleférico) ticket. I snagged a spot at the top of the funicular to get a good view of the climb up. Choosing the end of the funicular for a view of the city might have been an even better choice. Half-way up the hill the funicular stops for anyone who wants to visit the zoo. If you are planning to do that, get off, say hello to the animals and then continue your journey to the top when you are ready.

Bellavista Plaza

Once at the top I wandered around for awhile taking way too many pictures of the view. Then I bought an empanada and enjoyed it with some pigeons and bees getting rather close to me!

San Cristobal Hill Statue

Next up was a short hike up some stairs to see the Virgen of San Cristobal Hill statue. The views were even better from here.

Cable Car from Cumbre Station to Tupahue Station

Then it was on to the cable car! It felt like the longest cable car ride I have ever taken. Although it got a little hot in the enclosed  cable car, there were magnificent views of the park below, the city and the Andes mountains in the distance. When the cable car got to the station (Tupahue) I wasn’t really sure if I had to get off or if I could keep going. I ended up continuing on, but looking back I wish I would have gotten off, explored the area and then finished the last leg of the cable ride later.

If you get off at the first cable car stop (Tupahue) you can visit la Casa de la Cultural Anáhuac, which has free cultural activities every weekend. There is also a pool, look-out point and plaza here. In between the stations there are some easy paths and gardens to visit.

Cable Car from Tupahue Station to Inicial Station

Then you can  either walk or continue on to the last cable car station and exit the park in that area through the Valdivia Norte exit. The closest metro stops are Pedro de Valdivia or Los Leones. You can also head towards Tobalaba where the Costanera Center and the sculptor park are located.

FYI: Pick up a free paper map at the visitor center near the park entrance before getting on the funicular.  There are free toilets located in several places around the park. Also free water fountains! There are a couple of restaurants further into the park and several kiosks selling ice cream, drinks, empanadas other offerings near the funicular and cable car stops.

In addition to the official website, this site gives descriptions, hours and prices about the different modes of transportation and things you can do in the park (if you can’t read Spanish you will need to google translate it).

Markets

Markets are the best way to get to know the local foods and the local way of life in any city around the world. I especially love checking out markets in Latin America. Santiago is no different. They are all close together so you can see them in one morning or afternoon if you want. You will probably be tempted to re-visit and eat some more food later though!

El Mercado Central

The central market is where you will find a lot of seafood vendors and restaurants to eat seafood. Of all the markets this one felt the most touristy to me. There are pay toilets here.

La Vega Central

This market was probably the best to visit because it had a chaotic energy to it. It’s a bustling, crowded place full of vendors. There are stalls after stalls of beautiful, cheap produce. I couldn’t resist buying some of the strawberries here. Next time I am back in Santiago I am going to buy more of my produce here.

Mercado De Abastos Tirso De Molina

This market feels more orderly and no-where near as overwhelming as La Vega Central. The downstairs has some vendors and the upstairs has little eateries with all different kinds of cuisines. If you are trying to have a look around at lunchtime you will be ambushed by people trying to get you to eat at their place.

La Vega Chica

Although it is right between La Vega Central and Tirso de Molina, it doesn’t seem to be as well known. I didn’t even know about it until I found it by accident! I was searching for the Tirso de Molina, which is across the street from La Vega Chica. La Vega Chica is a lot more crowded and feels more local. One side is mostly meat sellers. I’m not one to get squeamish around raw meat, but walking through the narrow aisles, surrounded by heaps of meat was a little much for me here.

The other side is little eateries. To tell you the truth I was a little intimidated to go eat at one. There weren’t really restaurant names or menus other than a few posters. Mostly each place was just a small area with tables. As I was eyeing one place up a waitress came and asked if I wanted to eat lunch. I took that as my sign and enjoyed a typical Chilean dish, pastel de choclo (corn casserole). The market is a great place if you are looking for some quick, cheap and authentic Chilean foods. There are pay toilets here.

Shopping

Patio Bellavista Panorama Urbano

Patio Bellavista is a trendy outdoor mall full of restaurants and stores. Even though many of the people that visit are tourists and the restaurants can be a little more expensive, it doesn’t have a tacky touristy feel. It is a nice place to take an afternoon stroll through or experience some nightlife in Chile in the evening. I had my first rolled ice cream at Mist and enjoyed the ice cream flavor, Lucuma for the first time at el Maestrale. In addition to the recommendation of both ice cream places, I would urge you to try Lucuma ice cream. The sweet flavor is hard to explain, but many compare it to a maple syrup or a caramel flavor. 

Costanera Center

The Costanera Center is a huge multi-floor shopping mall. As the stores are mostly international brands, I would only recommend a visit if you are in Santiago for a longer period or need to do some shopping. There is a tourist discount card you can pick up for free at the information desk. It is valid for one week.

What impressed me about the mall was how it was organized. Every floor was designated to a different type of store. For example there was a floor designated to women’s stores. Another floor primarily for athletic wear and sports stores. I didn’t pay to go to the lookout tower, but there is an observation tower with 360 degree views of the city.

If you were wondering what to do in Santiago, this list should hopefully give you a good start to exploring Chile’s capital city. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite thing to do in Santiago is or what you would like to do the most! 

More About Chile

• Santiago: Museo Histórico Nacional review, Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos review, Barrio República Neighborhood Guide,Where to Stay in Santiago
• Chiloé Island: How to get to the island, how to get around, where to stay, what to do and more.
• Puerto Varas: Rafting & Kayaking
• Pucón: Day tours from Pucón
• Central Chile 3 Week Itinerary including Santiago and the Chilean Lakes District

Not quite what you are looking for? Don’t worry, I can help! Through my Personal Travel Planning service I can plan the perfect Chile itinerary to meet your travel needs…or any other place you dream of visiting! 

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