Things to Do in Santiago, Chile: A Starting Itinerary (4 Days)

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Let’s talk about the top things to do in Santiago when visiting the city for the first time. This is only the surface of what is available to you in the city. There are a number of museums and other activities that we did not have the chance to get to. We list these at the end of this itinerary and you can add them into the itinerary based on the amount of time that you have and your interests.

Look into various flight options for getting to Santiago here.

Where to Stay in Santiago

First, let’s talk about safety. Many people and websites say that Santiago is dangerous. This is incredibly relative. (We are from Chicago and San Francisco and safety has always been a conversation in our lives). Crime in Santiago tends to be crimes of opportunity, like walking with your cell phone out of your pocket and flaunting it around. If you are aware, stay in tourist and commercial neighborhoods, and don’t walk alone through areas that seem abandoned, you will be okay in the city! Talk to locals about where you can and cannot walk and take extra precautions in the evenings after dark. The city has Uber as an easy means of transportation between the various things to do in Santiago, especially at night. You can read more about alternative transportation methods through Santiago here.

Lastarria

If you are a first-time visitor to Santiago and are only here for a few days, this is the neighborhood for you. It is walking distance to many of the attractions in the city center, right next to the famous rock, Cerro Santa Lucia, and in a vibrant neighborhood, both during the day and at night. The neighborhood is small and walkable, having art fairs displayed every day, restaurants and bars, and talented street performers. One thing to note is that young people often lay out different clothing to sell on the sidewalks of the streets but they are just street vendors.

Barrio Providencia (along Avenida Providencia)

This neighborhood is large but the area near Avenida Providencia is full of restaurants and shopping areas. It is near the modern business district of Santiago and includes the tallest building in South America. The modern accommodations here definitely juxtaposition the historical buildings of the Lastarria area. It really is a personal preference as to which are you would prefer to stay in. You can read more about getting around Santiago here. Being further from the tourism center should not deter you!

Bellavista

This neighborhood is another good one for first-time visitors to Santiago and is right by Lastarria, although you should not walk between the two neighborhoods late at night. The area has a number of great restaurants and bars and has a strong nightlife. It is a bohemian colorful neighborhood with a lot of street art and the Pablo Neruda museum.

Barrio Italia

This neighborhood is a little further from the historic center than Lastarria and Bellavista. It is a great restaurant district within Santiago with, you guessed it, Italian food and pizza joints along with different bars. If you are looking for more of a local flare, this is the neighborhood for you.

Looking for where to stay for in Santiago? You can check out various hotels here.

A 4 Day Itinerary with Some of the Top Things to Do in Santiago

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

Day 1

Walking tour of the city

Explore the Museo de la Memoria

Day 2

Visit the Casa Museo La Chascona about writer Pablo Neruda

Head to the top of Cerro San Cristobal

Explore the Providencia neighborhood

Watch the sunset from the Sky Costanera of the Gran Torre Costanera

Day 3

Spend the day visiting Valparaiso with a tour group

Day 4

Option 1: Visit various vineyards around Santiago

Option 2: Explore various neighborhoods. Visit Barrio Paris-Londres and walk up the Cerro Santa Lucio.

Explore the Lastarria neighborhood. Consider visiting the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino.

End the day with a picnic in the Parque Bicentenario

Day 1: Learning About the History

When visiting somewhere new and wanting to dive into the local culture, it is important to understand the context of the place you are visiting. The first of the things to do in Santiago is a walking tour or an important museum. In addition, these guides have great tips for other activities to explore in the city, foods to try, or neighborhoods to visit.

Free Walking Tour

There are a number of free walking tours available in Santiago and a quick Google search will show you your different options. They walk you through the city center and the historical areas of the city. (If you don’t go into the Cathedral at the Plaza de la Armas, it is something worth returning to). We recommend Free Tour Santiago because of the guide’s great depth of knowledge. If this tour does not work for your schedule, there are other companies that run their tours at various times of the day.

After your walking tour, get some lunch and make your way to the Museo de la Memoria to dive deeper into recent events that have shaped Chile today.

Top Things to do in Santiago: Museo de la Memoria

A big part of the history of Santiago is the military dictatorship that took over the government in a coup d’etat in 1973 and lasted until 1990. Pinochet’s military dictatorship kept control of the country with their manipulation of the media and the kidnapping and murder of people who showed any threat to the government’s power. The Museo de la Memoria is dedicated to educating visitors on the human rights violations of this government and maintaining the memory of all the people who were “disappeared” and were murdered during Pinochet’s reign. It is vital to hear about the history to prevent it from repeating itself in the future and understand the deeper characteristics of the current Chilean culture. Because of all this, the Museo de la Memoria is one of the top things to do in Santiago if you want to understand the history and culture of the country.

The museum is free to visit. With a donation, you can get an audio guide, which is necessary if you don’t speak Spanish proficiently. The guide will help you understand the history and the different exhibitions presented to you. You should give yourself at least 2 hours to take in the entire museum.

After this visit, find a place for dinner to decompress and get ready for another big day tomorrow.

Day 2: Seeing the Views

After exploring the older part of the city, it is time to discover the newer neighborhood of Santiago: Providencia. Part of this neighborhood is colloquially known as Sanhattan because it is the business center of Santiago and has a concentration of high-rises.

Bellavista

Start the day in the Bellavista neighborhood. This colorful neighborhood is full of street art, restaurants, and boutiques. It is also the location of Pablo Neruda’s museum of his work. Consider visiting the Casa Museo La Chascona.

Top Things to do in Santiago: Cerro San Cristobal

Next, head up to one of the key viewpoints of the city, Cerro San Cristobal. This particular experience includes using the funicular and cable car systems to see various views of the city. By using both forms of transportation, you will get to go over the volcano hill of Santiago and get great vistas below. Getting these views through these transportation systems is one of the best things to do in Santiago.

The funicular starts in Bellavista at Estación Pío Nono; it goes up the hill to the Sanctuary on San Cristóbal Hill. Here, you will get off and walk around this area to see a large statue of the Virgin Mary that watches over the city. From this hill, with great views of the city below, you can take the cable car to the Oasis Station, located near Barrio Providencia.

Now, you can explore the Providencia neighborhood. You have the option of purchasing a round-trip ticket, allowing you to take the cable-car and funicular back to Bellavista/Lastarria. However, we recommend purchasing a one-way ticket to have as much time as possible in Providencia and explore this part of town. Either way, you can purchase tickets in advance here. Purchasing tickets in advance will help you avoid the line.

Sky Costanera of the Gran Torre Costanera

The Providencia neighborhood is home to the tallest building in South America and has a sky deck on its top two floors with 360 views of the city and mountains and a cafe. The entrance into the tower is on the lower floor of the Costanera mall. You can purchase tickets in advance to go to the viewing deck here, which will allow you skip the ticket purchasing line and go straight through the metal detector and the top floors.

The views from the sky deck are truly remarkable. You can see the mountains that surround the city and the buildings spread throughout the valley. If you like sunsets, this is a popular spot to watch it. We recommend going up an hour before the sunset because the lines can get long to get to the sky deck.

After the Gran Torre Costanera, you can walk around the Providencia neighborhood and find some local Chilean food (such as the mechada at Fuente Alemana). After, you can head back to the Bellavista/Lastarria area (where we presume you are staying).

Day 3: Valparaiso Day Tour (Or Stay Overnight to Explore More)

Valparaiso is a port town just an hour away from Santiago, Chile. (It’s also where the Chile Congress is located while the rest of the national government is located in Santiago.) It is a large port in Chile and 30% of the country’s exports pass through here. In addition, it is known as the “Jewel of the Pacific” and is recognizable for the colorful buildings built up into the mountains around the port. Visiting Valparaiso is one of the top things to do in Santiago.

This city deserves at least a day to visit and explore its streets and culture. You can do that through a tour group or on your own. The nice thing about the tour group is that the logistics are taken care of for you. They will pick you up from your hotel, drive you through the city, take you to Vina del Mar (a high-end town with a beautiful beach in the area), and drop you back off at your hotel. You can consider reserving this small tour, which is in both Spanish and English.

If you are comfortable with figuring out the logistics of public transportation between Santiago and Valparaiso, consider taking a bus to Valparaiso in the morning (you can read more about transportation through Santiago here). From there, you can join one of the free walking tours that is offered in the city. These tours often dive deep into the history and culture of the locale and bring you to less touristy gems. It is worth exploring Valparaiso in this way. You can also consider driving to Valparaiso for the morning and spending the afternoon or even overnight in Vina del Mar before returning to Santiago.

If you are particularly interested in local culture and history, look into Pablo Neruda, a famous Chilean poet, who loved Valparaiso and lived in the city. There are tours that are specific to him and his love for the city that you can pursue as well.

Day 4: Neighborhood and Park Exploration

Option 1: Look for a tour that can take you to various vineyards around Santiago. There is a prolific wine industry in this area of Chile and this is one of the great things to do in Santiago.

Option 2: This final day is all about exploring the smaller and more intimate parts of Santiago, including some of the quaint neighborhoods and parks throughout. Seeing the personality of different neighborhoods is one of the great things to do in Santiago.

Barrio Paris- Londres

This lesser-known neighborhood is two streets (at the intersection of Paris and Londres) and is designed in the likeness of the Latin Quarter of Paris. It has cobblestone streets, restored mansions, and cafes. It’s a nice neighborhood to walk through to start your day.

Top Things to do in Santiago: Cerro Santa Lucia

From Barrio Paris-Londres, you can walk a few blocks to the bottom of Cerro Santa Lucia, the large rock in the center of Santiago and an important location for the indigenous Mapuche of the region. It is free to climb to the top of the rock (you will just have to check in with the security guard at the entrance). Once you get to the very top, you will get great views of the city all around. It is a rewarding way to see the city.

Lastarria

After coming down from Cerro Santa Lucia on the north-side of the rock, you can walk right into the Lastarria neighborhood. Here, you can find a number of bars, restaurants, and art markets throughout the day. This is a great place to just walk around and people-watch. It’s also a nice spot to purchase local artwork, jewelry and souvenirs. Exploring this neighborhood is one of the best things to do in Santiago to see one of the most popular spots for tourists.

If you are interested in local archaeology and history of Chile, consider visiting the Chilean Museum of Pre-Colombian Art to learn about the indigenous people who occupied this part of the world. You can purchase tickets in advance here.

Parque Bicentenario

Finally, to end the day, take an Uber to Parque Bicentenario, one of the large parks in Santiago and a great place for a picnic. In the park, you can find some food stands with ice cream, coffee, and snacks. It’s a great place to relax and watch locals in the park!

Other Things to Do in Santiago

These activities are other great things to do in Santiago to continue to explore what the city and region has to offer.

Day Trips

- Vineyard tours – Santiago is very close to a main wine region in Chile and there are a number of tours that allow you to visit a number of vineyards in one day.
- Thermal baths – Santiago is near a volcanic region with different natural thermal baths in beautiful landscapes. You can also look into a longer trip to the volcanic region of Chile here.