What to do in Santiago de Chile: tour of the center and day trip to Valparaiso and Parque Cordillera Yerba Loca.
The Chilean capital, Santiago de Chile, was founded by Pedro De Valdivia, a Spanish soldier and conqueror, on 12 February 1541. Today it is a modern city, but capable of preserving its ancient heart. We offer you a short tour to discover the city that borders the sea and the mountains, to reach two places much loved by the Chileans of the capital: Valparaiso and the Parque Cordillera Yerba Loca.
The heart of Santiago de Chile is definitely Plaza de Armas overlooked by the ancient cathedral dedicated to San Giacomo (Santiago), the national historical museum, the town hall building and the archbishop's palace. In the square, admire the sculpture by Enrique Villalobos dedicated “Al Pueblo Indígena”.
A walking tour around the Plaza de Armas will allow you to appreciate this lively center of South America; once the city tour is over, you can treat yourself to a trip out of town to the sea or the mountains. Crossing the border from Santiago de Chile after just over an hour you can reach the city of Valparaiso, an ideal destination for a trip out of town to discover a corner of Chile known throughout the world.
Valparaiso, which translated means Valley of Paradise, fully honors the name it bears thanks to the enchanting wonder of its places. The city is just over 100 km from Santiago de Chile and can be reached by buses from the Autobus company. Founded in 1536, it is the capital of the Chilean region of the same name. It rises to the south of a large semicircular bay which is between Punta Angeles and Punta Gruesa. A short distance from the coast, the 42 hills (called Cerros) with heights ranging from 30 to 40 meters above sea level allow good shelter for the area.
The center of Valparaiso – which extends from the slopes of the hills to the coastal strip of Chile – has been damaged several times by earthquakes: the one that occurred in 1906 destroyed a large part of the city and was also felt by the inhabitants of Santiago de Chile. Today, after the reconstruction, it offers visitors a modern appearance, giving space, especially near the port, to commercial districts such as Almedral and Baron and to large streets such as Avenida Brasil, Prat, where important public buildings are located.
Valparaiso is equipped with elevators and cable cars that connect the upper part of the city (old part) to the new one where most of the private homes are located. The city is known for its paintings and graffiti bright colors and diamonds that decorate a good part of the buildings, thus giving the entire urban center a lively and cheerful atmosphere, so different from the austere Santiago de Chile. It is possible to admire the open-air museum, a sort of tour through the streets of Cerro Bellavista where colorful murals will leave you speechless.
Valparaiso certainly owes its importance to harbor, the largest naval port in South America on the Pacific, as well as being the hub and lifeblood of all Chilean traffic. Developed in 1863 after the construction of the railway that managed to connect Valparaiso to Santiago de Chile, it became an outlet of great importance for the entire central area and in particular for the provinces.
Also in the port district it is possible to visit theChurch of the Matrix became a national monument in 1971. Built in 1559, this church - rebuilt several times following fires and earthquakes - was considered a place of prayer where the community used to gather for the celebration of masses to ask for the protection of the fishermen.
For those who love shopping, a walk in the area to shop is a must souvenir and textile products, in particular articles made with alpaca wool (shorn in the north of the country) and after a few minutes reach Plaza Sotomayor in front of the Molo Prat, which hosts boutiques and numerous clothing stores, which compete with those in the capital Santiago de Chile.
Walking through the alleys of this picturesque city you can stop in one of the numerous places to taste the chorillana typical dish based on fried potatoes, poached eggs, fried onion and morsels of meat, a unique traditional Chilean dish that will satisfy even the hungriest tourists.
The Valparaiso region, in addition to the beauties of its capital, boasts 36 beaches: and for this reason it is considered the seaside destination of choice for the citizens of Santiago de Chile; but only some are suitable for bathing. If you can't resist the call and still want to spend a few hours at the seaside, definitely Las Torpederas Beach, despite not being very large, is among the most popular. It is located at the base of Cerro Ancha on the top of Avenida Altamirano.
Those who prefer the view of imposing peaks to beaches will have to organize an excursion and head to Cordillera Yerba Loca Park. The park is located about an hour and a half drive from the center of Santiago de Chile. The Nature Sanctuary Yerba Loca is a reserve that extends from the summit of Cerro La Paloma to the summit of Cerro El Plomo.
The view of the glacier La Paloma is unmissable as is the beauty of the vegetation made up of coniferous forests and shrubs that characterize the area and if luck is on your side you might happen to spot an eagle or a condor while walking near the colorful water streams deep blue. The ideal time to visit this protected area is from the end of October to May, as snow covers most of the paths in winter.
If you are among those tourists who love to fully immerse themselves in the folklore of the places they visit, September 18th is a date to remember as Chileans celebrate theindependence from Spain which took place in 1810. On this occasion Santiago de Chile and the large and small cities organize various patriotic events, you will be able to see performances of the popular dance the cueca while admiring the traditional costumes and listening to popular music and tasting the delicacies of the area.
