According to ejiaxing, Santiago, the capital of Chile and the largest metropolis in South America, lies in a basin surrounded by mountains on all sides. It is said that its founder, the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia, forgot about all the hardships of his campaign when he saw this valley of the Mapocho River in front of him. He named the new city in honor of the heavenly patron of Spain, the Apostle James (Saint Iago).
The Chilean capital lies in a zone of high seismicity. The few sights of the colonial era that have survived after 40 earthquakes are concentrated mainly in the Plaza de Armus. Unlike most cities, the most prestigious and respectable areas of Santiago are not located in the center, but on its outskirts. At the foot of the San Cristobal hill lies the Bellavista quarter, especially lively in the evenings. This is a real “Chilean Montmartre” with countless bars, cafes, trendy nightclubs. Bright street art and the sounds of salsa and rumba rushing out of the open doors give it a special flavor.
How to get to Santiago
There are no direct flights from Moscow to Santiago, you can get there by Air France, KL-M, British Airways and others with 1-2 transfers – in Paris, Amsterdam, London. The minimum travel time is 20.5 hours. A flight from St. Petersburg by Lufthansa or Iberia with a transfer in Frankfurt am Main or Madrid will take at least 22 hours.
Acquaintance with Chile, as a rule, is combined with a visit to the neighboring countries of Latin America – Brazil, Argentina, Peru. From Rio de Janeiro to Sanyago, the low-cost airline Gol Transportes Aereos operates flights (4 hours 40 minutes), from Buenos Aires – Aerolineas Argentinas (2 hours 20 minutes), from Lima – LATAM Chile (3 hours 35 minutes). minutes).
From airport to city
According to searchforpublicschools, Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport is located 20 km from the center of the Chilean capital. The budget option to get to it is by buses of the Tur Bus or Centro Puerto transport companies, going to the intercity bus station at the Universidad de Santiago metro station. Travel time – 35 minutes in the absence of traffic jams, departure from 6:00 to 0:00 every 10-20 minutes.
Transvip minivans transport passengers to hotels in Santiago and to any address. The fare is 7000 CLP per person, payment is at the counter with the company logo in the arrivals hall. Many hotels provide their guests with an airport transfer at a cost of 22,400 CLP per car.
The safest way to order a taxi is at the Taxi Oficial counter in the arrivals hall. A trip to the center of Santiago costs 23,000-31,000 CLP and takes 20 minutes. When leaving the airport, you should not pay attention to taxi drivers who actively impose services on inexperienced customers at significantly inflated prices.
Transport
Santiago has a well-developed bus network. Buses are easy to identify by bright yellow and white colors. True, during rush hour they move slowly. A convenient and cheap form of public transport in Santiago is the subway, which consists of three lines; Opening hours: 6:30-22:00 weekdays and Saturdays, 8:30-22:30 Sundays and holidays.
Ticket prices depend on the time of day. High fare – 7:00-9:00 and 18:00-20:00; normal – 6:30-7:00, 9:00-18:00 and 20:00-20:45; reduced – 6:00-6:30 and 20:45-23:00. Discounts are available to students and people over 75 years of age.
Taxis are also popular in the city – the cars have a black bottom and a yellow top. Each has a counter, payment according to the tariff, and not “sit down, we will agree!”. The cost of a taxi ride around the city is 5400 CLP. You need to pay in cash, so you should stock up on small bills. It is not customary to leave a tip to the driver, just round the amount on the counter up.
Buses, metro and high-speed trams run exactly on schedule. Payment for travel in all modes of transport is made using the Tarjeta Bip contactless electronic card, which is sold at metro stations and special kiosks.
One-time metro tickets are sold at the box office at the stations. You can pay in cash to drivers of buses running on short routes within the same city area. In both cases, the ticket does not allow you to make any transfers, and its price is higher than with the Tarjeta Bip card.
Bicycles for rent
The municipal Bike Santiago rental system includes more than 200 bike stations and is designed for short trips around the city. To borrow a bike, you need to register on the website or at the Customer Support Center (av. Providencia, 1365) and get a card that allows you to unlock the bike in the rack.
Long term bike rental costs 773-2300 per day and 5400-7700 CLP per week/month. Renting a tandem or mountain bike is 1.5 times more expensive.
Sanyago Hotels
There are plenty of hotels of various classes in Santiago, from local brands to international chains. Many of them are modern buildings, but you can also stay in a 19th century house, where bourgeois design is combined with the latest technological developments.
The pleasure of living in a 5 * hotel will cost relatively inexpensively – from 101,000 CLP for a double room. Guests can count on spacious rooms with beautiful views, restaurants, spa and fitness centers, swimming pools, saunas and even a personal concierge. There are no concierges. The “fours” are almost as good as their more “star” counterparts, except that there is no concierge, but the cost of rooms is from 60,800 CLP. You can stay in a budget “three rubles” for 32,000-40,000 CLP. True, there will be no pool, fitness center and in half the cases – a restaurant.
Regardless of the number of “stars”, almost all hotels have free parking and wireless Internet, and a good breakfast is included in the price of the room.
The most numerous category of housing is apartments – from a luxury villa in a prestigious area to a small studio in an apartment building: from 22,000 to 203,500 CLP per night. Cheap apartments in the city center may not have parking.
Shopping
According to topmbadirectory, Chileans like to bargain no less than the Arabs. So feel free to join the battle for the price in the markets and small shops. For shopping, it is best to go to the streets of Miraflores, Amunate, O’Higgins, Santo Domingo, Providencia Avenue. Large shopping centers are located on Panoramico, Apumanca and Arauco Park.
The Central Market of Santiago is one of the attractions of the city. The building is made of galvanized iron, which was cast in England, the building itself is over 140 years old. Here you can buy everything – from food to souvenirs and crafts.
Most shops are open from 10:00 to 21:00 from Monday to Saturday. Some shopping malls are also open on Sunday. The biggest sales are around Christmas.
Branded items are expensive in Santiago; it is unlikely that you will be able to buy something luxurious for little money. But souvenir ruins can please even the most capricious. From lapis lazuli, which Chile is rich in, beads, massage stones, chess, all kinds of figurines are made here. In the markets and shopping centers, entire rows are dedicated to copper products – dishes, decorative plates, caskets. If you dig around, you can find very original silver jewelry. Among the most authentic souvenirs are handicrafts of Latin American Indians: dream traps, dolls in national clothes, art panels made of wool.
Be sure to leave room in your suitcase for edible souvenirs. First of all, avocado oils (look for the inscription “aceite de palta” on the label). You can buy a “coat” from any manufacturer and in almost every supermarket. Wine experts highly appreciate Chilean wines, they are good in quality and affordable. You can navigate by the aging period: from Corriente (1 year) to Gran Reserva (6 years and older).
Cuisine and restaurants in Santiago
Expensive gourmet restaurants, steakhouses, pizzerias, Asian eateries – catering establishments in Santiago amaze with their number and variety. The most numerous and sought-after category – inexpensive cozy restaurants where traditional Chilean food is prepared – are found literally at every step.
Must-tasting dishes include cazuela thick soup with meat and vegetables and paila marina soup with seafood and spices, served in earthenware bowls. On the second – charcoal grilled meat “churasco”, stewed beef “carne mechada”, crab casserole “pastel de haiva” and, of course, the traditional dish of the Indians “umita” – crushed corn pies with spices wrapped in banana or corn leaves.
Those wishing to join the haute Chilean cuisine in a modern way should look into the Divertimento Chileno restaurant in the Metropolitano Park. You can find out what the inhabitants of the country ate before the arrival of Europeans at the Peumayen Ancestral Food restaurant in Bellavista. Inexpensive and high-quality food from the freshest products is prepared in cafes and restaurants in the Central Market.
Dinner with wine in an expensive restaurant will cost 35,600 CLP per person, the average price category – 10,000-12,000 CLP, fast food – 4600 CLP.
Chilean fast food is street carts with fruit juices and cheap, tasty and varied food. For a snack on the go, baked or fried empanada pancakes stuffed with meat, cheese or seafood are quite suitable.
Weather
The mild climate of the Chilean capital with relatively cool winters and long dry summers resembles a temperate Mediterranean. It is best to come here from November to March, when the weather is really summer. Sunny January and February days are characterized by scorching heat, but with sunset the temperature comes to comfortable values. The maximum amount of rain falls in June-August. The coldest time is in July, when at night the temperature can drop to negative values. Another local feature is due to the location of Santiago in a poorly ventilated mountain basin. Therefore, smog in the city is quite a common phenomenon.
