The port city of Valparaiso, at just 90 minutes Northwest of Santiago, makes for an ideal day or weekend trip from the capital. Valparaiso – known as “Valpo” to locals – was once a bustling commercial port connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but commerce quickly dwindled with the opening of the Panama Canal in …
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Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar, at 90 minutes northwest of Santiago and directly north of Valparaiso, is the beach resort town of choice for Chileans. Meaning “vineyard by the sea”, Viña del Mar was site of the first colonial vineyards in Chile. While not the most dynamic city for sight-seeing, Viña is a worthy day trip for …
Pablo Neruda´s Homes
Pablo Neruda Nowhere is Pablo Neruda’s evocative poetry felt more viscerally than in his three homes, each of which is a labyrinth of whimsical colors, surrealist shapes, and quirky details born of the imagination of the poet himself. Located in Santiago, Valparaíso, and Isla Negra, the homes offer the chance to step inside the private …
GAM: Santiago Chile
The Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center, known as GAM, is an expansive arts and culture space inaugurated in the heart of Santiago in 2010, with the goal of serving as a hub for public access to the arts. Named after Chilean Nobel Laureate poet Gabriela Mistral, GAM is committed to strengthening and encouraging the public’s active …
Cerro San Cristobal
The Cerro San Cristobal (San Cristobal Hill) rises up from the center of Santiago and houses the city’s largest public park. At the top of the hill are several spacious terraces and lookouts from which one can take in the breadth of the capital from the peace of the hill’s greenery, high above the hustle …
Understanding Santiago Chile
They say it’s wrong to judge a book by its cover–but sometimes it’s hard not to. We grow up knowing that we shouldn’t stereotype others, and yet we find ourselves wanting to use labels and categories to easily understand people. It’s not a fail-safe system, but sometimes it’s necessary. Perhaps you’re planning your trip to …
Theaters: Santiago Chile
The best thing about vast, diverse cities like Santiago is that there’s something for everyone. Foodies can delight in the array of restaurants on offer, fitness buffs have their fair share of breathtaking vistas to enjoy atop the myriad hikeable hills. And if theater is your thing, then you’re in luck as well. Santiago has …
Apps for Santiago Chile
These days, when we go away, we’re generally still connected. Using our smartphones and laptops, we can post our travel pictures to Facebook and use GoogleMaps to locate the nearest coffee shop. Obviously, there are drawbacks to this continued connectivity—some might argue that this all detracts from the true experience of traveling. But the truth …
Running in Santiago Chile
It’s often hard to find time to exercise when we travel. It could be that we’re on a business trip and we’ve hardly got a moment to ourselves. Or perhaps we’re traveling for pleasure and we’re too busy enjoying ourselves (and the food!) to make time for a workout. But if you’re a fitness enthusiast, …
Barrio Patronato: Santiago Chile
Any city the size of Santiago is obviously going to be incredibly diverse. No matter where you are in the city, you can find people, products, and cuisine from a variety of places. But there is one particular spot in Santiago where this cultural mash-up is particularly evident: Barrio Patronato. This shopping and dining district, …