(upbeat music) - [Dave] We spent three days exploring Chile's Capital City from South America's highest observation deck to the UNESCO World Heritage Designated Old Town. These are the best things to do in Santiago that are not to be missed. (upbeat music) Located at the Costanera Center, Sky Costanera is one of the top places to visit in Santiago.
The Costanera Center is the largest mall in South America with six floors of shopping and dining. And it's here that you can go up to the highest observation deck in South America. Once you reach 61 storeys, there are two floors of observation decks, the indoor deck has a bar and dining room, virtual reality, and different viewpoints.
And then you can go up to the even higher deck for an outdoor open sky. Going higher! - [Deb] The views of Santiago are gorgeous, offering complete panoramic views of the city and the surrounding Andes Mountains.
(upbeat music) We suggest going up for sunset and having a cocktail as you watch the city change before your eyes from day to evening. - Well, make sure you have a drink at Bar 300 here when you're up at Sky Costanera. It's a drink with a view.
(upbeat music) If you want to see Sky Costanera from above, make your way to the W Hotel, just a 10-minute walk from the skyscraper. The Red2One rooftop bar has one of the best views in Santiago. Non-hotel guests can go up for a cocktail after 6:00 PM, but reservations are recommended, and cocktails can be pricey.
But we think it's worth it for the atmosphere and those stunning views. (upbeat music) - Well, the place to be for sunset is at the W Hotel, the rooftop bar. Make sure you make a reservation, because otherwise, the priority goes to the people who are staying here.
But we got lucky, and there was a little bit of space. (upbeat music) So a great little detour in the city is Santa Lucia Hill. It is this beautiful oasis just to get away from the crowds.
When you walk up, there's waterfalls, these lovely historic steps, and then you have a beautiful view of Santiago. - Let's go, up we go. - So it's really great because there's a few different viewing platforms.
As you make your way up, you can have a rest, have a drink of water, and then move on, take some different views in of the city. We have arrived at the top. (upbeat music) It's only about a 10-minute walk.
It's very easy to get up here. And we're gonna go take a look and see what kind of views we get of the beautiful city of Santiago. - [Dave] Santa Lucia Hill was originally used by missionaries in the 1500s, but in the 1800s, two forts were built as defensive points.
Highlights of the Santa Lucia Hill include the beautiful Neptune Fountain, the basalt columns which were created 15 million years ago from a volcanic eruption, its two forts, and various statues, terraces, and of course, the panoramic views of the city. (gentle music) - Well, this is the very top of Santa Lucia Hill, and it's a small little platform up here. It gets pretty busy, so just wait it out.
But you have panoramic views of the whole city. It's fantastic except for the one tree that's behind me blocking the way, right there. (upbeat music) - [Dave] Metropolitan Park is the largest park in Latin America and is located right downtown Santiago.
There are plenty of things to do in the park from visiting the botanical gardens to relaxing at a cafe. You can also take a stroll through its shaded pass or even enjoy the high ropes course. But the number one thing to do is to go to the top of San Cristobal Hill.
We took two separate ways to the top, the funicular from the Bellavista neighborhood and the teleferico from the park. Both are excellent, and we're gonna show you what it's like to take each of them. Make sure you book your ticket online to the teleferico because you can just walk right in.
You don't have to worry about standing in lines or anything like that. It's really easy. - [Deb] The teleferico is a 15-minute ride to the top with a stop at the halfway mark where you can get off if you like.
It gives beautiful views of the mountains and modern Santiago with Sky Costanera front and center. - You can get off halfway and walk if you want, but we're going right to the top. (upbeat music) San Cristobal Hill is 880 meters high and is a popular spot for sunset.
Alright, so we made it up here to our first stop at San Cristobal Hill. And it's a beautiful view over this part of the city. - [Deb] Yes, we can see 50% of the city from here, and we've got a clear day, which is pretty awesome.
- Lucky us! (upbeat music) Once you get to the top, there are some shops and markets, places to eat, and of course, the star attraction is the sanctuary of the Immaculate conception with the Virgin Mary looking down over the city. - Well, not only is it a beautiful view from up here, you have this incredible, enormous virgin Mary that you can come and pay your your respects to.
And the gardens along here are quite picturesque, so it's very worth coming up. - The Virgin Mary stands 22 meters or 72 feet high and is a principle place of worship in the city. Pope John Paul II actually blessed Santiago from the small chapel that is located at the top of San Cristobal.
It is surrounded by gardens, and there is an amphitheater that holds masses and religious ceremonies on a regular basis. - [Deb] Located on the opposite side of San Cristobal Hill from the Metropolitan Park is the funicular railway. It leaves from the Bellavista neighborhood, and booking tickets ahead of time is highly recommended.
Dating back to the 1920s, this historic station is a fun way to make your way to the top. The main entrance looks something like a castle with plenty of vendors and shops keeping the area a lively spot for tourists. - And that was San Cristobal Hill.
(ambient music) - We are walking through the beautiful coastal city of Valparaiso, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site up here in these seven corners. There's street art all around here from indigenous people. And all the buildings are very colorful and just painted in these vibrant colors, it's quite beautiful.
Valparaiso is located less than two hours from Santiago, and it is easy to book day tours from the city. You can check our links below to find one. It's located on the Pacific coast, and it's colorful buildings reach up into the hills, but there's no need to worry about having to climb high.
There are trolleys that will transport you from one fantastic view to another. So this is a very interesting district. It's all built on hills, and there are funiculars throughout the area so that people can go up and down.
And throughout the entire area, there's street art and beautiful views. It's a very cool neighborhood to come for a day trip when you're in Santiago. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) Well, the Bellavista neighborhood is definitely the most happening place in Santiago.
This is where you wanna come and spend the night and hang out on the patios, maybe do some bar-hopping. All the cool people are here, aren't they, Dave? - Yes, they are, including us.
(Deb chuckling) (upbeat music) - Oh yeah, we're definitely on the party street now. We're in Bellavista, and everybody is out getting ready to party already. It's only five o'clock, and the music's going, the patios are full.
We're on our way to the funicular though, so we're walking right on by. Hola! (chuckling) (upbeat music) - So no trip to San Diego will be complete without grabbing some ice cream and gelato here from Emporio La Rosa, come on.
And you have to try their staple rosa ice cream. Wow! - [Deb] What's its taste like?
- Tastes like rose. Emporia La Rosa was named one of the top 25 ice cream shops in the world by Time Magazine in 2012. And there are several stores in Santiago.
They're easy to find, just look for the long lines out front. - The Plaza de Armas has been the cultural hub of Santiago since its inception. And this is the place to come first on your Santiago trip.
- [Dave] One of the first places you must visit in Santiago is Plaza de Armas. This is the main meeting place in the city, and there are so many things to do in the historic center. The square itself is alive with excitement with outdoor terraces, fountains, and historic buildings.
Our first stop was the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago. - The Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral is a must stop on your Santiago tour. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, and its beautiful neoclassical architecture dates back to 1753.
(ambient music) Well, a must stop is the Palacio de La Moneda. This is the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile, and this is a beautiful building that dates back to 1804. You can take tours inside, you just have to book them in advance.
(upbeat music) If you're looking for a place to eat in Santiago, go to Castillo Forestal. It's known as one of the best places in the city for brunch. And hey, it must be great, because while Dave and I were eating in there, the president of Chile was eating in there.
I'm serious, he was so wonderful. He's just a young guy, came around and took selfies with everyone, including us. So I'm still shaking, I'm so excited that I just met the president of Chile.
- So it's pretty amazing, we actually just met the president of Chile here where we were having lunch, and now you can just see him, oh, he is just talking to people. I love that about leaders. If you can get out and touch him with the people, that's awesome.
- [Deb] He's so nice too. (chuckling) They have the coolest president. (chuckling) (funky music) While visiting the presidential palace, take a break from the heat at the cultural center.
There are toilets, coffee shops, art displays, and a great shopping center to buy local arts and crafts. Santiago truly is a city of art. There are are so many art installations around the city, and there's many cultural centers.
This one here, the Centro de Gabriela Mistral is one that you have to come to, just to even see the fish floating above. But there's concerts here, there's art installations. It's a whole community center of events going on.
And it's in a really cool neighborhood. A really fantastic stop is the National Museum of Fine Arts. To get in, all we had to do was scan a QR code and fill out our information, and then we walked into this beautiful museum that is free.
Even the architecture is just as impressive as all of the art and sculptures that are inside. - [Dave] This was our favorite museum to visit in Santiago with several displays of permanent exhibits and rotating installations. It's a very popular and busy museum, and we highly recommend going inside.
(upbeat music) - Well, it's not often that a subway metro stop is a thing to do in a city, but here in Santiago, the university Stop has a beautiful art installation. Now, there are different art installations around different metro stops, so when you're going through the city, make sure you take a look. (upbeat music) So getting around Santiago by metro is very easy and very reasonable.
I highly recommend it as your way to get around. All you have to do is get a Bip card and then you fill it. It's 800 pesos, which is very cheap, it's less than a dollar 50, it's like a dollar for each ride.
Two people can use one card, so you can fill it with how many rides you think you're going to do. You can fill it again and again. So Dave and I just did four rides a day 'cause we figured that we would go there and back and there and back.
You just go to the kiosk and ask them to fill it for you. They'll tell you how much money you have on it and then they can top it up. - It's that easy.
- We stayed at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, and they actually had Bip cards that you could use. All you have to do is fill it up with your daily money that you need. So that was really cool.
So we didn't even have to buy a Bip card, we just borrowed that for a couple days and then filled it with the amount that we needed. (upbeat music) - [Dave] Staying at the Four Points by Sheraton in the Providencia area of Santiago was excellent. The neighborhood was safe, the rooms and hotel were modern and chic, and the buffet breakfast was to die for.
Plus, we were within walking distance of many of the top attractions in the central business district, and we were close to the subway to easily get around the city. - One of the top museums to visit here in Santiago is the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. Right now today, the top floor was closed, so we decided to move on, and we might come back if it opens up.
One of the newest museums in Santiago is the Memory and Human Rights Museum. Now it's closed on Mondays, but we wanted to come out here because the architecture is beautiful. Unfortunately, there's a big fence all the way around it, so we have to put our phones through to get a picture, but it's still really cool to see.
While you are out here, you can go to the park across the street, and in that is the Museum of Natural History. Well, the Chilean National Library is one of the great places to visit for architecture. Unfortunately, we're here on a Sunday and it's closed today, so maybe we'll get back inside.
But if you make it here, it's supposed to be very beautiful inside. (ambient music) - Santiago is a very walkable city. And one of our favorite parts of our visit was to simply stroll its walking streets, do some shopping, and get lost in its exciting energy and vibe.
Don't know where we are, but that's why it's great, these random streets here at Santiago. A visit to Santiago took us to one of the most exciting cities in South America. If you're planning a trip to the Atacama Desert or Chilean Patagonia, make sure to give yourself two or three days to enjoy this thriving metropolis.
There are plenty of things to do for every type of traveler. If you enjoyed our video, don't forget to subscribe and click that bell for notifications so you'll know when our next video from around the world goes up next. See you next time.
