Plaza de Armas and the cathedral
Centro · 45 min
The city's founding square: the cathedral, the Correo Central and the chess players under the palms. Fifteen minutes inside the cathedral is enough; keep a hand on your phone in the square.
Santiago · Chile · 3 days
3 days in Santiago
Three days with the Andes at the end of every street: the old center and Lastarria on foot, the hill and Bellavista with a funicular ride, then the Museo de la Memoria, Yungay and the glass towers of the east. One metro ride a day, a bip! card in your pocket.
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Checked October 10, 2026. That’s the day we last confirmed the hours, prices and closed days.
- 3 days
- 19 stops
- 4 with a ticket
- from CL$50,000 a day
When to go
October to December and March to April are the good months: warm, clear and the mountains visible. January and February are hot and dry with 95°F (35°C) normal and half the city leaves for the coast. June to August is cold and smoggy, but the ski centers above the city open from about June to September. The September 18 and 19 Fiestas Patrias close museums for two days and fill the parks with fondas.
Where to base yourself
Lastarria or Bellas Artes for the center on foot and the best evenings. Providencia for the metro, cafés and a safe walk home. Barrio Italia if you want shops and dinners on your doorstep. Avoid the blocks around the Plaza de Armas and Estación Central after dark.
Getting around
Buy a bip! card at any metro station (CL$1,550, then load it; the minimum is CL$750) and tap it on the bus reader and at the metro gates. A ride costs CL$735 to CL$895 depending on the hour; a change between bus and metro within the window costs little or nothing. The metro runs 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, from 6:30 a.m. on Saturdays and 7:30 a.m. on Sundays. Uber works and is cheaper than a street taxi.
Day 1
The center and Lastarria
- FromYour hotel in Lastarria and Bellas Artes
- 1
- Next door
- 2
Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
Centro · 90 min
A block off the square, with the Chinchorro mummies and the Andean textiles in the basement. Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., last entry around 5:30 p.m., closed Monday.
CL$12,000
- 10 min · walk
- 3
Mercado Central
Centro · 75 min
Five minutes north under the iron roof. The waiters at the big central restaurants will try to pull you in; walk past them to the small counters round the edge and order caldillo de congrio or reineta a la plancha with a Chilean white.
- 19 min · walk
- 4
La Moneda and its cultural center
Centro · 60 min
The presidential palace from the Plaza de la Constitución, then down the ramp into the Centro Cultural La Moneda underneath: free exhibitions, a craft shop and a cool hall when it is hot outside.
- 17 min · walk
- 5
Cerro Santa Lucía
Centro · 60 min
The small hill where the city was founded, ten minutes east. Steps and terraces up to the Torre Mirador for the view east to the Andes; free, and best before the gates close around dusk.
- 6 min · walk
- 6
Barrio Lastarria and the GAM
Lastarria · 90 min
Cross the road into Lastarria's two streets of bookshops, ice cream and cafés, then the GAM cultural center on the Alameda for whatever is on in the free galleries. The Museo de Artes Visuales is on the same block.
- 3 min · walk
- 7
Bocanáriz, Lastarria
Lastarria · 120 min
A wine bar with thirty Chilean wines by the glass and plates to share; ask for a flight of Carménère and Itata reds. Chipe Libre on the same street for a pisco sour afterwards.
Day 2
The hill, Bellavista and Barrio Italia
- FromYour hotel in Lastarria and Bellas Artes
- 1
La Chascona
Bellavista · 60 min
Neruda's Santiago house, built for Matilde up the side of the hill. Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (to 7 p.m. in January and February), closed Monday; no booking needed, the audio guide is included.
CL$9,500
- Next door
- 2
Cerro San Cristóbal by funicular
Cerro San Cristóbal · 105 min
Five minutes to the Pío Nono station. The 1925 funicular runs from 10 a.m. to about 6:45 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, from 1 p.m. on most Mondays and not at all on the first Monday of the month; a round trip was around CL$2,250 on weekdays and CL$2,950 on weekends at last check, and the walk up to the Virgin has the view over the whole city to the Andes.
CL$2,250
- 5 min · walk
- 3
Galindo, Bellavista
Bellavista · 75 min
Back down the funicular and two minutes from the station. An old Bellavista picada: pastel de choclo in summer, cazuela in winter, and a liter of Escudo on the table; Patio Bellavista opposite has a terrace.
- 2.3 km · transit or taxi
- 4
Providencia along the river
Providencia · 60 min
Cross the Pío Nono bridge and walk east through Parque Balmaceda with the Mapocho beside you, then up Avenida Providencia for a coffee. Baquedano metro is at the start if your legs are done.
- 2.9 km · transit or taxi
- 5
Barrio Italia
Barrio Italia · 150 min
One stop on Line 5 to Santa Isabel, or twenty minutes on foot. Avenida Italia's old workshops are now furniture restorers, design shops and courtyards of cafés; most close by 8 p.m. and many shut on Monday.
- 8 min · walk
- 6
Casaluz or Silvestre Bistró, Barrio Italia
Barrio Italia · 120 min
Casaluz for Chilean produce in a converted house; Silvestre for a long bistro dinner and a good list. Book either for Friday or Saturday.
Day 3
Memory, Yungay and the east
- FromYour hotel in Lastarria and Bellas Artes
- 1
Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos
Quinta Normal · 100 min
The museum of the 1973 to 1990 dictatorship, straight out of Quinta Normal metro on Line 5. Free, Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., last entry 5:30 p.m., closed Monday and some national holidays; give it the full time.
- 4 min · walk
- 2
Parque Quinta Normal
Quinta Normal · 60 min
Across the road: the city's oldest park, with the natural history museum in the old pavilion (free) and the lake. A slow loop and a bench.
- 12 min · walk
- 3
Boulevard Lavaud, Barrio Yungay
Yungay · 90 min
Ten minutes south into Yungay, the 19th-century quarter the city forgot. Boulevard Lavaud (the Peluquería Francesa) is a working barber's from 1868 with a restaurant inside; order the lomo or the fish of the day and look at the walls.
- 6.8 km · transit or taxi
- 4
Sky Costanera
Providencia · 60 min
Line 5 to Baquedano, then Line 1 to Tobalaba, about 25 minutes. The 62nd-floor deck of South America's tallest tower is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily (last elevator up at 9 p.m.), CL$25,000 by day or CL$30,000 for the sunset slot between 4 and 6 p.m.; on a smoggy day skip it and go straight to the park.
CL$25,000
- 2.1 km · transit or taxi
- 5
Parque Bicentenario
Vitacura · 75 min
Fifteen minutes by taxi or Uber north across the river into Vitacura. Lawns, a flamingo lagoon and the mountains turning pink; free, and the cheaper alternative to the tower if you would rather keep the money for dinner.
- 9 min · walk
- 6
Mestizo, Vitacura
Vitacura · 120 min
On the edge of the park, with the Andes through the glass: a crudo or ceviche to start, then a Patagonian lamb or a sea bass. Book a window table; Boragó is the famous tasting menu nearby if you planned months ahead.
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Pins are approximate. Tap one for the stop; the directions links open Google Maps.
The practical bits
From the airport
From Arturo Merino Benítez (SCL), the Centropuerto bus runs every 15 minutes to Pajaritos and the center along Line 1 for CL$2,400 one way (CL$4,100 round trip); Turbus runs the same way to Pajaritos and Terminal Alameda for around CL$2,000. Change to the metro at Pajaritos for Providencia. For a taxi or shared van, pay at the official counters (Transvip, Taxi Oficial) inside arrivals, around CL$30,000 to Providencia, and ignore the drivers who approach you in the hall.
What a day costs
About CL$50,000 to CL$80,000 a day per person for meals, two tickets and the metro. A market lunch is CL$12,000 to CL$18,000, a Lastarria dinner with wine CL$30,000 to CL$45,000, and the Sky Costanera is the one pricey ticket at CL$25,000.
Where to stay
Got a day to spare?
Worth knowing
- A bip! card covers bus and metro; the card is CL$1,550 and you load it at any station. Tap every time you board a bus, even on a transfer.
- Restaurant bills carry a suggested 10 percent line (propina sugerida or propina incluida). Saying yes is normal; refusing is noticed.
- Tap water is safe to drink, though mineral-heavy; locals mostly buy bottled. Ask for agua de la llave if you want it from the tap.
- The center empties after 7 p.m. and the Plaza de Armas blocks are not for strolling at night. Keep phones in a front pocket on the metro and in Bellavista late.
- Almost every museum closes on Monday, so put the Monday on the hill or in the parks. Drop either onto a Monday and Waystop's hours check marks it as closed.
Things you can ask once it’s in the app
Plans change. Ask Chat and it proposes a reshuffled day you can apply, or just answers the question.
Swap the Sky Costanera for something free on day 3Add a Maipo valley winery tour and move the museumsHow do we get from Bellavista to Barrio Italia by metro?We're vegetarian, which lunches still work?Rain on day 2, give me an indoor plan
Questions
What would a fourth day add?
Valparaíso; a fifth day, the Maipo wineries or the Cajón del Maipo. Three days covers the center, the hill and the two outer quarters.
Is the center safe?
By day, with ordinary care: phones away in the Plaza de Armas and on the metro. After dark eat in Lastarria, Bellavista, Providencia or Barrio Italia rather than the old center.
Which day works in the rain?
Day 1: the Precolombino, the Centro Cultural La Moneda and the GAM are all indoors and a few blocks apart. Day 2, the hill and Barrio Italia, is the one to move to a dry day; rain is rare outside June to August. Waystop can save a rain version of day 2.
Do I need pesos?
Cards work almost everywhere, including market stalls and the bip! top-up machines. Carry a few thousand pesos for small cafés, propinas in cash and the colectivo if you take one.
Before you go
Nearby
Same country first, then the cities people tend to pair with Santiago. Want two or three in one go? String them together in the trip builder.
Your version
Now make it fit your trip.
Add your dates, your hotel and who’s coming, then ask Chat to change anything: it proposes the edit and you tap Apply. Want a long lunch instead of a museum? Just ask. Every place is checked against Google Maps before it lands on your day, and Chat can tell you when to leave for the next stop. Going on to another city? Build a multi-city trip.