6 Best Sights in Santiago, Chile

This large, iconic hill within the centenary Parque Metropolitano is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Santiago. From the western entrance at Plaza Caupolicán (Pío Nono), you can take a steep but enjoyable one-hour walk to the summit, or take the funicular, a historic monument that opened in 1925. The teleférico (cable car) ascends from the eastern entrance, seven blocks north of Pedro de Valdivia metro stop.

This house designed by Nobel Prize--winning poet Pablo Neruda was dubbed the "Woman with the Tousled Hair" after Matilde Urrutia, his third wife. The two met while strolling in nearby Parque Forestal, and for years the house served as a romantic hideaway before they married. The pair's passionate relationship was recounted in the 1995 Italian film Il Postino. Audio guides are available in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German, and the house is visually fascinating, with winding garden paths, stairs, and bridges leading to the house and its library, which is stuffed with books. There's Neruda's old bedroom in a tower and a secret passageway. Scattered throughout are collections of butterflies, seashells, wineglasses, and other odd objects that inspired Neruda's tumultuous life and romantic poetry. Although not as magical as Neruda's house in Isla Negra, La Chascona still sets your imagination dancing. The house is on a little side street leading off Constitución.

This multilevel complex of bars, eateries, cafés, and souvenir shops is a Bellavista centerpoint. The patio houses a tourist office, free concerts or cueca (national dance) performance in the central plaza, a live music space, a theater, galleries, and restaurants dealing in Peruvian cuisine such as Tambo, as well as Italian, French, and Middle Eastern eateries. The patio is open daily from 8 am until 2 am; shops open 10–9.

Gravel paths lead you to restful nooks in the Mapulemu Botanical Garden, dedicated to more than 70 native Chilean species. Every path and stairway seems to bring you to better views of Santiago and the Andes. On weekends, the Instituto Nacional de Deportes conducts classes starting at 9:30 am. These free municipality-run seminars may include yoga, Zumba, aerobics, aeroboxing, or bicicleta estática, a spinning-like activity. There are also paid yoga classes on Sundays from 10 to noon. The easiest access is from the Pedro de Valdivia side.

The main attraction in summer of this area inside Parque Metropolitano is the delightful Piscina Tupahue, an 82-meter (269-foot) pool with a rocky crag running along one side. Beside the pool is the 1925 Torreón Victoria, a stone tower surrounded by a trellis of bougainvillea. If Piscina Tupahue is too crowded, try the nearby Piscina Antilén. From Plaza Tupahue you can follow a path below to Plaza de Juegos Infantiles Gabriela Mistral, a popular playground.

The zoo is a good place to see Chilean birds and animals, such as puma and condor, that you might not otherwise encounter. As is often the case with many older zoos, the animals aren't given much room.