3 Best Sights in Santiago, Chile

The mazelike park of Santa Lucía is a hangout for park-bench smoochers and photo-snapping tourists. Walking uphill along the labyrinth of interconnected paths and plazas takes about 30 minutes, or you can take an elevator two blocks north of the park's main entrance (no fee). The uppermost lookout point affords an excellent 360-degree view of the entire city; two stairways lead up from the Plaza Caupolicán esplanade; those on the south side are newer and less slippery. Be careful near dusk as the park, although patrolled, attracts the occasional mugger. There is a tiny tourism office near the Alameda entrance, open weekdays, but closed for lunch from 2 until 3 pm, and a small indigenous crafts fair called the Centro de Exposición de Arte Indígena (or Gruta Welén) in a natural cavern carved out of the western flank of the hill.

Residents in Providencia know this as one of the city's most captivating—and least publicized—public parks. Its gardens are filled with sculptures by Chile's top artists and because of its pastoral atmosphere, the park is popular with joggers and cuddling couples. In the center is a wood pavilion that hosts art exhibitions. The park also hosts a jazz festival every January, and a little farther west of the entrance is one of the free exercise stations that dot the city.

Named for Chile's first president and national hero, whose troops were victorious against the Spanish, this park has plenty of open space for everything from ball games to military parades and a dedicated picnic area complete with barbecues. Street vendors sell volantines (kites) in the park year-round; breezy September and early October comprise prime kite-flying season, especially around September 18, Chile's national holiday. There are pedalcab and rollerblade rentals on weekends, a competitive rollerblade track, and a terrain park with a deep bowl for skateboarders and rollerbladers. The park has a beautiful covered pool, which costs 7,000 pesos for an hour-long pass; goggles and bathing cap are required. Both the Movistar Arena and Cúpola Multiespacio theater are also located at this park.