Sightseeing in Santiago - what to see. Complete travel guide

The modern South American city Santiago is located near the Santa Lucia hill on the shore of the Mapocho River. Santiago is a truly stylish city built in the colonial style in the square manner that is usual for Spanish cities. Here tall skyscrapers peacefully coexist with old houses.

In this city are well-developed such industries as machine building, light industry, metal processing, food processing, printing and chemical industries. The city’s suburbs are full of fertile lands occupied by vineyards and fruit plantations. The valley, in which Santiago is located in, is not far away from the Andes, so one can easily reach several ski areas from the city.

The main place in Santiago is its main square named Plaza de Armas, in the middle of which is located the monument dedicated to the founder of the city Pedro de Valdivia. All main and most famous buildings of Santiago are located on the perimeter of the square. These are the City Hall, the largest Cathedral in Chile, the Governor's House, La Moneda Palace - the current government residence that has been used as a mint in the past, and the building of the royal audience that now stores the exhibition of the Historical Museum devoted to the history of Chilean art and applied art. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

There are also the Municipal Theatre of Opera and Ballet Theatre in the city. Don’t forget to get to the San Cristobal Mountain (you can reach it by the cable car), where you will see the statue of the Virgin Mary and enjoy rest in swimming pools and restaurants, visit a botanical garden, a zoo, wine museum, or simply rest in walking areas.

One of the most beautiful architectural monuments of the city is the Ministry of Finance building. It was erected in 1817 and is a vivid example of the classical style. The architectural monument has amazing proportions. Its length is about 360 meters. From the moment of construction, there remained luxurious marble columns and arches, which today make the architectural appearance of the building unique.

The University of Santiago houses a planetarium, which is among popular attractions, as well. Due to modern equipment and ongoing scientific studies, it has been among the planet's best planetariums for many years. Every day it hosts various exhibitions, seminars, and lectures on astronomy. Yet, they provide special tours for children to play and learn.

Several attractive national parks are located in the suburbs of the Chilean capital. Radal Siete Tazas National Reserve deserves particular attention. It was founded in 1981 and has an area of more than 5000 hectares. Many hiking routes are laid over there, so lovers of nature have an opportunity to admire the picturesque mountain areas, beautiful lakes, and waterfalls hidden from view. There is also an interesting archaeological area with a thematic museum. In a warm season, special areas for tent camps are available to visitors.

If you do not want to leave the city, take a stroll through the Forestal Park, which is in the very heart of Santiago. Although the park is surrounded by noisy streets, calm and peaceful atmosphere prevails on its territory. You can spend hours walking along banana trees alleys, admiring beautiful monuments and visiting fun fairs, which are held literally every day.

In the variety of cultural centers the Museum of Modern Art of Chile is worth noting. It was founded in 1949 and is considered one of the city's oldest museums. It owns a vast collection of paintings, sculptures, engravings, photographs and other works of art, both modern and those dated by the 19th century. The museum has about 2000 unique exhibits as a whole.