I admit I went back and forth way too many times when planning Chile. I was having a very hard time deciding if I felt safe enough to travel there, I had read many things about safety and the US always has some pretty high travel warnings for this area of the world. I also spoke with some friends who had just visited, and they said it was INCREDIBLE, but that there was a lot to watch out for.
My friends actually have friends in Chile, and those Chilean friends told me a lot about both the political and crime situations, they were honest conversations which I can’t say put my mind at ease. But, what I have realized through years of travel is that if you’re prepared and make smart and thoughtful choices, you can travel safely most of the time and avoid any potentially dangerous situations.
I’m not naïve, this is not to say that I don’t know that bad things can happen regardless of my level of alertness & preparedness. After all, I live in Philadelphia in the United States, a city riddled with crime and gun violence. But, I still think my city has beauty, wonderful people, and things worth seeing. Therefore, I understand the struggles that Chile is going through and what the wonderful locals and businesses must be feeling. Unfortunately, negative news always gets broadcast exponentially louder than the good.
Having a plan
Once we officially decided that we were going, it was time to make a safe and smart plan for our trip. We were only going to have 2 days in Santiago before flying down to Patagonia, so I really wanted to make the most of it! Before heading down, we asked around about where to stay and ended up in Hotel Los Espanoles Plus. This was in a very nice upscale neighborhood just by the financial district. Our wine tour guide told us that they refer to it as “Sanhatten”, as in the Manhatten of Santiago. We felt very safe here, but it is worth noting that hotel staff suggested we not walk anywhere at night. The plus side is that Ubers and taxis are very reasonably priced here, so we didn’t have trouble when we needed them. Our hotel had a nice rooftop with a small pool, a fitness center (which we always appreciate), and a nice and easy breakfast included. This was a perfect spot for our brief stay.
The hotel was also directly across the street from the Mall Constanera Center. We are not big shoppers and don’t really spend time in malls when we travel, but this place was HUGE and definitely crazy to see. Seeing hundreds of people shopping and going about their normal life also provides a sense of safety. If you are the shopping type, I am sure it would be worthwhile to check it out.
Pisco Bar “Chipe Libre”
I had marked down a few places I wanted to try while visiting Santiago, and the first was a Pisco Bar. We visited Peru years ago and loved the Pisco there. We headed straight for “Chipe Libre” in the Lastarria neighborhood, we were not dissatisfied. The restaurant is decorated beautifully and the staff was very kind and helpful. They have tons of local Piscos to choose from, and they made great recommendations and made us feel very comfortable. The Pisco Sours were delicious and the ceviche was fresh and prefect. The Lastarria neighborhood is beautiful to walk around, there are vines and greenery and street art all throughout the area. It was so lively, people were eating and drinking outside everywhere. It almost felt very European and we really enjoyed the vibe.
Plaza De Armas
From there, it wasn’t too far of a stroll to the Plaza De Armas, where we headed just to check it out. We heard that this can be a bit of a dicey area, but at midday we didn’t feel any negative energy or fear. There were lots of people around, live music being played, art stands set up with beautiful pieces to buy, older people playing chess and enjoying the beautiful sunshine, and families roaming and playing all throughout the park.
La Picanteria: Dinner #1
We had two excellent dinners during our time in Santiago. The first was at “La Picanteria”. When we arrived to our destination, we thought we might have been misled by the reviews we read. Looking down about 2 stories from street level, we saw what looked like an open air mall or food court area with about half a dozen restaurants. We walked down the stairs, navigated our way through diners to our restaurant, and ended up having an incredible dinner. As a bonus, we also got a surprise fashion show while we ate, which we were not expecting. It seemed like a designer was displaying their clothing in the open air mall/food court area we were enjoying and we got quite a show, it was a really fun (although unplanned) experience! It was a beautiful night, so it was nice to be outside on the terrace area enjoying food and drink with everyone around. I had an incredible octopus dish and my husband had fish. The cool thing about this place was that you could order fish cooked all different ways, and you could mix and match. You choose your type of fish/seafood, the way you want it cooked, and in what sauce or seasoning. We also had a great wine to pair with our food, which is always easy in Chile, and we really loved the whole atmosphere of this place.
Mestizo: Dinner #2
Our second dinner in Santiago was our favorite, we ate at “Mestizo”. The location of this restaurant is absolutely gorgeous. It is right on the edge of a beautiful park, called the “Parque Bicentenario”, and has a beautiful view overlooking the gardens and fountains of the park. We were happy to just be sitting out on their patio with that delightful view, and we were equally impressed with the food. By this point, we had already been on a wine tour and learned about our new favorite wine, Carmenere, so we ordered a bottle. I had the most delicious risotto filled with seafood, it had so much flavor and was cooked perfectly. My husband had a risotto with beef and he was also thrilled with his dish. We also split a salad and an appetizer and everything tasted great. We enjoyed watching the sun start to set while eating our meal in this beautiful location. The best part was that we were able to walk through the park back to our hotel. The walk was SO nice, and we felt safe the whole way. There were lots of families enjoying time together, dog walkers, and kids hanging out. It felt very relaxed and was a nice way to finish off our night.
Cerro San Cristobal
One of the best ways to see Santiago is to see it all at once! You can do this by going to one of the highest points, which in Santiago is the Cerro (hill) San Cristobal. We took the funicular to the top of the hill, but you can also walk, bike, or go by car. The funicular made the most sense for us as we arrived on a hot summer day, after a wine tour no less. The neighborhood at the bottom (where you get on the funicular) is also really cute and has quite a number of shops, bars, restaurants, and, most importantly… gelato! It would be a great stop if you need refreshment before going up or after coming down. However you choose to get to the top, when you get up there, there is quite a lot to explore. When you take the funicular there is one stop on the way up at the zoo. We were too late in the day to visit, but it may be worth checking out. The statue of The Virgin Mary sits atop the hill and overlooks the city, it is nice to check out the statue and see the view. There are numerous stops for refreshments up on the hill, we had some excellent popsicles that brought me back to life in the midday heat! Once at the top, you can also take a cable car to another adjacent hilltop to explore that as well. Overall, we found the views beautiful, and it was a worthwhile way to spend a few hours of our time.
Overall, Santiago is a bustling city full of surprises. It would be easy to spend a week just wandering around and popping in different bars and restaurants, navigating the alleyways and shops to take in the city’s charm, and still only see a small percentage of all it has to offer. It is important to remember it is a city, a very big city (the biggest in Chile and one of the biggest in South America), which means that you should always have a level of situational awareness. That said, we felt safe the entire time we were there, whether that was while walking through busy city sidewalks and plazas, or through the gorgeous green parks along the banks of the Mapocho River.
We also did a half day trip from Santiago to visit the Aconcagua wine valley. We used a tour company called Bodega Wine Tours and our guide was great, we really enjoyed the tour. We got to go to three different wineries for tastings and tours, trying some local cheese and charcuterie along the way before our final stop at a Chilean liquor store of sorts. This area of Chile was BEAUTIFUL and we really enjoyed the tour, which I will write about in detail in another post. We also toured the Cassablanca Wine Valley on our way home, and that was an incredible day as well. More to come on each of those tours…
If you want the fast link to book some wine tours you can click here —> Wine Tour Options
If you’re interested in our wine tours I wrote a post about them here: Wine Tours from Santiago
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