(upbeat music) - [Dave] We spent three days
exploring Chile's Capital City from South America's
highest observation deck to the UNESCO World Heritage
Designated Old Town. These are the best
things to do in Santiago that are not to be missed. (upbeat music) Located at the Costanera Center, Sky Costanera is one of the top
places to visit in Santiago. The Costanera Center is the
largest mall in South America with six floors of shopping and dining. And it's here that you can go up to the highest observation
deck in South America. Once you reach 61 storeys, there are two floors of observation decks, the indoor deck has a bar and dining room, virtual reality, and different viewpoints. And then you can go up
to the even higher deck for an outdoor open sky. Going higher! - [Deb] The views of
Santiago are gorgeous, offering complete
panoramic views of the city and the surrounding Andes Mountains. (upbeat music) We suggest going up for
sunset and having a cocktail as you watch the city
change before your eyes from day to evening. - Well, make sure you have
a drink at Bar 300 here when you're up at Sky Costanera. It's a drink with a view. (upbeat music) If you want to see Sky
Costanera from above, make your way to the W Hotel, just a 10-minute walk from the skyscraper. The Red2One rooftop bar has one of the best views in Santiago. Non-hotel guests can go up
for a cocktail after 6:00 PM, but reservations are recommended, and cocktails can be pricey. But we think it's worth
it for the atmosphere and those stunning views. (upbeat music) - Well, the place to be for
sunset is at the W Hotel, the rooftop bar. Make sure you make a
reservation, because otherwise, the priority goes to the
people who are staying here. But we got lucky, and there
was a little bit of space. (upbeat music) So a great little detour in
the city is Santa Lucia Hill. It is this beautiful oasis just
to get away from the crowds. When you walk up, there's waterfalls, these lovely historic steps, and then you have a
beautiful view of Santiago. - Let's go, up we go. - So it's really great because there's a few
different viewing platforms. As you make your way
up, you can have a rest, have a drink of water, and then move on, take some different views in of the city. We have arrived at the top.
(upbeat music) It's only about a 10-minute walk. It's very easy to get up here. And we're gonna go take a look and see what kind of views we get of the beautiful city of Santiago. - [Dave] Santa Lucia Hill was originally used by
missionaries in the 1500s, but in the 1800s, two forts
were built as defensive points. Highlights of the Santa Lucia Hill include the beautiful Neptune Fountain, the basalt columns which were
created 15 million years ago from a volcanic eruption, its two forts, and
various statues, terraces, and of course, the
panoramic views of the city. (gentle music) - Well, this is the very
top of Santa Lucia Hill, and it's a small little platform up here. It gets pretty busy, so just wait it out. But you have panoramic
views of the whole city. It's fantastic except for the one tree that's behind me blocking
the way, right there. (upbeat music) - [Dave] Metropolitan Park is the largest park in Latin America and is located right downtown Santiago. There are plenty of
things to do in the park from visiting the botanical
gardens to relaxing at a cafe. You can also take a stroll
through its shaded pass or even enjoy the high ropes course. But the number one thing to do is to go to the top of San Cristobal Hill. We took two separate ways to the top, the funicular from the
Bellavista neighborhood and the teleferico from the park. Both are excellent, and we're
gonna show you what it's like to take each of them. Make sure you book your ticket online to the teleferico because
you can just walk right in. You don't have to worry
about standing in lines or anything like that. It's really easy. - [Deb] The teleferico is
a 15-minute ride to the top with a stop at the halfway mark where you can get off if you like. It gives beautiful views of the mountains and modern Santiago with Sky
Costanera front and center. - You can get off halfway
and walk if you want, but we're going right to the top. (upbeat music) San Cristobal Hill is 880 meters high and is a popular spot for sunset. Alright, so we made it
up here to our first stop at San Cristobal Hill. And it's a beautiful view
over this part of the city. - [Deb] Yes, we can see
50% of the city from here, and we've got a clear day,
which is pretty awesome. - Lucky us!
(upbeat music) Once you get to the top, there are some shops and
markets, places to eat, and of course, the star attraction is the sanctuary of the
Immaculate conception with the Virgin Mary
looking down over the city. - Well, not only is it a
beautiful view from up here, you have this incredible,
enormous virgin Mary that you can come and pay
your your respects to. And the gardens along here
are quite picturesque, so it's very worth coming up. - The Virgin Mary stands
22 meters or 72 feet high and is a principle place
of worship in the city. Pope John Paul II
actually blessed Santiago from the small chapel that is located at the
top of San Cristobal. It is surrounded by gardens, and there is an amphitheater
that holds masses and religious ceremonies
on a regular basis. - [Deb] Located on the opposite
side of San Cristobal Hill from the Metropolitan Park
is the funicular railway. It leaves from the
Bellavista neighborhood, and booking tickets ahead of
time is highly recommended. Dating back to the 1920s, this historic station is a fun way to make your way to the top. The main entrance looks
something like a castle with plenty of vendors and shops keeping the area a
lively spot for tourists. - And that was San Cristobal Hill. (ambient music) - We are walking through the beautiful
coastal city of Valparaiso, and it is a UNESCO World
Heritage site up here in these seven corners. There's street art all around
here from indigenous people. And all the buildings are very colorful and just painted in these vibrant colors, it's quite beautiful. Valparaiso is located less
than two hours from Santiago, and it is easy to book
day tours from the city. You can check our links below to find one. It's located on the Pacific coast, and it's colorful buildings
reach up into the hills, but there's no need to worry
about having to climb high. There are trolleys that will transport you from one fantastic view to another. So this is a very interesting district. It's all built on hills, and there are funiculars
throughout the area so that people can go up and down. And throughout the entire area, there's street art and beautiful views. It's a very cool neighborhood
to come for a day trip when you're in Santiago. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) Well, the Bellavista neighborhood is definitely the most
happening place in Santiago. This is where you wanna
come and spend the night and hang out on the patios,
maybe do some bar-hopping. All the cool people are
here, aren't they, Dave? - Yes, they are, including us.
(Deb chuckling) (upbeat music) - Oh yeah, we're definitely
on the party street now. We're in Bellavista, and everybody is out getting
ready to party already. It's only five o'clock,
and the music's going, the patios are full. We're on our way to the funicular though, so we're walking right on by. Hola! (chuckling)
(upbeat music) - So no trip to San Diego will be complete without grabbing some
ice cream and gelato here from Emporio La Rosa, come on. And you have to try their
staple rosa ice cream. Wow! - [Deb] What's its taste like? - Tastes like rose. Emporia La Rosa was named one
of the top 25 ice cream shops in the world by Time Magazine in 2012. And there are several stores in Santiago. They're easy to find, just look for the long lines out front. - The Plaza de Armas has been
the cultural hub of Santiago since its inception. And this is the place to come
first on your Santiago trip. - [Dave] One of the first places you must visit in Santiago
is Plaza de Armas. This is the main meeting
place in the city, and there are so many things
to do in the historic center. The square itself is alive with excitement with outdoor terraces, fountains,
and historic buildings. Our first stop was the
Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago. - The Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral is a must stop on your Santiago tour. It is the seat of the
Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, and its beautiful
neoclassical architecture dates back to 1753. (ambient music) Well, a must stop is the
Palacio de La Moneda. This is the seat of the President
of the Republic of Chile, and this is a beautiful building
that dates back to 1804. You can take tours inside, you just have to book them in advance. (upbeat music) If you're looking for a
place to eat in Santiago, go to Castillo Forestal. It's known as one of the best
places in the city for brunch. And hey, it must be great, because while Dave and
I were eating in there, the president of Chile
was eating in there. I'm serious, he was so wonderful. He's just a young guy, came around and took selfies
with everyone, including us. So I'm still shaking, I'm so excited that I just
met the president of Chile. - So it's pretty amazing, we actually just met
the president of Chile here where we were having lunch, and now you can just see him, oh, he is just talking to people. I love that about leaders. If you can get out and
touch him with the people, that's awesome. - [Deb] He's so nice too. (chuckling) They have the coolest
president. (chuckling) (funky music) While visiting the presidential palace, take a break from the heat
at the cultural center. There are toilets, coffee
shops, art displays, and a great shopping center
to buy local arts and crafts. Santiago truly is a city of art. There are are so many art
installations around the city, and there's many cultural centers. This one here, the Centro
de Gabriela Mistral is one that you have to come to, just to even see the fish floating above. But there's concerts here,
there's art installations. It's a whole community
center of events going on. And it's in a really cool neighborhood. A really fantastic stop is the
National Museum of Fine Arts. To get in, all we had
to do was scan a QR code and fill out our information, and then we walked into this
beautiful museum that is free. Even the architecture
is just as impressive as all of the art and
sculptures that are inside. - [Dave] This was our favorite
museum to visit in Santiago with several displays
of permanent exhibits and rotating installations. It's a very popular and busy museum, and we highly recommend going inside. (upbeat music) - Well, it's not often
that a subway metro stop is a thing to do in a city, but here in Santiago, the university Stop has a
beautiful art installation. Now, there are different art installations around different metro stops, so when you're going through the city, make sure you take a look. (upbeat music) So getting around Santiago by metro is very easy and very reasonable. I highly recommend it as
your way to get around. All you have to do is get a
Bip card and then you fill it. It's 800 pesos, which is very cheap, it's less than a dollar 50, it's like a dollar for each ride. Two people can use one
card, so you can fill it with how many rides you
think you're going to do. You can fill it again and again. So Dave and I just did four rides a day 'cause we figured that we
would go there and back and there and back. You just go to the kiosk and
ask them to fill it for you. They'll tell you how
much money you have on it and then they can top it up. - It's that easy. - We stayed at the Four
Points Sheraton Hotel, and they actually had Bip
cards that you could use. All you have to do is fill it up with your daily money that you need. So that was really cool. So we didn't even have to buy a Bip card, we just borrowed that for a couple days and then filled it with
the amount that we needed. (upbeat music) - [Dave] Staying at the
Four Points by Sheraton in the Providencia area
of Santiago was excellent. The neighborhood was safe, the rooms and hotel were modern and chic, and the buffet breakfast was to die for. Plus, we were within walking distance of many of the top attractions in the central business district, and we were close to the subway to easily get around the city. - One of the top museums
to visit here in Santiago is the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. Right now today, the top floor was closed, so we decided to move on, and we might come back if it opens up. One of the newest museums in Santiago is the Memory and Human Rights Museum. Now it's closed on Mondays, but we wanted to come out here because the architecture is beautiful. Unfortunately, there's a big
fence all the way around it, so we have to put our phones
through to get a picture, but it's still really cool to see. While you are out here, you can go to the park across the street, and in that is the Museum
of Natural History. Well, the Chilean National Library is one of the great places
to visit for architecture. Unfortunately, we're here on a
Sunday and it's closed today, so maybe we'll get back inside. But if you make it here, it's supposed to be very beautiful inside. (ambient music) - Santiago is a very walkable city. And one of our favorite parts of our visit was to simply stroll its walking
streets, do some shopping, and get lost in its
exciting energy and vibe. Don't know where we are,
but that's why it's great, these random streets here at Santiago. A visit to Santiago took us to one of the most
exciting cities in South America. If you're planning a trip to the Atacama Desert
or Chilean Patagonia, make sure to give
yourself two or three days to enjoy this thriving metropolis. There are plenty of things to
do for every type of traveler. If you enjoyed our video, don't forget to subscribe and click that bell for notifications so you'll know when our next video from around the world goes up next. See you next time.
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