After living in Santiago as an expat for a year I finally found the neighborhood gem to rival them all - Barrio Franklin. I’d heard of an “authentic” Santiago neighborhood with a massive flea market called Persa Bio Bio, but hesitated to venture alone. So when my friend and fellow travel writer, Steph Dyson from Worldly Adventurer, offered to give me a tour, I found myself in Santiago’s next hipster haven.
From December - March, Chile and the rest of South America enjoys its summer, with a range of activities to keep one busy. If you need a winter escape, hop over to Santiago and check out 25 of the best things to do while you’re there during the South American summer.
Santiago is considered one of the most cosmopolitan cities in South America. But when you visit the numerous markets sprinkled throughout, you can still experience its Latin American charm. For that reason, I’ve put together a DIY Walking Tour Guide to 5 of my favorite markets in Santiago. And if you need some company, you can always join me on my Airbnb tours!
Chile celebrated “Dia del Patrimonio” in 2018, when all the public institutions (museums, government buildings, etc) open their doors to the public for free. There are free walking tours in each barrio, and insider access to buildings that wouldn’t normally be open. Read more to find out which places we chose to visit.
One of the perks of living in Santiago is that it has a number of “Free Walking Tour” companies, which is an inexpensive way to learn about the city.
We tried out Free Walking Tours earlier this month, so I wanted to share some highlights of our experience. If you find yourself in Santiago, and have half a day to walk around, you should try this out.
Our first three-day weekend here in Santiago was a weekend of firsts: we went camping, hitchhiked(!), and talked our way into a tour of the local reservoir.
When you’ve been living in Santiago for a while (or, in my case, a few weeks), it almost feels like a little bubble. The roads are clean, the subway system (metro) is great, and the traffic follows the rules of the road. So, it’s easy to forget you’re in Latin America. Until you make your way to La Vega.
Here's a list of my favorite cafes in Santiago, Chile with great wifi, good food and outstanding service.
I've spent a significant amount of time walking through the neighborhoods of Providencia, Bellavista, Barrio Lastarria and Barrio Italia. The stark differences in these 'barrios' remind me of the ones in San Francisco, with each one appealing to a different kind of person.
