Barrio Dieciocho is a neighborhood in Santiago that used to be home to some elite families. It still has some nice architecture for a good hour or so of exploring.
Plaza de Armas is the heart of historic Santiago and one of the best places to understand the history of the city. The plaza is a huge open square with a fountain in the center, filled with trees and benches, and surrounded by some very important historic buildings.
Ever since I got to Chile, I always complained about the lack of seafood on restaurant menus. Chile has a coastline that’s as long as the US is wide. There’s no excuse for not having more seafood available everywhere. Whenever I actually found seafood, which was usually at specialty restaurants, I would also complain about the ridiculous prices. Well, today I finally stumbled upon seafood heaven here in Santiago – Mercado Central.
Probably the ONLY Greek restaurant in Santiago, Opa-Opa Comida Griega was hosting a Greek fest with a live band today. I decided to go check it out.
Pichilemu is a laid back beach town in Chile known as one of the best surfing spots in the world, with the best year-round surfing in South America. It’s about three and a half hours by bus from Santiago’s Terminal Alameda.
Located just a half hour outside Santiago, the village of Pomaire is a nice little escape from the city. It’s famous for pottery and authentic Chilean food, and most of what’s worth seeing is along a five block stretch of the main road in town. It’s super touristy, but still charming and pleasant enough to enjoy a nice afternoon.
Inland from La Serena is one of the most beautiful valleys in Chile, the Elqui Valley (Valle del Elqui). There are several small towns scattered throughout the valley that I wanted to visit, along with some astronomical observatories.
Ever since I arrived in Santiago, Chileans have been begging me to visit a sandwich shop, Fuente Alemana. Every single one of them swear it’s the best sandwich in town, and that I have to try the lomito (pork sandwich). Based on the majority of my other experiences with Chilean food, I had nothing to lose.
If you read my last post, you can see how fond I am of Chilean food. Fortunately for me, Santiago has a good variety of restaurants with international cuisine, the most prominent being Peruvian and sushi. Here’s a rundown of the places I’ve tried so far: