For a sightseeing tour you may start
at the Plaza de Armas, restructured
in 1999, right in the historical center (metro station is also
called Plaza de Armas). This square place with its music pavilion,
green areas and park benches was named for the weapons that
were kept here at the time of Pedro de Valdivia to protect the
settlers. Later the Plaza was the meeting point for public events,
for troop parades, religious processions and even executions.
Nowadays you can see parades on Sunday afternoons imitating
colonial times - without executions, of course.
To the West is the cathedral,
a building from the 18th century with an opulent interior decoration,
mostly furnished by Bavarian Jesuits. It is the fifth church
that was built on this site. North of the Plaza are three other
historic buildings: The Post Office, earlier palace of the governor,
the Museo Histórico Nacional located in the former royal audience
hall and the city hall on a site, where a prison used to be.
The city center, an example
for colonial city planning, is made of continuous squares (cuadras).
Walk one cuadra to the West and you will get to the Museo de
Arte Precolombino holding a collection of historical and cultural
artifacts of Latin-American native people. Between the streets
Morandé and Teatinos is the "Coin Palace" La Moneda, originally
the National Mint, which was built in 1788-1805 and from 1846
residence of the President. At the military coup of 1973 the
building was bombed and President Allende committed suicide.
Nowadays, you may walk right through the interior courtyards
of La Moneda, and with a little luck even run into President
Lagos himself.
Going from the Alameda (short
and practical name for the main street of Santiago, officially:
Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins) towards the East
you will get to the district Paris-Londres on your right hand-side.
These houses were designed in the 20`s displaying various patterns
of European architecture. You will also see the Iglesia San
Francisco, built in 1618, the oldest church in Santiago and
one of the few remaining buildings from the old colonial times.
Pedro de Valdivia is supposed to have brought the altar picture
of the Virgen de Socorro himself to Chile.
Another landmark is the Teatro
Municipal (at the corner San Antonio/Agustinas), a baroque ensemble
with classic French colonnades. From the top of the city hill
San Cristobal you have an impressive view onto the city and
the Cordillera. In the district Lastarria you will find a cozy
inner courtyard of the Plaza Mulato Gil de Castro (Lastarria
305) with a nice café, restaurants and some peculiar bars, such
as "Berris".
If you are looking for Chilean rather than European flair, you should visit the Mercado Central (corner San Pablo/Puente), a beautiful market building from 1872. Enjoy the vivid market while eating fresh seafood, preferably in the morning.
Santiago offers much more than
the city center. Other Barrios like the famous Bohemian district
Bellavista or the student district Barrio Brazil surrounding
the Plaza of the same name, the pictorial street Concha y Toro
(Metro República) or the taverns around Plaza Ñuñoa in Ñuñoa
give you the impression, as if you would not be in a metropolitan
of 5 million people. Away from the city center you are surrounded
by friendly, colorful, one or at the most two-storey houses,
nice bars and restaurants, galleries and cultural centers or
secret places, where you easily escape the hassle of the city.
Wealthier people live in the upper part of the city, the Barrio Alto. The districts Las Condes, Vitacura and Lo Barnechea as well as parts of Providencia resemble modern, American style districts (often only to be reached by car) with many shopping malls and exquisite cuisine.
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Plaza de Armas
The modern business quarter in Las Condes
Mercado Central
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Santiago
Sightseeing 
