Is it worth being in Santiago de Chile by yourself?

Question

I have a friend in Santiago and he offered me to come visit him but he works during the day so I'll be by myself most of the time. I'm just wondering how easy it is to meet other people in this city or to do things just by myself..?

I do speak a little bit of spanish that wont be a problem.

Thanks for your input

Answer 1

Not only is Santiago the safest place in South America, this city provides as many facilities as any mayor city in the US. To really observe this you would have to go to another southamerican country and then you'll get the picture. I for instance, live in Lima Peru and here you can't even rent a car because traffic is chaotic and law is: everyone for himself!

It's very easy to get oriented in Santiago because you always see the mountains on the east and to the north the San cristobal Hill and to the northeast the Manquehue Hill. Then there's a main avenue that goes from the airport towards the andean mountain passing through many districts Downtown (o'higgins Ave.), Providencia (Providencia Ave.), Apoquindo (Apoquindo Ave.) and Las Condes (Las condes Ave.).

There are many places you can go to during the day and most of them are alongside of this "main avenue", transportation is made simple because underneath it runs the METRO line A. (from Downtown to Las Condes).

I recomend in the downtown district the museum of Bellas Artes, the presidential palace "Moneda", the Santa Lucia Hill is a must, there's a seafood restaurant called OCEAN PACIFIC (see web site), also visit the central market and also the Estacion Central wich was designed by Gustave Eiffel (Eiffel Tower).

In the providencia sector, visit the Bellavista district (at night time), the San Cristobal hill Telepheric and maybe the Zoo. In the Apoquindo sector there's a lot of restaurants and my favorite is TIRAMIZU (Isidora Goyenechea Ave.), a very nice pizza place where you might find new friends, starting with the people that work there, this is a lovely district that I call "the chilean Manhattan".

Then you have Shopping Malls all over the city and other places I'm sure your friend will fill you in.

Go for it!!!

Answer 2

Yes, absolutely.  I spent a semester there when I was in colloge and found that the people there are some of the warmest and friendliest I've ever met.  Knowing some Spanish will be a big help, but be prepared for a very different dialect.  They use a lot of slang and generally speak pretty fast.  However, once they realize Spanish isn't your first language, most people will slow down a bit.  They are VERY patient as well.  I sometimes had to ask people to repeat things over and over and no one ever seemed to get annoyed with me.  

If you want to go somewhere "touristy," visit Barrio Suecia.  It's not very "authentic," but the people are nice and you're likely to run into other tourists there, plus Chileans who deal with tourists regularly.  It may be a good place to meet some people.

There are plenty of things to do in Santiago.  Go to Barrio Bellavista for some cool flea-market type shopping in the open-air market.  There are plenty of malls, but they're pretty much just like the ones in the states so if you're looking for something different to do I would avoid those.  The fresh market is a really cool place to visit.  You can have lunch there as well.  You can find some of the freshest seafood you've ever tried!  There are also lots of cool historical landmarks.  Go to Cementario General (General Cemetary) and visit the grave of Slavador Allende.  It's a very interesting place.  Ride the cable car to the top of the hill to see the Virgin of Santiago, which is visible from most of parts of the city.   Visit Pablo Neruda's Santiago house, La Chascona, if you're a literature fan.  It's fascinating.   There are also lots of very pretty parks and green spaces for a stroll on a nice day.

If you do go, remember that the seasons are opposite there - if it's summer here, it's winter there and vice versa, so pack accordingly.

A word of advice: If you need directions, find a police officer to ask.  They are friendly and helpful, and easy to pick out in their green uniforms.  The reason is that if you ask a person on the street or in a store, they will give you directions whether they know where you're talking about or not, and sometimes they're way off.  They're not trying to be mean, they really do just want to help.  (They don't want you to think that they aren't willing to help you, so if they don't know the answer to your question, they'll make one up.  No joke!)

All in all, Santiago is a fascinating city full of wonderfully friendly and welcoming people. You won't have any trouble making friends or finding things to do on your own during the day.   Plus, the nightlife is fantastic.  

If you go, you'll have a blast.  Good luck!

Answer 3

Yes.  You will make friends quickly and you be fluent in Spanish by the time you come back!!!   Of course you have to be careful like anywhere.  Dont walk out at night by yourself or things like that.  Chilean people in general will accept you with open arms.  

Buena Suerte!!!!

Answer 4

this city is one of the most safest cities in Latin America, but , probably you won´t find many people that speak English, so try to speak in Spanish. depending where you stay, for example in the city center there are some tourist offices, but be careful with the place called "estacion central" where the bus station is located, because there are a lot of thieves, and it´s a very problematic place to be. the south of the city is not such a good place to be but in the center (the historical center) and in the north (upper-class neighborhoods) you will find lot´s of shopping mall and museums. anyway, if you  want to see the best of Chile try to visit the countryside, there are a lot of beautiful landscapes and people is usually friendly.

good luck!

Answer 5

During the day you won't find much to do other than hang out at the malls (Parque Arauco, Alto las Condes, etc). You might try hanging out at Parque Araucano, but there's only so much you can do there.  Stay Clear of Parque O'Higgins and Estación Central. You might try the "museo interactivo" but , if you do, take a cab. The way by metro is not as easy once you leave the station closest to the museum.

The other thing is to head to Viña del Mar or see if someone can get you into any of the many clubs in Santiago (Los Leones, Estadio Italiano, Stad Francaise, Estadio Español, etc) to use the pool and hang out.