We begin along La Alameda, Santiago’s historic boulevard and main artery. Just a few steps away, we enter Barrio Lastarria, a vibrant neighborhood where cafés, bookstores, and restored façades create one of the most beloved cultural atmospheres in the city.

As we walk its streets, we explore the intersection of history and contemporary life, leading to Plaza Mulato Gil, a charming courtyard lined with colonial architecture, artisan shops, and the Museo de Artes Visuales (MAVI). It’s a perfect spot to experience Santiago’s quieter, more creative side.

The segment concludes at the Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral (GAM) — a landmark of modernist architecture and civic transformation. From Allende’s dream to dictatorship to cultural revival, GAM reflects the complex path of Chilean identity in the urban landscape.

From Lastarria, we enter the leafy calm of Parque Forestal, Santiago’s most beloved urban park. Lined with native trees and old European imports, the park follows the curves of the Mapocho River and invites pause, movement, and everyday life. Locals walk, read, or stroll with their dogs under the generous shade.

Along the way, we pass quiet landmarks like the monument to Rubén Darío, a subtle reminder of the city’s poetic and pan-Latin American spirit.

At the heart of the park stands the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, inaugurated in 1910 for Chile’s centennial. With its neoclassical lines and glass dome, the museum reflected a young republic’s ambition to join the global world of art and culture. We may step inside — it’s free — and take part in the museum’s spirit of open access and public beauty.

As we leave the Bellas Artes area, we pass by the entrance of the metro station, where one of the city’s most striking murals by INTI greets pedestrians. His work — vibrant, symbolic, and rooted in Andean identity — brings contemporary street art into everyday public space.

From there, we continue along calle Mosqueto, a quiet and leafy pedestrian street lined with cafés, small shops, and restored façades. It’s a chance to feel the city’s more intimate rhythm, in contrast with the nearby avenues.

Our walk takes us to the Iglesia de la Merced, one of Santiago’s oldest colonial temples. Behind its reddish stone façade lies a layered history — including the final resting place of Inés de Suárez, the only Spanish woman known to have played a direct role in the conquest of Chile. This brief stop offers a powerful glimpse into the early days of the city and the figures who shaped it, often from the margins.

At the center of Santiago lies Plaza de Armas, a space where the layers of time and power are visibly stacked. Long before the Spanish arrived, this was part of the Inca trail system, a site of indigenous presence and strategy. In 1541, Pedro de Valdivia chose it as the heart of his newly founded city, laying out the grid of Santiago from this very point.

Around the square, colonial and republican architecture tells stories of conquest, religion, and statecraft. The Cathedral, Correo Central, Municipal building, and Museo Histórico Nacional each represent distinct chapters in the formation of the Chilean capital.

Today, the square pulses with Chilean palms, street chess, local preachers, and passing crowds — a living space where old and new constantly overlap. We pause for a moment of flavor and refreshment with ice cream made from lúcuma or chirimoya, native fruits that remind us of the richness beneath the surface.

A short walk from the plaza brings us to two of Santiago’s most imposing neoclassical buildings: the Ex Congreso Nacional and the Palacio de Justicia. Both are striking examples of late 19th-century architecture inspired by Greco-Roman ideals, reflecting a moment when Chile’s ruling elite sought to frame the young republic in the language of order, reason, and republican grandeur.

The Ex Congreso, once the seat of the national legislature, recalls a time when aristocratic families and party elites dominated politics, projecting power through symmetry, columns, and manicured gardens.

Across the street, the Palacio de Justicia — Chile’s Supreme Court — continues to operate today. For those interested, there’s often a chance to enter the building, where stained glass windows and solemn galleries invite reflection on the legalist tradition that has shaped Chilean republican life. Light filters softly through allegorical glass panels, evoking the ideal of justice as both luminous and restrained.

As we arrive at Plaza de la Constitución, the city opens into a vision of the 20th-century republic: a monumental Civic District designed to project progress, centralized governance, and institutional authority. Surrounded by ministries and state buildings, this area expresses the ideals of modern administration and national order.

At its center stands La Moneda, today Chile’s presidential palace. Originally built as a colonial mint on the orders of Ambrosio O’Higgins, it later became the seat of executive power — and a witness to the country’s political turning points, including the 1973 military coup. Nearby, the avenue named after his son, Bernardo O’Higgins, Chile’s “Libertador”, runs through the city’s heart.

Below, the Centro Cultural La Moneda offers a contrasting rhythm: exhibitions, design stores, and public programs that invite citizens and visitors alike to explore art, identity, and memory beneath the architecture of state power.

Midday is the perfect time to pause and enjoy lunch in one of Lastarria’s standout restaurants. Whether it’s the elegant pairings of BocaNariz, the contemporary Chilean cuisine of Mulato, or the bold spirit-forward menu at Chipe Libre, the neighborhood offers something for every taste.

Other nearby favorites may include seasonal surprises — we’ll choose based on mood, availability, and your appetite. A moment to recharge before the next chapter of the city unfolds.

After lunch, we head toward Cerro San Cristóbal, a landmark that offers both fresh air and perspective. We take the Teleférico de Santiago, a scenic cable car that glides above the trees, revealing stunning views of the city unfolding toward the Andes.

At the summit, the Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception — crowned by a towering statue of the Virgin Mary — invites a pause. From here, the panoramic view helps put the city’s vastness and geography into context: a capital nestled between cordillera and plain, history and movement.