Where to Explore in Chile This Spring on a Budget? Best Tips & Itineraries

Chile is a country with an extremely long and narrow geographical distribution, and all the attractions radiate out from Santiago as a transit point. When planning our itinerary, in order to visit all the places we wanted to go, the schedule was quite scattered.
We reserved 2 days for Santiago, 4 days for Torres del Paine National Park – Punta Arenas, 2 days for Valparaíso, and 3 days for Easter Island.

[Thumbs up R] Day 1: Santiago. We landed in Santiago early in the morning and started a day of intense walking, it was scorching hot. Since we only stayed in Santiago for one day, we didn’t rent a car; using Uber for getting around the city was very convenient. The city walk that day included Plaza de Armas, Santiago Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Post Office, and Santa Lucía Hill, totaling 20,000 steps.

The rest of the itinerary was scheduled after returning to Santiago from Torres del Paine, to explore more.
[Thumbs up R] Day 5: After returning from Punta Arenas, we chose to stay another day in Santiago. Considering safety, we opted to stay in the local upscale area, and we could feel a significant difference from the neighborhoods we visited on the first day.

We went to Sky Costanera, the tallest building in South America, where you can enjoy the view and go shopping. The mall inside is quite nice to browse, with many brands on sale. I recommend the local brand Natura; their hand cream is very good.
After lunch, we took an Uber to Cerro San Cristóbal. Due to the heat, we immediately bought some cooling ice cream at the foot of the hill, which was pretty good.

There are three ways to go up the hill: cable car, funicular, or hiking. We chose to go up by cable car and come down by funicular, trying everything. Tickets can be purchased at the foot of the hill, and since we don’t speak Spanish, we had to buy them at the manned counter. Cerro San Cristóbal is a great place to sit, enjoy the breeze, and relax.

I highly recommend visiting.
🍜 Food
1. Dondoh Santiago – Japanese fusion cuisine
2. La Mar – Peruvian cuisine
💕 These two restaurants are very close to each other, and this area is very safe. You can park your car with peace of mind, and it’s also very beautiful.
❗️❗️Although Chile is one of the more developed countries in South America, in recent years, due to the influx of refugees from neighboring countries, the security in places like Plaza de Armas and the Central Market has become very poor.

When on the street, it’s best not to use your phone, and keep your backpack in front. We met several Chinese friends along the way whose bags were slashed near Plaza de Armas, so be sure to pay attention to safety and try not to go out at night.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to leave a private message.