One day 3 ways - Santiago

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This was published 9 years ago

One day 3 ways - Santiago

By Stephen Phelan
Cerro Santa Lucia in Santiago.

Cerro Santa Lucia in Santiago.Credit: Alamy

$ PENNY PINCH

First, get your bearings - take the rickety old funicular railway to the peak at Cerro San Cristobal ($3) for views over the Chilean city and across the Andes. Back down the hill, in the upscale Bellavista district, you'll find Fuente Alemana, a provider of the mega-meaty lomito and chacarero sandwiches that Chileans claim as a national delicacy ($11). Nearby is La Chascona, the former home of the late poet Pablo Neruda, now a cultural treasure house ($8, book ahead for English-language tours, fundacionneruda.org/en). Head across town to La Piojera ("the fleapit") for a taste of the terremoto ("earthquake") - a legendary local cocktail made from sweet wine, bitters, and pineapple ice-cream. ($10, lapiojera.cl). Then hit the pizza buffet at Los Insaciables ($17, losinsaciables.cl) and bed at the nearby Ibis Providencia hotel (rooms from $75, ibis.com).

TOTAL: $124

$$ EASY DOES IT

The hipster-friendly French-style Cafe Rendebu does the best breakfast in Santiago, with great cakes also available from their pastry shop next door ($20, facebook.com/rendebu). From there it's not far to Santiago Central Market, a 19th-century steel structure ringing with noisy old-school commerce - mostly fresh fish and other natural Chilean produce. Stick around for a bowl of caldillo de congrio (conger eel soup, $10), then take a private half-day tour with Foto Ruta and follow their clues to some of the best spots and photo opportunities in the city (from $40, foto-ruta.com). You'll still have time to check out the fantastic Pre-Columbian Art Museum ($7, precolombino.cl/en), before a quality steak dinner at Happening ($50 approx for three courses and wine, happening.cl), and a night at the Hotel Lareto (rooms from $140, loretohotel.cl).

TOTAL: $267

$$$ SPLASH OUT

After breakfast at the trendy yet super-friendly Aubrey boutique hotel (rooms from $220 off-peak, theaubrey.com), head out into the wine country that surrounds Santiago. A premium tour of the Maipo Valley will guide you through lush mazes of French-inspired vineyards for tastings of particularly good cabernet sauvignon and carmenere ($330 including lunch, santiagoadventures.com). On returning to the city you should take a quality seat for the opera or ballet at the 150-year-old Teatro Municipal ($250, municipal.cl), then the Chilean-Peruvian dishes that have made Astrid & Gaston famous ($150 for three courses plus wine, astridygaston.com).

A nightcap at Bar Liguria will show you how rowdy, convivial and pleasantly strange this city can be after hours ($30, liguria.cl).

TOTAL: $980

The writer was a guest of Aubrey Hotel in Santiago.

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