6 h

Private

By walk

With local

Instant confirmation

About this activity

After pickup from your hotel in Santiago, your private guide will accompany you on the metro -- just like a local -- to Universidad de Chile station, where you’ll stop to admire Mario Toral’s murals, called ‘Visual Memory of a Nation,’ which record Chilean history.

Then, join Santiago’s bustling downtown and see its vibrant urban culture firsthand. You’ll walk with your guide through a classic, colonial-style building that houses the stock exchange. Afterward, experience a cheeky piece of Santiago culture as you sip a cup of coffee at a café con piernas (coffee with legs), where female servers show off their limbs in high heels and miniskirts, bikinis or lingerie.

Next, meander through the Paseo Ahumada, a 4-block-long pedestrian mall filled with retail shops and shoeshine stands. Follow the promenade to Plaza de Armas, a gathering spot for Chilean immigrants. You’ll visit Chile’s largest cathedral and snack on some classic street food such as sopaipilla (or sopapilla), a pastry made of deep-fried pumpkin dough.

Continue along Puente Street, lined with shoe stores, until you reach the Mercado Central (Central Market), a national monument built in 1872. Watch the fishmongers cut fillets before stopping for lunch at one of the many seafood restaurants frequented by the locals. Here, try tangy ceviche, fish marinade or razor clams!

After a satisfying meal, walk across the Mapocho River to La Vega Central, a market brimming with seasonal produce like figs, quince, persimmons and chirimoyas (custard apples).

Then, walk through Barrio Bellavista, Santiago’s Bohemian district, where famous poet Pablo Neruda lived. Artists and intellectuals still reside here, along with boutiques and galleries housed in old mansions. Your guide will take you to a local bar to try a Terremoto (Earthquake), a typical Chilean drink made of pipeño (sweet fermented wine) paired with pineapple ice cream.

Afterward, you’ll be taken back to your hotel by a comfortable van.

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Included

Professional guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Coffee or tea
Cocktail and starter
Lunch

Not included

Gratuities

Additional

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Maximum of 6 passengers per tour

Features

Tourism

90%

Cultural

75%

Original

15%

Sport

15%

Reviews

3.9

17

N

Natalee R

1 | 2016-12-11

If you are a history or architecture buff, this might be the thing for you. We learnt a lot but didn't feel any of the personality of Santiago. The food in the Mercato Centrale for lunch was disappointing to say the least. Given we paid a premium price I expected a premium tour and was disappointed.

D

Dave K

5 | 2016-10-11

Great tour - my guide was very knowledgable and showed me a lot of Santiago's history and interesting locations

W

William B

3 | 2015-12-15

I was there on a religious holiday so not everything was open. San Cristobal Hill was deleted from the tour. Paula the tour guide was great. Mostly walking tour. Good lunch and explanation of the capital and culture.

C

Carolyn R

5 | 2015-07-04

Excellent tour and Carol was a very good guide. She spoke excellent English and explained the history of the city well and the importance of the various areas that we saw. It was Sunday so the city was quiet and easy to walk around and see the buildings. The highlight for us was the market and lunch in one of the restaurants there. The cafe with legs was also an experience - unique to Santiago.

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