Following our plan of moving back and forth between Argentina and Chile, we have traveled a long way and are reporting from Santiago de Chile today. The capital of Chile is a global metropolis that looks very different from the rest of Chile that we have seen so far. Probably the tallest skyscrapers, finest restaurants and the white house of Chile are located in this worldclass city. Let’s immerse ourselves in this enormous metropolitan area of around 7 million inhabitants.

City tour through various districts

We don’t have much of a program. It doesn’t quite feel like Chile anymore – Santiago could just as easily be a southern European city. But first and foremost, we don’t miss the Palacio de La Moneda – the seat of the Chilean president. But we have to look twice. We are actually looking for two buildings directly in front of it: the La Moneda cultural center. It takes us a while to realize that there is nothing to see from the outside, as there are two underground buildings directly beneath the expansive fountain in front of the Palacio de La Moneda. We notice many police officers guarding the building. But only when we arrive at the back of the building, the penny drops for us too: A seat of government needs to be properly guarded – of course!

From there, we stroll through the Lastarria district. The small district is lined with hip cafés and restaurants. Many of the walls are decorated with street art, which we like. But the Chileans can still work a little on their coziness; after Argentina, we find it difficult to find a suitable place to take a break. Therefore, we head straight on towards Barrio Bellavista. This part of the city is characterized by student life, the various universities are located here and the students are everywhere. The picture quickly changes into a lively, colorful hustle and bustle. It is therefore not surprising that the nightlife district is located right next to it. Shortly after midday, the many and above all large bars are already full of people drinking liters of beer.

By chance, our last quarter of the day is the district Italiana. To the left and right along Avenida Italiana are small boutique stores, great restaurants, cafés and bars. There is something for every time of day. It’s a great place to stay, this is definitely our favorite quarter here in Santiago de Chile! This is how we end our visit to the city of Santiago.

Business district in the north-east of the city

Our route back to the parking lot then took us through several of Santiago’s business districts. These included the Suecia and El Golf districts. Here are the office buildings, some of which are hundreds of meters high with mostly glazed facades. The tallest building in the whole of South America is also located here. We are impressed, we can’t remember the last time we saw such tall and modern buildings in South America. It could well be the first time, as the last time we came close to it was probably in Panama, Central America. Oh yes, the many rich and famous also want to live somewhere, of course, and they also do so in the north-east of Santiago. Here, as is so often the case in such cities, there are entire sealed-off residential areas to ensure security. Quite special – but this is probably the global trend in all the world’s major cities, where people prefer to seal themselves off for security reasons rather than bring general security to an acceptable level. It would also be a mammoth task, without question.

As quickly as we drove into the city, our visit was already over. Santiago de Chile was impressive to see, not necessarily our cup of tea for living here, but a visit was still worthwhile for us. After this avalanche of concrete, our next destination is the coast. A bit out of the city – or rather on to the coastal town.