Chile - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 380

(to whom it is known as Huelén - “the
curse”), and where Santiago was officially
founded on February 12, 1541. The
barren hill was transformed into a lush
retreat through the labour of 150
prisoners in the 1870s. The park's
peaceful winding footpaths and the
ornate Terraza Neptuno fountain draw
amorous couples, while visitors take the
steep footpaths to the top to be rewarded
with panoramic views of the city.

best bars and restaurants , which sit along
quiet, tree-lined streets. There are also
several good nightclubs and raucous
beer-and-burger joints lining Pío Nono,
the main street. You'll find La Chascona ,
one of the three residences of Chile's most
famous poet, Pablo Neruda , down the little
side street of Márquez de la Plata (Márquez
de la Plata 0192, Tues-Sun: Jan-Feb
10am-7pm, March-Dec 10am-6pm;
tours CH$3500; T 2 27778741,
W fundacionneruda.cl). Named after
Neruda's wife Matilde, “the tangle-haired
woman”, the house is faithful to the
nautical theme that characterizes all his
residences, its creaking floorboards
resembling those of a ship and strangely
shaped rooms filled with a lifetime of
curios. You can only visit as part of a tour,
which is extremely worthwhile.

Parque Forestal
It's hard to believe that the tranquil green
space of the Parque Forestal , stretching
along the Río Mapocho's south bank,
was once a floodplain covered in rubbish
dumps. Top attraction here is the grand
and airy Neoclassical Palacio de Bellas
Artes , housing the Museo de Bellas Artes
(Tues-Sun 10am-6.50pm; CH$600,
students CH$300; T 2 24991600,
W

Cerro San Cristóbal
A path winds up from Barrio Bellavista's
Plaza Caupolicán to Terraza Bellavista,
passing Santiago's modest zoo (daily:
April-Sept 10am-6pm, Oct-March
10am-7pm; CH$3000, students
CH$1500). From Terraza Bellavista you
walk up to the hill's summit, crowned
with a huge statue of the Virgen de la
Immaculada Concepción and offering
excellent views of the city, though the
outlying neighbourhoods might be
clouded in a gentle haze of smog. The
many dirt tracks running along the
forested hillsides offer excellent
mountain-biking opportunities, while
walking down the spiralling road brings
you to Piscina Tupahue (mid-Nov to
mid-March Tues-Sun 10am-7.30pm;

mnba.cl), which features paintings,
sculptures, prints and drawings by
predominantly Chilean artists. The
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo , or MAC
(Tues-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm;
CH$600, students CH$400; W mac
.uchile.cl, T 2 29771741), next door,
offers temporary modern art exhibitions,
some of them interactive, by cutting-edge
national and international artists.

4

Barrio Bellavista
Crossing the Pío Nono bridge brings you
to Barrio Bellavista , the trendy bohemian
neighbourhood at the foot of Cerro San
Cristóbal , the city's second-largest hill.
Bellavista really comes into its own on
weekends; it's home to some of Santiago's

“NEVER AGAIN” REMEMBERING THE CRIMES OF THE PINOCHET ERA
The excellent Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos at Matucana 501 (Tues-Sun
10am-6pm; free; W museodelamemoria.cl; Metro Quinta Normal) documents the chilling
human rights abuses, repression and censorship that occurred between 1973 and 1990 under
the Pinochet dictatorship.
Another memorial to the victims of the regime is Villa Grimaldi at Avenida José Arrieta
8401, a secret torture and extermination centre now transformed into a Park for Peace
(daily 10am-6pm; free; W villagrimaldi.cl). The buildings here were destroyed in an attempt
to erase any evidence of the centre's existence, but among a series of memorials to its victims
are explanations of the site's original layout. To get there, take bus 513, or D09, or go to Metro
Plaza Egaña and get a taxi (about CH$6000). There are guided tours from Monday to Friday at
10.30am, noon and 3pm.