Jour 17 SANTIAGO DE CHILE / DISCOVERY
- Départ To be determined
- Hébergement Overnight at the hotel
- Repas Breakfast
- Altitude /
- Transport /
- Marche / vélo /
City tour of Santiago by car with climb to San Cristobal / Private English-speaking The city of Santiago is located at the bottom of Chile's central valley, which ends in Puerto Montt, 1000 km to the south. The Andes mountain range plunges its roots into the heart of the city through a series of hills, the best known of which are Santa Lucía (850m) and San Cristobal (900m). With the Mapocho River running through it, the city is a hub for overland communications, both North/South (Pan-American Highway) and East/West (routes to the coast, in particular Valparaiso and Viña del Mar, and Argentina: Mendoza is just 400km away). The city was founded by the Spaniard Pedro de Valdivia in 1541, and enjoys a Mediterranean climate at high altitude, ideal for vine-growing. Santiago has left a significant colonial cultural and architectural heritage to the country, and the various waves of subsequent migration, mainly from Europe, have shaped its current heterogeneous and polycentric face. Today, with a population of over 6 million, "Greater Santiago" covers an area 40km square and is divided into 32 autonomous municipalities. It has steadily widened the demographic gap with the rest of the country, and now accounts for 36% of the total population. It also produces almost 40% of the national GDP. A political, economic, administrative and cultural centre, its location close to both the Andes and the Pacific makes it a very dynamic place to live.The tour will include visits to a number of important monuments, including the Palacio de la Moneda, home to the Presidential Palace, the Plaza de Armas (km 0 of Santiago) and Santiago Cathedral. Visit to the central market, where you can taste the fruits, vegetables, fish and seafood that this country has to offer. The tour continues along the Parc Forestal to Santiago's bohemian quarter: the "Bellavista" district. You can climb San Cristobal Hill, considered to be one of the city's lungs. Once at the top, you'll have a panoramic view of Santiago.Discover the capital of Chile, located at the foot of the Andes. Now a modern metropolis, it still has some historic districts that bear witness to its history. We start our visit in the República district, where the Chilean nobility lived until the end of the 20th century. We'll then make our way to the Palacio de la Moneda, where we'll take a short walk through the pedestrian streets at the heart of the city's historic centre to reach the Plaza de Armas. We'll visit the famous Mercado Central, a very traditional and lively place, and an ideal spot for lunch during your tour. For a panoramic view of the city, we'll climb to the top of Cerro San Cristobal, before heading to the modern district of El Bosque, home to Latin America's tallest tower.