Bellavista Walking Tour (Self Guided), Santiago

One of Santiago's most enigmatic neighborhoods, Bellavista is a lively and quirky area akin to Montmartre in Paris. Known for its bohemian culture and thumping nightlife, the district is dotted with casual pubs, low-lit cocktail bars, discos and numerous eateries serving fusion cuisine. Many of the city's esteemed intellectuals and artists live in Bellavista, following in the footsteps of its most famous denizen, Chile’s Noble-laureate poet Pablo Neruda, whose former home, La Chascona, is part of the district and is one of its main cultural attractions.

The increasingly popular shopping/dining area, Patio Bellavista, boasts a number of bars and restaurants, as well as a selection of shops selling the sort of items – crafts, leather goods, weavings and jewelry – that visitors love to take home; a pleasant place for an afternoon stroll.

Other than the hip restaurants, boutiques, and avant-garde galleries occupying loft spaces, Bellavista stuns visitors with its colorful streets awash with fanciful old architecture. Also adds to the appeal is the lushness of a colossal tree-clad hill, Cerro San Cristóbal, providing a natural backdrop, complete with Metropolitan Park established in the 1870s.

The funicular service – Teleférico de Santiago – offers an easy, yet adrenalin-stimulating ride to the summit of the hill, crowned with the gigantic statue of Virgin Mary, by using the egg-shaped cable cars (teleféricos).

If you wish to acquaint yourself more closely with all the cuteness of Bellavista, at your own pace, consider taking this self-guided walking tour and enjoy yourself!