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Hitting the streets of Santiago

March 8, 2019 | Michael Turtle | 20 Comments

CITY TOUR

Santiago city tour, Chile

A light spray of spittle erupts from Felipe’s mouth. His eyes are animated, his hands moving wildly and his voice booming across the crowd.

As he tells stories of Chile’s fight for independence, his mood lifts with the jubilation of victory.

When he discusses the difficulties of life under Pinochet, his tone softens in respect for those who went missing or were killed. And as he explains the recent student riots in the city, there’s a muted anger in the way he talks.

Felipe is an actor and today Santiago is his stage and we his audience.

Free walking tour in Santiago, Chile

Every day Felipe guides a free tour of Santiago – sometimes two – in exchange for tips.

It’s a system that’s been adopted in cities all across the world. The one in Sydney uses to stop at my old office and point in the windows at us.

I’d been meaning to do one of the free city tours somewhere for a long time. This was my first, though.

Free walking tour in Santiago, Chile

Free walking tour in Santiago, Chile

Through the sites of the centre he led us, where we saw the Presidential Palace and the city’s largest church.

We went to the trendy nearby suburbs, with a small arts and crafts market, outdoor cafes and busy restaurants. And we walked through the park which follows the path of the river across much of the city.

The European architecture mixes with the South American lifestyles and the plaza is full of Chileans relaxing in the shadows of the old buildings.

And the whole time Felipe explains the context of the sites and how they fit with the history and culture of the city.

Free walking tour in Santiago, Chile

Free walking tour in Santiago, Chile

Free walking tour in Santiago, Chile

Visiting Santiago, Chile

Santiago is a lively and friendly place with a cosmopolitan feel and it’s enjoyable to stroll its streets.

On one side, the Andes keep a watchful eye over it and as the sun begins to set towards the end of our tour, they turn a shade of gold, a symbolic reminder that the valuable natural resources they hold have helped make this city and this country so economically stable.

Free walking tour in Santiago, Chile

Free walking tour in Santiago, Chile

In return, this city has helped make Felipe economically stable as well.

He joins a couple of us for a few drinks after the tour and tells us that business has been good recently.

The average person on the tour tips about US$10 each and with about twenty people per tour that’s US$200 for four hours work.

On the weeks he does two tours a day he can earn more than two thousand dollars.

Free walking tour in Santiago, Chile

Still, he’s an actor by training and this is just something to pay the bills while he struts the stage.

Although he brought all his skills to his tour he didn’t need to pretend that Santiago was a fascinating city. It sells itself.

>> More info here about the free city tour <<
Chile Travel Guide

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CHILE?

To help you plan your trip to Chile:

  • What you’ll see on a free walking tour of Santiago
  • Here’s why you’ll see so many healthy street dogs in Chile’s capital
  • The wonderful quaint fish market in Santiago
  • Valparaiso: The most colourful city in Chile
  • Visiting an incredible abandoned mining town in the Andes
  • Climb to the top of an active volcano covered in snow
  • Things to do in Pucon
  • Why the churches in Chiloe are a World Heritage Site
  • Learn about the mythology of southern Chile

Let someone else do the work for you:

You may also want to consider taking a tour of the Chile, rather than organising everything on your own. It’s also a nice way to have company if you are travelling solo.

I am a ‘Wanderer’ with G Adventures and they have great tours of Chile.

You could consider:

  • The W Trek (6 days)
  • Highlights of Chile and Argentina (10 days)
  • Discover Patagonia – National Geographic (14 days)

When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. It’s not worth the risk, in case there’s a medical emergency or another serious incident. I recommend you should use World Nomads for your trip.

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. Jeremy Branham |

    February 27, 2012 at 7:56 pm

    Reply

    This is definitely a place I want to explore. I’ve actually got some distance ties to Chile including Santiago and Vina del Mar. Chile really is a fascinating country!

    • Turtle |

      February 29, 2012 at 2:01 am

      Reply

      It’s a great country and quite easy to explore because you just go up or down. It’s easy to see everything you want because you don’t need to go too far off the path.

  2. Laura |

    February 27, 2012 at 9:12 pm

    Reply

    A guided tour is always a good option to explore a new city, understand it’s history and center yourself in the great scheme of things.

    • Turtle |

      February 29, 2012 at 2:01 am

      Reply

      Yeah, I often tend to just wander around a city but you get a lot more out of it when someone can explain what everything is!

  3. Andrea |

    February 28, 2012 at 12:09 am

    Reply

    Wish we’d known about this tour when we were there last year – looks really good and you got some awesome photos!

    • Turtle |

      February 29, 2012 at 2:02 am

      Reply

      It was great. The good news is they do these kind of free tours in cities all across the world so it’s not too late to start going along with a few of them!

  4. Tom |

    February 28, 2012 at 12:13 am

    Reply

    Ooooh, I haven’t been to South America yet, but I really want to go! It’s on the list, no doubt about that. I’ve always enjoyed those ‘free’ tours as well, they’re mostly really well done (it does depend on your guide though).

    • Turtle |

      February 29, 2012 at 2:02 am

      Reply

      You definitely need to get to South America. And give yourself plenty of time to do it all properly. There’s so much to see and do!

  5. Vince |

    February 28, 2012 at 5:22 pm

    Reply

    I agree with you. People like Felipe are just icing on the cake. Santiago’s scenery, architecture and culture is enough to invite tourists in.

    • Turtle |

      February 29, 2012 at 2:03 am

      Reply

      I never knew too much about it before I got there but it’s easily become one of my favourite cities in South America.

  6. Bret @ Green Global Travel |

    March 1, 2012 at 11:28 pm

    Reply

    Chile’s been rising fast on my list since I learned it was named the world’s most ethical travel destination for 2012. We love South America (heading to Peruvian Amazon in two weeks!), so I’m sure we’ll get there soon enough. Thanks for the story!

    • Turtle |

      March 2, 2012 at 12:26 am

      Reply

      Oh, you’ll love Peru! I haven’t been there yet but everyone raves about it. It’s a pity our paths won’t cross seeing as we’re vaguely in the same area.
      Why don’t you just add a couple of weeks onto the trip and pop down south somewhere? 🙂

  7. Rob, A Kiwi in Chile |

    March 3, 2012 at 5:13 am

    Reply

    Love the photos (and the variety).
    Great shot of Santiago from up the hill.
    I didn’t know they’d painted the houses up near the ex-OZ disco (Bellavista). They look quite good, like a hint of Valparaiso there.
    Thanks for sharing the tip about the Free Tour too.

    • Turtle |

      March 3, 2012 at 12:41 pm

      Reply

      Ah, you’re clearly an expert when you know that some houses have been painted 🙂
      You should check out the free tour sometime, even if you know the city well. There’s sure to be something new that you’ll learn!

  8. rdsean |

    March 6, 2012 at 6:30 pm

    Reply

    i like the first pic. that is too high but the view is really great.

    • Turtle |

      March 6, 2012 at 11:31 pm

      Reply

      Don’t worry. It would be pretty hard to fall down from there! 🙂

  9. Derek |

    March 9, 2012 at 9:12 am

    Reply

    Looks beautiful! Kinda polluted? Ive actually never been to S. America. Going to Honduras in April, but that’s about all the traveling I’ve done south of the boarder.

    • Turtle |

      March 11, 2012 at 4:04 am

      Reply

      Santiago is actually one of the most-polluted cities in the world because of the way the mountains trap the smog. But I was there in February and that’s supposed to be a really good month. Imagine what it’s like the rest of the time!!

  10. Maria Luisa |

    February 5, 2013 at 2:14 am

    Reply

    Hi! I´d like to contact your guide in Santiago, do you know how can i do it?
    Best and congrast for the blog!!

    • Michael Turtle |

      February 5, 2013 at 10:29 pm

      Reply

      Hi, I’ve sent you an email with some info. Hope it helps.

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This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

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