Get acquainted with Santiago’s cuisine, barrios, art, sculpture and architecture on a series of guided tours.
Cuisine
This tour has been specially created for food lovers and includes visits to the city’s three major markets; the buzzing Vega Central, the smaller Tirso de Molina and the Mercado Central, where you can view a fantastic array of ingredients before tucking into a delicious seafood meal at a local ‘Picada’ (an informal restaurant).
Barrios
Three very different areas are explored during this fascinating tour, which celebrates Santiago’s barrios. Barrio Italia is famous for the creativity of its residents, gastronomy, design and art. The revitalised Barrio Lastarria is the most fashionable area and Barrio Bellavista is bohemian, sophisticated, tidy, and chaotic all at once.
Art
This tour covers old and new, starting at the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) that has been the articulating contemporary visual arts for over 50 years. In the affluent neighbourhood of Vitacura, you will visit the Galería Animal, and the nearby workshops of a group of local emerging artists.
Sculpture
The tour includes works in areas such as Vitacura and Providencia that are very much part of the urban landscape, as well as sculpture in a more formal, museum setting. There will also be a visit to the workshops of two emerging sculptors. Among the highlights are the Parque de las Esculturas, opened in 1982, this park is an open-air art museum that was initially created to beautify an area of the city following the flood of the Mapocho River.
Architecture
The focus of this tour is centred on the architectural highlights of the Chilean capital, from the classic Colonial and 19th century examples found in the centre of the city, to the contemporary masterpieces found in areas such as Las Condes. The tour will be conducted by a young local architect, whose insight and knowledge will give you the most in-depth experience possible.