Santiago del Chile surprised us in many ways (Travel Diaries Day 26)

We only spent two days in Santiago, but they were definitely memorable - just not always in the way we had expected!

We’d heard mixed things before arriving, and some people even told us not to bother spending more than a day in the city, and to head straight for the vineyards or the coast instead. But we were pleasantly surprised by our first impressions.

We kicked things off with a walking tour, which turned out to be a highlight. We learned about Chile’s recent and intense history, particularly the military dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet, who seized power in a coup in 1973 and ruled the country for 17 years. Thousands of people were imprisoned, tortured, or disappeared during that time. The tour gave us a glimpse into how much trauma still lingers, and how divided opinions can still be today. Our guide told us the story with such passion and detail, and it blew our minds.

After that deep dive into politics and history, we went for something a little more lighthearted: the Planetarium! Because, why not? We watched a film about the solar system and took some time to relax, who knows a nap may even have happened!

Happy and awake... not for long.

From there, we made a practical stop at the Costanera Center, the tallest building in South America and home to a massive shopping mall. We needed a few final things before Patagonia and managed to get through the chaos of it all… but the best part was that here we found our favorite pasta sauce, Rana pesto! It was way overpriced, but we had a cozy dinner that night that tasted like home. Totally worth it.

The excitement was palpable.

Day two was… a bit of a different story.

We thought it'd be a great idea to treat ourselves to a relaxing spa experience before heading south to Patagonia. So we followed a recommendation we found on Reddit (should’ve known…) and booked a visit to a spa in the city center… little did we know it was going to be an experience 😂 in hindsight we should have researched better, but reviews on Google weren’t so bad so we went for it!

Well, let's just say it was not the blissful wellness vibes we were looking for. The place was in a sort of basement that looked more like a dungeon, zero internet connection, and an atmosphere which reminded me a lot of a public hospital's dentist office. The spa was divided into women’s and men’s sections, so Reid and I split up. And that’s when we realized… it was a nude spa 😂 The men’s section was apparently so grim that Reid bailed almost immediately and went to get a haircut instead. Meanwhile, I was still inside (in my swimsuit, thank you very much), thinking we were just doing our thing separately and having a laugh about it later.

When I finally resurfaced to the city and reunited with Reid, we decided to salvage the day with some fresh air and a view. We headed to Cerro San Cristóbal, a hill that rises about 300 meters above the rest of Santiago and offers amazing views of the city and the Andes. There’s a funicular that takes you to the top, and it’s one of the classic things to do in Santiago. Buuuut… when we got there, they told us the funicular was only working one way up. And that we would have to hike back down... for 6km. After the spa adventure, neither of us had the energy for a mini trek, so we skipped 😅

Still determined to end the day on a high note, we thought that sushi would fix everything. Brilliant. We picked a place that looked great, but of course, it had a 1+ hour wait 🫠 So we wandered around and landed at a nearby Chilean restaurant instead… and you know what? It was actually delicious. So in the end, the day was saved.

Coincidentally, our table was right next to a picture from The Sopranos, Reid’s favorite show. As you an see, he took his hat off and paid due respect to Tony.

That was our whirlwind stop in Santiago! A city that surprised us, challenged us, and made us laugh a lot (mostly at ourselves).

Next stop: Patagonia!