Where to Stay in Santiago, Chile - A Local's Guide
For many years the vast majority of travelers regarded Santiago simply as a necessary stop on journeys to other parts of Chile, spending little time here.
Over the last decade this has started to change, and plenty of visitors now think of Santiago as a destination in its own right. The city has some excellent museums, very good restaurants, and it’s in a convenient location for day trips to the coast or high into the Andes Mountains.
While certainly not able to compete with the allure of Buenos Aires’ culture or Rio de Janeiro’s stunning natural setting, there’s ample reason to spend at a least a few days in this South American capital.
So, for those of you planning on sticking around and exploring Santiago, I’ve put together this guide to help you decide on the right neighborhood to stay in. In my opinion there are 5 neighborhoods that make sense for most first-time visitors.
Read on to learn more about them.
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Table of Contents
My 5 recommended neighborhoods
Providencia
Barrio Lastarria/Bellas Artes
Las Condes
Barrio Italia
Vitacura
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My favorite hotels in Santiago
- Hotel Magnolia - Santiago's first boutique hotel, and still its best. $300/night
- Hotel Boutique La Reve - gorgeous property in the heart of Providencia. $200/night
- NH Collection Plaza Santiago - a solid NH hotel in Las Condes. $175/night
- Solace Hotel - immaculate, modern, and very well located. $150/night
- Hotel Cumbres Lastarria - lovely hotel in the Lastarria neighborhood. $150/night
- Casa Noble - cheerful and pleasant for a bargain price. $60/night
Guided tours and activities
How to get around
- Car rentals with DiscoverCars
- Metro tickets from Metro de Santiago
- Taxis & rideshares with Uber and Cabify
- Bus routes at Pullman, Condor, and BusBud
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My 5 recommended neighborhoods
Santiago is a very large city which takes hours to cross from end to end via public transportation. With that in mind, I always advise staying somewhere that is close to the places you plan on visiting and that has good access to the metro system.
Also consider Santiago’s geography: to the city’s east lie the Andes mountains, while to its west is the Coastal Range, with the Pacific Ocean just a bit beyond the mountains. The city is also bissected by the Mapocho river, which effectively splits it into two halves: one north, the other south.
For your base here, you should always plan to stay somewhere south of the river, mostly concentrating on the areas just off of the city center and then further east, in the eastern “suburbs”.
Taking this geography into account, and considering how important it is to have good access to the city’s Metro, I generally recommend choosing a hotel in the comunas (neighborhoods) of Providencia, Las Condes, Vitacura, Barrio Lastarria, or Barrio Italia. All of these are pretty neighborhoods that are either right next to the city’s main sights or have excellent transit connections to quickly reach them.
If you want my personal opinion, I would almost always choose to stay in either Providencia or Lastarria. That said, each of these 5 neighborhoods will appeal to different types of travelers, so have a look through this guide and decide which is right for you.
Providencia, Las Condes, and Vitacura
These three neighborhoods constitute the city’s eastern suburbs, and they are by far the nicest parts of Santiago. The foothills of the Andes mountains rise up on the eastern edge of all of them, and on clear days you can look up and see the mountains in front of you. All three neighborhoods are very safe.
Providencia (orange on the map) and Las Condes (green) each have multiple metro stops and lots of buses that run through them. Providencia is a bit closer to downtown and also more densely populated. Las Condes is busy and has lots going on around the metro stops, but starts to get suburban once you go even just a few blocks away from the metro line.
Vitacura (purple) is one of Santiago’s wealthiest neighborhoods and it is very pleasant; green and leafy, calm, and quite refined. However, it is not near any of the city’s main sights and it also has no metro stop. It does have many excellent high end restaurants, though.
Airbnbs are not very common in these areas and are not fully regulated in Chile, so I suggest you choose regular hotels. Another thing to keep in mind is that many of the hotels you’ll find are more North American-style properties. They are usually very modern and rooms tend to be renovated, spacious, and comfortable. You won’t find many boutique properties, however.
Barrio Lastarria/Bellas Artes and Barrio Italia
If you want to stay somewhere more central, I’d suggest the neighborhoods of Barrio Lastarria/Bellas Artes (blue) or Barrio Italia (black). These areas are adjacent to the city center and provide excellent access to the city’s main sights, museums, markets, and attractions. Because they’re close to everything, staying in them means you can do quit a lot of sightseeing on foot and will be less reliant on using the metro.
These parts of Santiago also have a bit more character than the suburban neighborhoods mentioned above. While the eastern suburbs feel a bit like you could be anywhere in the world, when you’re in Lastarria/Bellas Artes and Barrio Italia you can feel that you’re in Santiago. In each of these neighborhoods you’ll find smaller and more boutique-style hotels, generally at pretty good prices. And while they are adjacent to downtown, they’re totally safe areas at all times of day.
Other thoughts
Barrio Bellavista, while potentially tempting, is a hub of boisterous nightlife and gets both very busy and very loud. I like to visit, but it’s not somewhere I’d want to have my hotel.
Downtown, while mostly safe in the daytime and very convenient for sightseeing, can get get chaotic and becomes fairly deserted at nighttime. I do not recommend it.
1. Providencia
A typical busy day in Providencia
Providencia is the first neighborhood heading east of downtown and the city center. It’s northern border is the Mapocho river. The neighborhood of Lastarria lies immediately to its west (basically in downtown) and Barrio Italia and the Ñuñoa neighborhood are south of it.
It used to be a traditional residential area, but part of it converted many years ago into a commercial and financial hub that attracts people from all over Santiago (and the world) who come to live and work here.
You’ll find several shopping malls (including the iconic Sky Costanera mall/tower), restaurants, banks, lots of restaurants, bars, and other services.
Because this is a big area, I always recommend staying within a couple blocks of a metro stop, of which there are 5 (!!) in the neighborhood. Staying near any of them is fine, but I am partial to the areas around Manuel Montt, Pedro de Valdivia, and Los Leones. Anything in between the three is fine. The area around the Baquedano stop feels very commercial whereas the area around the Tobalaba stop begins to feel a little too residential for my taste.
My recommended hotels
Hotel Boutique Le Reve - With a fantastic location in Providencia near to the metro and surrounded by restaurants, cafes, shops, and some bars, this smaller boutique hotel is one of my favorites in the city. Rooms usually run around $200 per night.
Sheraton Santiago Hotel – This is Providencia’s traditional luxury hotel, on San Cristóbal Hill. It has amazing views of Santiago’s Andes mountains and all amenities associated with a 5-star hotel. Average rates are US $155 per night in a double room, and you can include buffet breakfast for US $20 if you call to book your rooms instead of doing so online.
Solace Hotel - This hotel is in one of the busier (in a good way) parts of Providencia and just a few steps from the Pedro de Valdivia metro stop. It’s modern, immaculately clean, and has a nice rooftop pool. Rooms from $150 per night.
Hotel Diego de Velásquez Providencia - This is a longstanding classic in Providencia, at the heart of the neighborhood and close to many restaurants and shops. Average rates are US $100 per night in a double room and include buffet breakfast.
RQ Apart-Hotels - A chain of 3-star apart-hotels with two locations in Providencia (Santa Magdalena 034 and Av. Ricardo Lyon 25). These are very quaint and cozy, as well budget friendly. Average rates with/without breakfast are US $80 / US $54 per night.
2. Barrio Lastarria and Bellas Artes
Calle Jose Victorino Lastarria in Barrio Lastarria
I include these two neighborhoods together because they’re tiny and are adjacent to each other. They’re central to everything and are Bohemian, but somewhat upscale. Although in the city center, they’re a bit of an oasis of calm and the architecture is also quite pretty (which is not always the case in the center).
To give you an idea of their geographic extent, they lie a few blocks east of the Plaza de Armas (main square), south of the Mapocho river, and north of Avenida Libertador.
Two of my favorite green spaces in the city, Cerro Santa Lucia (a beautiful hill and park) and the elegant and leafy Parque Forestal, are right inside the area, making it perfect for morning or evening walks. Many excellent restaurants, bars, and cafes have set up shop here too.
The area is very small, but just to give you an idea, choosing a hotel anywhere near to Calle Lastarria (Lastarria St.) is fine.
Lastarria is regarded as totally safe during the day and also quite safe at night in its immediate vicinity. That said, you are downtown so if you stay here, always keep your wits about you.
My recommended hotels
Hotel Magnolia - Santiago’s first design hotel, this one is tough to beat if you have the budget for it. The rooms are each unique and very comfortable, the common areas are exceedingly stylish, and all the touches here are well done. Nightly rates start at around $250 USD.
Hotel Cumbres Lastarria - Charming property with luxurious rooms and just steps from loads of restaurants and bars in the heart of Lastarria. Rooms for $150 USD per night.
Hotel Luciano K - Let’s call it boutique on a budget. The rooms here are comfortable, albeit a bit plain. The common areas and rooftop are eclectic and pleasant, making excellent use of limited space. You’re also overlooking Parque Forestal, so the location is great. Average nightly rates from $120 USD.
Hotel Lastarria - Good location, really nicely done new rooms with wood accents, and a very reasonable price, all right in the center of the neighborhood. Rooms from $105 USD.
Hotel Boutique Casa Noble - Simple, but cute rooms in an immaculately clean property for a total bargain. Nightly rates from $50 USD.
3. Las Condes
This neighborhood is mainly located along the sides of the red Metro (Subway/Underground) line, which can take you to most of the primary sightseeing highlights in the city.
It’s also very close to the massive Metropolitan Park’s eastern entrance, which connects with the teleférico (cable car) that can take you to the summit of Cerro San Cristobal hill.
If you want to do some day hikes while in town, it’s a very convenient place to stay because you are just a few miles from the foothills of the Andes mountains. If you’ll have a car, driving and parking in the area is very easy and hassle free.
You’ll also find several shopping malls, loads of restaurants, banks, and all the other services you could need. The Los Dominicos craft market is at the eastern edge of the neighborhood, and one of my favorite places for some shopping.
Las Condes is a massive area though, so I suggest staying by the Tobalaba or El Golf metro stops, which are at the beginning of the neighborhood. That said, there is also lots nearby to the Manquehue stop, and getting to/from there is only a few minutes more with the metro.
My recommended hotels
W Santiago - 5-star international chain located at the heart of the restaurant scene close to El Bosque and Isidora Goyenechea. The hotel’s bar is also famous for hosting prominent events. Average rates are $250 USD per night in a double room and can include buffet breakfast for $20 if you call to book your rooms instead of doing so online.
NH Collection Plaza Santiago - This 5-star hotel is located at the heart of the financial and commercial center, between Providencia and Las Condes. It’s also across from the Costanera Center shopping mall. Nightly rates run around $180 USD.
Hotel Plaza El Bosque Ebro - Nice 3-star hotel that’s part of a chain of properties in Las Condes catering to different budgets with modern rooms. Average rates are $150 USD per night in a double room and include buffet breakfast.
4. Barrio Italia
Shopping for plants in Barrio Italia. Photo: Janitoalevic, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Barrio Italia was once a working class neighborhood of low-rise buildings with auto mechanics, furniture makers, and little warehouses supplying all manner of goods and products to the rest of the city. In the last few decades, it’s begun to gentrify extremely rapidly, becoming one of Santiago’s main hipster enclaves.
You can still see some of the little warehouses and furniture stores, but now they’re competing for space (and rent) with wine bars, leafy cafes, brick oven pizzerias, and restaurants offering food from all over Latin America and the world.
It’s a pleasant neighborhood and a nice area to stay in if you want to be near the city’s tourist attractions, but not surrounded by tourists.
My recommended hotels
Maison Italia 1029 - This is more or less the only hotel in the neighborhood, but it’s a good one. Very intimate, very boutique, and very nice. The rooms are small though, so if you plan on spending a lot of time at your hotel, probably not a good choice. Rooms from $150 USD.
5. Vitacura
Parque Bicentenario in Vitacura. Photo: Carlos Figueroa Rojas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This is the easternmost neighborhood I recommend, but it’s still close enough to all of the main attractions of the city. It’s known for its high end boutique shops along Alonso de Córdova Street, which encompass everything from the local Hermés Store to Faba Lapis Lazuli luxury store.
There are also several shopping malls, like Casa Costanera, with amazing views of the Andes Mountains, and fabulous restaurants, such as the Borde Rio complex with nine restaurants offering a wide array of options and fusions.
The neighborhood is also a gastro hub, so you’ll find countless fantastic restaurants here. Keep in mind, though, that it’s a very wealthy and residential area so the restaurants are expensive and you’ll usually need a taxi to get to them.
Also know that Vitacura does not really have a subway stop (though they are nearby in Providencia and Las Condes), so getting into the city center and around will almost always involve a taxi ride.
My recommended hotels
Santiago Marriot Hotel - This 5-star hotel is a classic in the upper-end of the city. Average rates are US $172 per night in a double room, and you can include buffet breakfast for US $20 if you call to book your rooms instead of doing so online.
NH Collection CasaCostanera - This 4-star hotel is located at the CasaCostanera mall. It’s close to the Ralli Museum and to several great restaurants. Average rates are around $120 USD.
45 by Director - This 4-star hotel is a classic in Vitacura, located in a mixture of residential area with several restaurants nearby. Rooms usually cost around $120 USD.
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