Santiago de Chile Highlights | Port of Valparaiso, Chile

From the port of Valparaiso, Chile, we visited Santiago de Chile, the capital and largest city. It is the political and financial centre of Chile and houses the executive and judicial branches of government. To get there, you drive through the Casablanca wine valley and usually have views of the Andes mountains, although it was too smoggy or foggy to see them on our trip. We started in the main square, Plaza de Armas, the heart of colonial Santiago, and visited the 18th century Metropolitan Cathedral. The Plaza de Armas has statues, monuments, buildings and plaques in the pavement describing the history of the city. We then took a bus tour of the city to see parks, monuments and important buildings including the Presidential Palace and home. We passed by statues of Bernardo O'Higgins, Manuel Bulnes and Jose San Martin. In modern Santiago, we passed by Gran Torre, the tallest building in Chile. We enjoyed lunch at a restaurant that had Chilean music before going back to the ship. Our tour guide said tourists must be careful in Santiago and should travel with tour groups due to crime and, in particular, pickpocketing and theft. We never experienced any hassled and enjoyed the day. #chile #santiago #santiagodechile #travel https://www.bensound.com/ License number 204507727