You can take a cable car and funicular railway up a steep track up the Cerro San Cristoba. We are going to take the funicular railway. To get there to the foot of the railway track on foot, first make your way to Barrio Bellavista...
When you are in Bellavista, or indeed anywhere near it, you can't miss the Cerro San Cristobal since it is a large hill with cable car cables coming from it. Walk towards the Cerro San Cristobal through Bellavista. Bellavistais a district of restaurants and bars, open late, and also colourful tree-lined streets. It seems like a slice of heaven on earth.
You will walk past the house of Pablo Neruda, which you can visit. There is a nice cafe here which serves soup and sandwiches.
When you reach the bottom of the Cerro San Cristobal, there is a small square with market stalls. The day I was there, there was also a llama wearing a small straw hat:
Now buy a ticket and take the funicular railway up to the Cerro San Cristobal. It is a strange kind of "staggered" train which, like any funicular railway, seems precarious but is perfectly safe I'm sure. If you sit right at the back then you get the best view, though it is designed to give everyone good views.
At the top of the hill, you can see the cable cars (on the left):
If you set out on the funicular railway in the evening, then at the top you are rewarded with a great view out over Santiago at sunset, the Andes in the distance:
If you look further up to the top of the Cerro San Cristobal, you can see the illuminated statue of the Virgin Mary, Chile's answer to the Christ statue in Rio De Janeiro.
Check out the fantastic photo taken from the top of Cerro San Cristobal in this excellent blog all about Santiago:
http://ohquepasa.blogspot.com/
1 comment:
Thanks for the shout out! I don't know that the photo is that fantastic but hey, I appreciate the kind words. :)
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