The Parque Metropolitano, also known as Cerro San Cristobal, is a 730-hectare (1,803-acre) park and recreation area with swimming pools, walking trails, a botanical garden, a zoo, picnic grounds, restaurants, and children's play areas. The park is divided into two sectors, Cumbre and Tupahue, both of which are accessed by car, cable car, funicular, or foot. On a clear day, the sweeping views of the city render this attraction as the best in the city, but it can be disappointing on a particularly smoggy day. To get here, head to the Plaza Caupolican at the end of Calle Pío Nono, where you'll encounter a 1925 funicular that lifts visitors up to a lookout point, open Monday from 1 to 6pm, and Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 6:30pm; tickets cost $2.50 (£1.25) adults, $1.25 (65p) children ages 3 to 13. The lookout point is watched over by a 22m-high (72-ft.) statue of the Virgen de la Inmaculada Concepción. Along the way, the funicular stops at the Jardín Zoológico (tel. 2/777-6666), open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm; tickets cost $2.50 (£1.25) adults, $1.25 (65p) children ages 3 to 13. This recently renovated and surprisingly diverse zoo features more than 200 species of mammals, reptiles, and birds, including native condors, pumas, and guanacos. Below the statue is the teleférico (cable car) that connects the two sections of the park, open Monday 1:30 to 5:30pm, Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30am to 5:30pm. Tickets cost $2.25 (£1.15) adults, $1 (50p) children; ticket combinations with the funicular cost $4 (£2) adults, $2 (£1) children. The teleférico is a lot of fun, especially for kids, but it can be a roasting oven in the summertime heat. Admission for vehicles is $2 (£1). It's also possible to take a taxi up, but you'll need to pay the park entrance fee as well as the fare. The Parque Metropolitano's hours are daily from 8:30am to 9pm, cars until 10pm.
At Tupahue, the Mapuche name for this hill that means "place of God," you'll find the Piscina Tupahue and Piscina Antilén. These are not your run-of-the-mill YMCA pools; in fact, I quite recommend them for a hot summer day because they are clean and attractively landscaped and, in the case of Piscina Antilén, offer sweeping views of the city (no phone; both open Nov 15-Mar 15 Tues-Sun 10am-7pm; $7/£3.50 adults, $5/£2.50 children). You'll need a cab to Antilén, or you can walk northeast past the Camino Real to get here, about a 10-minute walk.
The Camino Real and its wine museum Museo Enoteca (tel. 2/232-1758) are on the left side of the road when walking down from the tram stop. The museum is disappointing, but the restaurant is worth the visit for the marvelous views from the dining area and patio. The museum offers a basic wine tasting for $3 (£1.50) per glass. Nearby is the Botanical Garden Mapulemu (no phone). It's open daily from 9am to 6pm; admission is free weekdays, 25¢ (15p) weekends. From Tupahue, you can either head back on the tram to Cumbre and the funicular or take the Valdivia teleférico down, which will drop you off at the end of Avenida Pedro de Valdivia. It's about an 8-block walk down to Avenida Providencia. Of course, this trip can be done in the reverse direction, which might be more convenient if you're starting from Providencia or Las Condes. At the foot of Cerro San Cristóbal and its Metropolitan Park is Santiago's bohemian quarter, Bellavista. It's one of the more interesting neighborhoods in the city, and there's quite a bit of excitement happening here, with new restaurants and especially the new shopping/dining area Patio Bellavista. Bellavista's tree-lined streets are filled with colorful antique homes many of which have been converted into restaurants and studios for artists and musicians. It's a pleasant place for an afternoon stroll; in the evening, Bellavista pulses to the beat of music pouring from its many discos and bars.
You might begin your visit with a trip to Bellavista's prime attraction, La Chascona, Fernando Márquez de la Plata 0192 (tel. 2/777-8741; www.fundacionneruda.cl). Located a block east of the Plaza Caupolican (entrance point to the Parque Metropolitano), this is one of three homes once owned by Chile's most famous literary artist, the Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. As with Neruda's other two homes, La Chascona was built to resemble a ship, with oddly shaped rooms that wind around a compact courtyard. It's fascinating to wander through Neruda's quirky home and observe his collection of precious antiques and whimsical curios collected during his travels. Neruda's library is especially interesting, and it holds the antique encyclopedia set he purchased with a portion of his earnings from the Nobel Prize. The home is headquarters for the Fundación Pablo Neruda, which provides guided tours. Admission is $4.75 (£2.40) for adults on a Spanish tour and $6.75 (£3.40) for the English tour, and it's open January and February Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 7pm; and March through December Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Call to make a reservation; otherwise, if you just show up, you may need to wait until a guide frees up.
