Lastarria and Bellas Artes
Two neighbouring quarters of bookshops, arthouse cinemas and terraces, below Cerro Santa Lucía.
Duration
2 hrs – 4 hrs
Best time
Late afternoon
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
Lastarria and Bellas Artes are two adjoining districts at the foot of Cerro Santa Lucía, the hill where Santiago was founded in 1541. They were built at the end of the nineteenth century by the bourgeoisie and have kept their neoclassical fronts.
This is the city's cultural quarter: the fine arts museum in a 1910 palace, the GAM — a cultural centre in a building put up under Allende and then occupied by the junta — bookshops, arthouse cinemas and terraces. An antiques and secondhand book market sets up on Lastarria street at weekends.
Getting there
Metro to Bellas Artes or Universidad Católica, line 1. Both districts are walked.
Rules on site
The museums close on Monday. Phone snatchings are common in central Santiago, terraces included: do not leave it on the table.
