Cerro San Cristóbal
2,890 feet above the city, with the Andes behind it when the air is clear.
Duration
2 hrs – 3 hrs
Difficulty
●●○○○
Best time
After rain, when the air has cleared
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
Cerro San Cristóbal rises eight hundred and eighty metres, three hundred above Santiago, and occupies the metropolitan park — one of the largest urban parks in Latin America, seven hundred hectares.
A twenty-two-metre statue of the Virgin, given by France in 1908, stands on the summit. The 1925 funicular, a national monument, climbs from the Bellavista district. The view of the Andes behind the city depends entirely on air quality: Santiago sits in a basin and pollution builds up there in winter.
Getting there
Funicular from Pío Nono in Bellavista, or cable car from Providencia. Metro to Baquedano for the funicular.
What the price covers
the park and trails are free; the funicular and cable car are ticketed
What to bring
- Walking shoes
- Swimsuit
Rules on site
In winter, pollution wipes the Andes out for days at a time: the day after rain is the only reliable moment. The funicular closes on Monday mornings for maintenance.
