Cheap Car Rentals in Santiago (SCL)

Bellavista & its neighborhood is a perfect place for art lovers. It features graffiti-lined streets with cafes, art galleries and boutique shops. Here visitors will find inventive cocktail bars and eclectic eateries rubbing shoulders with antique homes and colonial mansions. Spend some time exploring La Chascona - the former home of celebrated poet Pablo Neruda - before scouring the Patio Bellavista shopping area for souvenirs. The trend-setting boutiques and laid-back vibes found in Bellavista make this a popular hangout spot among travelers and locals alike.

The Metropolitan Cathedral is situated on the western edge of the Plaza de Armas. This neoclassical cathedral has a history that stretches back to 1541 when Spanish conquistador and city founder Pedro de Valdivia requested a place of worship be constructed at the edge of Santiago's colonial square. However, a fire tore through the first structure, and two buildings constructed in its place were destroyed after major earthquakes in 1647 and 1730. The towering cathedral that stands today underwent construction around 1750, and in the 1780s, Italian architect Joaquin Toesca added a new twist: a blend of neoclassical style with baroque elements. The result is an interior that boasts intricate stained-glass windows and an elaborate altar ornamented with marble and deep blue lapis lazuli.

St. Christopher Hill (Cerro San Cristobal) stands nearly 3,000 feet above the rest of Metropolitan Park, a large swath of green space in Bellavista. The hill's height affords spectacular views to those who visit the summit. To reach the top of the hill, you'll need to hop on the funicular located on the north end of Pío Nono Street, which flanks the eastern side of Metropolitan Park. Or, if you're up for the challenge, you can strap on some hiking shoes and make the roughly one hour climb up the hill from the base at Plaza Caupolican, which is just off of the Baquedano stop on metro Lines 1 and 5. Regardless of whether you decide to make the journey to the top of the hill on foot or by funicular, you'll be rewarded with iconic photo-ops of the city below, as well as unrivaled vistas of the statue of the Virgin Mary at the summit.

If you're looking to learn more about General Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, plan a visit to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights (Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos). The museum catalogues Pinochet's 17 year rule, which resulted in the torture, murder and disappearance of thousands of Chileans. According to many recent visitors, the museum succeeds in increasing cultural awareness of the thousands of residents impacted by persecutions, exoneration, imprisonment and torture during Pinochet's rule. The museum pays tribute to the thousands of lives lost between 1973 and 1990 through photographs of victims, video coverage of protesters and a host of legal documents, letters and artifacts from the late 20th century.