Metropolitan Park of Santiago
Metropolitan Park of Santiago: An Incredible Urban Park
Parque Metropolitano de Santiago is a complex that has several outdoor activities and is one of the favorite places of the population of Santiago to spend a free day. It is the largest urban park in Chile and the fourth largest in the world. Paying a visit on site is a mandatory program in the city of Santiago and we will list in this post some activities that can be done on site and what we did during our visit.
How to get to Parque Metropolitano de Santiago?
Parque Metropolitano de Santiago can be accessed by car, bicycle or on foot. There are currently 7 different entrances to the park and the choice depends on the type of activity you are going to perform:
– Entrance 1 – Pío Nono (Pío Nono 450, Recoleta – Metro Baquedano): Access on foot, by bicycle or by car. The Baquedano metro station is the closest to this entrance.
– Entry 2 – Pedro de Valdivia (Pedro de Valdivia Norte no number – Pedro de Valdivia Metro): Access on foot, by bicycle or by car. The Pedro de Valdivia metro station is the closest to this entrance .
– Entrance 3 – Parque Bicentenario de la Infancia (Av. Perú 1001, Recoleta Metro Cerro Blanco): access only on foot. The metro station Cerro Blanco is the closest to this entrance .
– Entrance 4 – Pirámide (Pirámide no number): access on foot or by bicycle, but there is no metro station with easy access at this entrance.
– Entry 5 – Santos Dumont (Santos Dumont no number): access only on foot. The metro station Cerro Blanco is the closest to this entrance.
– Entry 6 – Santa María (av. Santa María no number): access on foot or by bicycle. The Pedro de Valdivia metro station is the closest to this entrance.
– Entrance 7 – Bosque Santiago (Camino La Pirámide 6000): access by foot, bicycle or car, but there is no metro station with easy access at this entrance.
How to visit the Santiago Metropolitan Park?
The visit to the Metropolitan Park of Santiago depends on the activity you want to do on the spot. Within this complex you will find funicular, picnic areas, swimming pools, trails, gardens, lookouts, squares, woods, sanctuaries and even a zoo. Visiting all these places in just one day is impossible and, if you want to enjoy several different places in the Metropolitan Park of Santiago, you will need a full 2 days.
If you do not have all this time and want to make a quick visit, it is recommended to focus on the areas that are close to entrances 1 and 2 where the main attractions of the park are:
Entrance 1 (Pío Nono): this entrance gives access to the funicular, the viewpoint of Cerro de San Cristóbal, the zoo, the Sanctuary of la Inmaculada Concepción and some trails.
Entrance 2 (Pedro de Valdivia): this entrance gives access to the main picnic areas, the Tepahue pool, Botanical Garden and Japanese Garden, Casa da Cultura Anahuac and some trails.
Once inside the park you can get around these places through well-signposted trails. A cable car is also being built to connect the various points of interest throughout the park.
We recommend taking a look at the park’s official website to understand more about each of the places that can be visited and plan your visit according to your interest: https://www.parquemet.cl/
Visiting the Metropolitan Park of Santiago
As we had just scheduled a short time to visit the Metropolitan Park of Santiago, we focused only on the attractions that are located at Entrance 1 (Pío Nono). We had the opportunity to make the trail of Zorro Vidal, which has 2.6 km and is the way to access the Sanctuary of la Inmaculada Concepción that is on Cerro Cristóbal, with a beautiful view of the city of Santiago.
Zorro Vidal Trail
The Zorro Vidal trail is the easiest way to get to the top of Cerro San Cristóbal, where the Inmaculada Concepción Sanctuary is located. Despite being a 2.6 km path, it is traveled slowly by the high slope of the climb. An advantage is that there are some rest areas during the climb and they also have water points. So, if you are thinking of going this route, it is good to take a bottle of water to fill up during your ascent or descent.
We made the way up and down through the Zorro Vidal trail and it took about 40 minutes to go up and a little over 10 minutes to go down.
Funicular
A good option for those who want to avoid walking up and / or down is to use the funicular that ascends to Cerro San Cristóbal. The station is close to entrance 1 (Pío Nono) and the ticket can be purchased on site.
The cost of the trip on weekdays is 1500 Chilean Pesos for just one trip or 2000 Chilean Pesos for two trips (if you want to hop on and off the funicular). On weekends and holidays, the cost is 1950 Chilean Pesos for one trip or 2600 Chilean Pesos for two trips.
The funicular runs from Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 8pm and on Monday from 1pm to 8pm.
Cerro San Cristóbal – Sanctuary of the Inmaculada Concepción
One of the main reasons for visiting the Metropolitan Park of Santiago is to have an incredible view of the city of Santiago. This view is obtained from the top of Cerro San Cristóbal, which is accessed via the Zorro Vidal trail or via the funicular.
In the same place is located the Santuário de la Inmaculada Concepción where there are some festive celebrations for the population of Santiago and a very interesting place to be visited.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to do other activities inside the Metropolitan Park of Santiago, but we would have liked to visit the entrance 2 region to see other attractions within the park. If you have a short time in Santiago, focus on the attractions that are close to entrances 1 and 2, but if you have a little more time and enjoy outdoor activities, visit other points of Parque Metropolitano de Santiago which is a great program in city of Santiago.
More information
Official website of Parque Metropolitano de Santiago: https://www.parquemet.cl/
Opening Hours: every day of the year. During the summer it works from 8:30 am to 8 pm and during the winter from 8:30 am to 7 pm.
