Situated alongside the Mapocho River, this beautiful public park is the perfect setting for a…read morepicnic, pick-up soccer game, run, concert in the park, bike ride...and the list goes on. What makes this park stand out from the rest is that it is an open-air museum where you can enjoy over 30 different sculptures from both local Chilean artists as well as international artists. I have trained with my soccer team here various times and it is a great strip to run around, with no large dips or holes plus it has good lighting at night. There is also a playground not only for children, but for adults with exercise equipment. In the summer they host the annual Jazz in the Park where you can enjoy the worlds best Jazz artists for free while enjoying one of Santiago's finest public parks (you can also pay for seats...but it is more fun on the other side of the Mapocho). They also hold events throughout the year (although the majority take place during the summer) and are mostly open to the public. They also have a small room to show exhibits throughout the year. The exhibits are constantly changing, and usually show the work of young Chilean artists. It is super easy to get here. If you don't want to run from where you are, I recommend taking the metro to Pedro de Valdivia and walking the 3 blocks to the park.

One of the most popular parks to have barbecues and drink in public, this park is always filled…read morewith university students as well as people celebrating birthdays, public holidays and well...just about any excuse for them to have a BBQ. To enter the park you are required to pay 500 pesos for weekends or public holidays (feriados) 3mil for a car or 300 pesos on a week day. If you are looking to have a BBQ during the weekend, come early as their "parilladas" fill up fast! Unlike other parks, Parque Padre Hurtado has public bathrooms (costs 200 pesos to access) as well as benches and tables to sit comfortably. Although best known for their large grassy lots and BBQ areas, Parque Padre Hurtado also has a tons of other services and fun for all ages. For kids they have pony rides, 2 large playgrounds with all different types of jungle-gyms as well as a mini electric train that rides around the park. For the somewhat older crowd, they have an amphitheater where a lot of concerts and plays are held (some are free!) as well as a large lake where for an extra 5mil, you can peddle around the water with a friend in one of their plastic boats - great for a first date (fun, exercise and a bit romantic all mixed into one activity)! Overall, a great place to come during a sunny weekend or holiday for all ages!

This is one of my favorite parks in Santiago. It is very big and you can go there for a whole day…read moreif you want. Because the place has spots for picnic, a nice recommendation would be eating a delicious roasted beef in the afternoon. Another spot you should visit is the lagoon. This lake has ducks, geese and boats. Yes! you can borrow a small boat and set sail. Very relaxing. Another recommendation: be careful in the late afternoon. It may get dangerous and, because it's too big, security can't cover every spot.

Loved this park! We got there in time to find parking in the only lot available, though at the…read moreback, so we started our hike along the sound of rushing water up to the entrance. There is a fee to get in. We walked up a mild hike that was supposed to go to a waterfall, but my children were definitely more interested in digging in the dried out clay dirt and finding sticks and moving rocks around. The first part of the hike, the official path, very rough and marked by rocks, was surrounded on both sides by ample space for small trees, bushes, plants, rocks, and land enough for meandering around before sloping downward. When we made it to the narrow part of the path- barely big enough for two people to walk side by side- and I could see straight down the mountain with no buffer, I had to turn around. We went back down the same way - which is not easy on the knees!- and saw lots of birds hopping around quite close to us, plus a pig with piglets - not close to us. Back at the beginning, my husband wandered towards the sound of rushing water, and although there were no signs directing people there, we walked across some boulders and found a beautiful shaded stream full of rocks. We had a blast jumping from rock to rock and holding different rocks under the water. This was one of the cleanest parks I've ever seen- no trash visible at all in the natural areas - which is impressive from US standards! The bathrooms were also spotless, with a clever and aesthetically pleasing outdoor shared-genders hand-washing area on the side of it.

This is my favorite day hike in Santiago! It is the perfect way to take a break from Santiago's…read morebusy smog-filled streets and the hum-drum of every day city living. Getting there is super easy - even if you don't have a car! If you are coming from downtown, you can take the 412 micro straight and it will let you off about a 10 minute walk from Aguas de Ramon. It is uphill, so you can take a taxi if you would like to save your walking legs for once you get there. When you arrive, be sure to sign in and pay the small fee of $1.500 and $500 pesos for children under 8 years. The park opens at 8am and I recommend getting there when it opens so you have enough time to enjoy the waterfall at the top of the trail and take your time going up because the trek is quite steep and the longest trail (according to the Park officials) takes on average 7 hours. However, they have different trail options and cut off times for when you can start going up since the park closes at 7pm during the summer at 5:30pm in winter. Saltos de Apoquindo (the longest hike) is open for you to start hiking from 8:00am to 10:00am Los Peumos from 8:00am to 2:30pm Canto del Agua from 8:00 to 5:00pm Now, let's say you do get a late start but want to do Saltos de Apoquindo. You have two choices: tell the park guides you will be doing Los Peumos (there is no one really verifying this) OR plead and promise you are in good shape and will get down before the park closes (I went for the more complicated, latter version). Because of this, I am proud to tell you that my friend and I got up to the waterfall, had lunch and back down in 3.5 hours -- we were absolutely exhausted since we ran up the whole thing but it was worth it! So, although they say it takes 7 hours it can take sufficiently less depending on how you go up. Also, I recommend bringing TONS of water with you since there is no place to fill up (I took my chances drinking from a flowing river off the trail..but I wouldn't recommend it). Many people have said they have seen exotic forest animals, but the most exotic animal I have seen was a cow. Regardless, this is the best mountain hike in Santiago by far! You will be immersed within nature from the green hills and snow capped mountains to the cascading waterfalls and wild flowers.