Local Food
by LizontheMove
We tried the local 'delicacy' Mote. It was basically peach flavoured tea with a pile of cooked wheat in the bottom topped off with a dried peach! Very bizarre. The peach tea was nice but the wheat...went in the bin. Still, you have to try local customs!
Clothing
by IIGUANA
Bring light clothing for the summer (Dec-March). Temperatures can reach 35 degrees. Not humid though.
Take warm clothing for the winter (May-Sept) cause it may go down to 4 degrees. It rains a lot during the winter.
Parque Arauco Mall
by kiwigal_1
Parque Arauco is one of the nicest malls in Santiago and a place I frequent. I go there for the department stores (I prefer Falabella but there is also Paris and Ripley at Parque Arauco).
There are tons of shops and restaurants and also has an ice-skating rink and movie theatre there.
Buses to other cities
by kiwigal_1
The main bus terminal for buses outside of Santiago is Terminal Alameda which is located at metro station "Universidad de Santiago" on metro line 1. There is a sub terminal also at Pajaritos station further down line 1 but not all intercity buses stop there.
The best companies to book long distance travel through are Tur - Bus and Pullman. Both these comapnies have offices inside the terminal alameda where tickets can be purchased a few minutes before the bus departs (if there are seats).
You can check out the Tur Bus website at www.turbus.cl for reservations, routes and prices.
Great low profile restaurant
by jpizquierdo about Toro
This is a very small restaurant with a lot of outside tables, a mixture of argentinian cuisine and chilean ( owned by an argentinian architect ) normally full of people, a lot of Santiago artists goes there. Salad Ibiza ( scallops and shrimps ) very fresh seafood graet flavors