Santiago's central barrios by TheWanderingCamel
Whilst you're unlikely to visit all of Santiago's 32 barrios - there are some you would be unwise to visit and others that are purely residential with little if anything in the way of attractions for visitors - you'll certainly find you have ticked a few off by the time you leave the city. Santiago Centro is made up of several of the smallest - a half a day exploring this area will cover most of them.Barrio Civico centres on the Plaza de Armas and extends to the river in the north and the Moneda in the south.
Walk east along the Alameda from the Moneda and you'll come to the Barrio La Bolsa - another tiny patch of the city, this one the home of the city's major financial institutions, including the Bolsa (Stock Market) that gives the barrio its name.
Cross over the Alameda to visit the old church of San Francisco and you'll find yoursself in the tiny barrio of Paris Londres. There are some rather swish hotels here and the Universidad de Chile.
Keep heading east, and cross back over the Alameda and you'll come to Barrio Santa Lucia nestled beside the Cerro Santa Lucia where Valdivia proclaimed his city in 1541.
Walk a easr a bit more and then turn north and cross the river and you'll find yourself in Barrio Bellavista, tucked in between Cerro San Cristobal and the river - the bohemian quarter, onetime home to Chile's favourite poet, Pablo Neruda, now a night-time haunt crammed with bars and restaurants.