Barrio Italia
Santiago, Chile
A leafy, hip district of restored houses full of design studios, antique shops, courtyards, cafés and restaurants. Santiago's most creative, up-and-coming…
Places in Barrio Italia
- Barrio Italia restaurants The hip district's courtyard restaurants serve creative modern-Chilean cooking and natural wine in restored houses. Stylish and contemporary.
- Colmado / Barrio Italia cafés The hip district's cafés and courtyards are lovely for brunch, coffee and a slow afternoon among the design shops. Creative and relaxed.
Practical notes for Santiago
- Best time to visit
- September to November (spring) and March to May (autumn) for warm, clear days and comfortable temperatures. Summer (December–February) is hot and dry; winter is cool and can be smoggy, but the nearby Andes ski resorts are superb.
- Getting around
- The clean, efficient Metro is the best way around the sprawling city; taxis and apps (Uber, Cabify, Didi) are cheap. The central neighbourhoods (Lastarria, Bellas Artes, Bellavista) are walkable. Funiculars and cable cars climb the city's hills.
- Currency
- Chilean Peso (CLP $)
- Language
- Spanish. English is limited outside business districts.
- Timezone
- CLT (UTC-4, UTC-3 in summer)
- Current trends
- A rising modern-Chilean dining movement celebrating Pacific seafood, Patagonian lamb and indigenous ingredients; a booming wine-bar culture (Chilean wine is world-class); bohemian Barrio Italia and Lastarria drawing the creative crowd; and craft cocktails and beer multiplying.
Other neighborhoods in Santiago
- Lastarria & Bellas Artes — The city's most charming central quarter, of cobbled streets, the fine-arts museum, boutique hotels, wine bars and cafés. The refined, cultured heart.
- Bellavista — The bohemian district at the foot of San Cristóbal hill, of colourful houses, street art, Pablo Neruda's home and the city's liveliest, if touristy, nightlife. Boho and buzzing.
- Providencia & Vitacura — The affluent, modern districts of the 'Sanhattan' skyline, upscale restaurants, parks and shopping. The polished, business-and-dining side.
- Centro & Barrio Yungay — The historic downtown around the Plaza de Armas and the atmospheric old Yungay quarter, with markets, museums and history. The city's traditional soul.
Read the full Santiago guide