Santiago/Sanhattan and East

Eastern Santiago is in this article defined as the municipalities of Ñuñoa, Macul, La Florida, Penalolen, La Reina, Las Condes, Vitacura and Lo Barnechea.

Formerly composed of ranches and farms, in the middle of the 20th century, affluent Santiagoans started to move here from downtown. From the 1970s on, the area east of Providencia started developing into a business hub, eventually it was connected to downtown by the metro and today it has become the collection of high-rise office and residential buildings that is unofficially known as Sanhattan. Being the city's new financial district, its name is made up of Santiago and Manhattan.

Ñuñoa and Macul are the more "bohemian" and artsy neighborhoods in Eastern Santiago, while Vitacura, Las Condes, La Reina and Lo Barnechea contain more of the swanky pubs and nightlife.

In addition to the high buildings, you can also find parks here (both urban and natural), places for shopping from large malls to luxurious boutiques as well as the national stadium. As the most upscale sector of Santiago, its relatively tidy appearance with new or well-maintained old buildings, wide streets, shops and parks, sometimes gives the impression of being in Europe rather than in Latin America. Geographically closest to the Andes, which makes it a convenient location for skiers, since there are three major ski centers in Eastern Santiago: La Parva, El Colorado and Valle Nevado. The easternmost suburbs are built on the foothills themselves that rise thousands of meters above the valley and Santiagoans refer to going to this part of the city as "going up".

Get in
In general, locals prefer to get in and around by car and there are highways from both north, south and west leading here. Parking is not such a problem as in downtown.

The areas closer to downtown can be accessed by metro (lines 1 and 4). Bus coverage varies in the eastern part of the city, with worse service in affluent neighborhoods where practically everyone has a car. Taxis and shared taxis cover the eastern part of the city well.

See




Select neighborhoods and muncipalities

 * Sanhattan, an unofficial district which also stretches into Providencia is known for its skyscrapers.
 * Ñuñoa, southeast of Providencia, is a multicultural part of Santiago, featuring the city's only mosque and a slew of churches of different denominations. A large part of the population are immigrants from Europe, the Middle East or North America.
 * Vitacura in the northeast is one of the most upscale municipalities of Santiago.
 * The gargantuan Lo Barnechea comprises about half of the area of the whole Santiago province and stretches almost to the Argentinan border. It's home to on one hand the richest families in the country and on the other, poor inhabitants of mountain camps who don't even have a reliable access to drinking water. Geographically Lo Barnechea is part of the Andes and you can even see glaciers here. It's also where the ski resort El Colorado is.

Do

 * El Colorado ski resort is located in the Andes.
 * El Colorado ski resort is located in the Andes.

Buy



 * Alonso de Córdova - A street in the upscale district of Vitacura lined by shops specializing in luxury brands goods, like Emporio Armani, Salvatore Ferragamo and Louis Vuitton.

Malls
Many of the city's largest malls are located here.

Eat
Two clusters of restaurants in eastern Santiago are along Avenida Vitacura and Ñuñoa Square.



Drink

 * Plaza San Enrique (Lo Barnechea) - Different entertainment venues, especially catering to a younger crowd. Two popular clubs here are Sala Murano and Static.
 * Plaza Ñuñoa (Ñuñoa) - A traditional neighborhood of Santiago with restaurants, bars, music halls and theaters. Patrons include students from three large university campuses.
 * Paseo San Damián (Las Condes)

Wineries of Maipo
There are many wineries in the southeast of the city, both inside and outside the city borders. Many offer tours to visitors, wine tasting and on-premise restaurants.



Sleep
Most hotels are upscale and exclusive, but there are still some budget alternatives around Sanhattan.