Parque Metropolitano

Once you recover your strength at the Bellavista Neighborhood, you can go to the Metropolitan Park, a pine-forested spur of the Andes that juts into the city's heart and Santiago's largest open space. It is the biggest park of the country. It has total superficies of 728 hectares. It includes the San Cristobal, the Chacarillas, the Gemelos and the Pirámide hills. The San Cristobal Hill, which is the main hill, at its summit has a 14mts high white statue of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception that dominates the horizon. This is where, in 1987, Pope John Paul II held mass to celebrate his only visit to Chile (much criticized because of the Pinochet regime's human rights record). Its forested slopes are crisscrossed by hiking trails and facilities include a public barbecue area, two outdoor swimming pools and a modest zoo. The most convenient way to reach the summit is by the funicular railway that leaves from the terminal on Calle Pio Nono in the Bellavista area. There is also a cable car that connects Pedro de Valdivia Norte with the top. Roads lead up the hill from Pedro de Valdivia Norte, Pio Nono or La Pirámide.