Generally, we save some time to go shopping when we travel, even more, if the destination can offer attractive prices, even better! Many travelers choose Santiago as a shopping destination. In South America, the city is well-known for its competitive prices; principally for clothes and electrical appliances. As a matter of fact, the Chilean capital is known as the Miami of Latin America and you should include shopping in Santiago in your itinerary of tours in South America. The commercial activity of this dazzling city can suit every taste since all the big brands are represented in the Chilean capital. Sports lovers can also find everything they need and if you wish to buy new shoes, the center of the city has a large offer. Whether you are a shopping fanatic or just a casual buyer, in this article, we will present to you the main malls of the Chilean capital so that you can spend some of your travel budgets.
  [caption id="attachment_13719" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Shopping in Santiago / Daytours4u The Costanera Centre is one of the most important malls of Chile and Latin America / Source: Denomades[/caption]
  One of the most famous shopping centers is the Costanera Center, in the neighborhood of Providencia. Every floor of this mall is specialized in a different sector: women, men, children, technology and there is even one floor specialized in gifts and presents. The most famous clothing stores are there too, such as H&M and Forever 21. During your visit to the Costanera Center, you should not miss a visit to the highest viewpoint of Latin America, the Sky Costanera, located in the same building. You will be able to enjoy a 360° sight of Santiago from 300 meters high. For those of you who are into designer shops, let us recommend a great place to go shopping in Santiago: the Parque Arauco, located in the neighborhood of Las Condes. Shops like Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Carolina Herrera, Tous, Armani, and much more are waiting for you in the luxury part of the mall. In this same neighborhood, you can also go to the Alto Las Condes Mall, a more quiet shopping center with three floors. This mall is more exclusive and there you can find the most famous department stores in Chile such as Ripley and Falabella - also available in most malls and in the centre of Santiago.

Shopping in Santiago: Sports

[caption id="attachment_13720" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Shopping in Santiago All sports lovers can find their happiness in the Sports Mall of Santiago de Chile / Source: Wikipedia[/caption]   If you are a sports fanatic, there is a place for you to go shopping in Santiago as well: Mall Sport, in the neighbourhood of Las Condes. This shopping center is specialised in bicycles and sports outlets. For instance, you can find the North Face, Adidas, Nike, Billabong, and similar brands there. Besides, inside the shopping mall, you will find a climbing wall, tracks for racing cars, and various activities that will make every child happy.

Shopping in Santiago: Footwear

  [caption id="attachment_13783" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Have a walk in the Paseo Ahumada and discover the Plaza de Armas as you buy brand new shoes / Source: Flickr - Kyle Simourd[/caption]
  If you’d rather have a walk as you go shopping in Santiago, you should go to the Paseo Ahumada in the center of the city. This boulevard is located in the heart of Santiago and goes from Alameda Bernardo O’Higgins to the Plaza de Armas. There, you can find even more shops, pubs, restaurants, and street artists. If you want to take a break from the shopping malls, you can also discover emblematic sites of the city such as the Palacio de la Moneda or the Plaza de Armas. Those wonderful places are top attractions of the Chilean capital and you should take advantage of your time in this neighborhood to discover them! Besides, if you need to make some currency exchanges, there are a lot of exchange houses in this area.

Shopping in Santiago: Handicrafts

[caption id="attachment_13722" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Shopping in Santiago / Chile4u If you wish to buy handicrafts, Los Dominicos Village is the perfect place to go shopping in Santiago / Source: Wikimedia[/caption]   If you wish to buy souvenirs and local handicraft items to take back home or to offer to your family and friends, one of the best places to go shopping in Santiago is Los Dominicos Handicraft Village (Pueblito Los Dominicos). This place looks like a little Chilean village with its mud houses and its roofs made of palm leaves: it will be like entering a whole new world. Besides, tens of artisans are working there and can offer you every you need. You can buy handmade blankets and ceramics, items made out of copper, and Mapuche fabric (an indigenous population of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina). In their small workshops, many artisans work in front of the visitors. This will give you the opportunity to discover the traditional techniques used by the locals. This is also a great place to taste some of the typical Chilean gastronomy such as the pastel de choclo (cakes whose main ingredient is corn) or the empanada de pino (made with ground beef). Los Dominicos Village is opened every day from 10:30 am to 7 pm.

Shopping in Santiago: Outlets

If you do not mind going a little further in order to go shopping in Santiago at the best prices, you should go to the outlets of Buenaventura and Easton center. There, you can find brands such as Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, and sports shops like Nike or Adidas. You can enjoy discounts up to 70% there! Those two outlets are in the Quilicura neighborhood, 15 km away from the center of Santiago.

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Shopping in Santiago: Discounts

[caption id="attachment_13723" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Shopping in Santiago The Alto Las Condes Mall is one of the top shopping centers of Santiago de Chile / Source: Viagem Cult, Lucila Runnacles[/caption]   Unfortunately for fashionistas, you cannot enjoy the Tax-Free refund in Chile as you can in other countries. However, most of the malls offer special discounts for tourists. To get access to the discounts in the malls, you just have to find the Information Desk and present an ID proving that you are indeed from another country and that you are visiting Chile as a tourist. You will then receive a card that you can use for one week with a brochure listing the shops in which you can have discounts as you go shopping in Santiago. Those discounts can vary between 5% and 20%. A trip to Chile is the perfect opportunity to have a shopping afternoon in South America. Take our traveling tips into account and make the most of your visit to Chile as you go shopping in Santiago!

Santiago shopping address list

Parque Arauco – Av. Presidente Kennedy, 5413. Barrio Las Condes. Sky Costanera - Andrés Bello, 2425. Barrio Providencia. Alto las Condes - Av. Presidente Kennedy, 9001. Barrio Las Condes. Mall Sport - Av. Las Condes, 13.451. Barrio Las Condes. Pueblito Los Dominicos - Avenida Apoquindo, 9085. Barrio Las Condes Buenaventura Outlet - San Ignacio, 500. Barrio Quilicura. Easton Center - Avenida Presidente Frei, 9709. Barrio Quilicura.  

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By: Lucila Runnacles, journalist and author of Viagem Cult blog / Translated to English by Grégory Noël