Larisa was born in Bosnia-Herzegovina and at a very young age she discovered her passion for traveling and learning about new cultures. After she spent a few years visiting fascinating places in Europe and Turkey, she decided to cross the Atlantic and settle in Chile. She has been living in Santiago for seven years and working in tourism, which has given her the opportunity to travel across this enchanting country, from north to south, and learn about the local culture and traditions that she can now share with other travelers. In her spare time she loves to stroll through Santiago or Valparaiso, discovering new gastronomic and cultural experiences. For Larisa, Santiago is a multifaceted and vibrant city and she is looking forward to teaching travelers about its secret corners and making them fall in love, just like her, with the beautiful capital of Chile.
Larisa's Santiago Tip!
The quaint Barrio Italia with its antiques shops, charming cafes and restaurants, is one of the most interesting neighborhoods of Santiago. Here you can find great places to dine after an exciting afternoon spent visiting small boutiques of emerging Chilean designers.
Vanesa was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and from an early age she was passionate about reading. She studied English Language and Literature in her home country and, thanks to a scholarship, in the United States of America. However, it was not until her internship at a University in Thailand that she realized that she would like to become a globetrotting book-worm. Somewhere along her travels she picked up a serious coffee addiction, as well as a keen interest in nature. These days Vanesa can be found in a cafe in Santiago reading a book (or a newspaper, or labels on different containers if there is nothing else to read) or trekking some of the beautiful hills that surround this majestic city.
Vanesa's Santiago Tip!
La Chascona - Nobel winning poet Pablo Neruda's house. It is not just a place where a famous poet lived, it is a story about a secret love affair, politics and the pleasure of finding beauty even in the most ordinary everyday objects.
A bike and language enthusiast from Brazil. Sergio came to Chile to study Physical Education and learn Spanish at age 19. He fell in love with the city and with a girl from Santiago, who he came to marry. This relationship enabled him to have a deeper knowledge of the Chilean culture and customs and adapt some of them such as having the Chilean ‘once’.
Riding a bike wherever he goes allows him to get to know places in the city that might pass by unnoticed when using other means of transportation.
His experience with tourism started in his hometown, Sao Paulo, where he volunteered to show foreigners around his city as a way to practice the languages he was studying. As a Strawberry Tours guide Sergio has the job he’s always dreamed of: working outdoors, speaking different languages and sharing experiences with people from all over the world
Sergio's Santiago Tip!
Stroll along the Mapocho river on a Sunday morning when Andrés Bello avenue is open only for pedestrians, cyclists and skaters.
Pablo was born in Victoria, in the region of the mapuche people. He lived there with his family until they moved out to the big city of Santiago. In 1994 he started living in San Francisco, California, USA, for five years- a cosmopolitan, beautiful and very touristic city from the west of the US, where he learned English and the ‘American way of life’. Later, he came back to Chile to study public relations at the Universidad Santo Tomás college because he always was motivated to work with different kind of people. First as a flight attendant at LATAM for over seven years and now as a tour guide showing the best places in Santiago.
He loves national and international history and his favorite subject is World War II, he also enjoys “perros calientes”, that’s the way they call hot-dogs in this country. Pablo knows a lot about pop culture because since he was a child he spent lots of time watching TV, movies and he has worked at the local Comic Con Chile for the last editions of this event.
Pablo's Santiago Tip!
If you enjoy films, the best place in town is the Normandie, this place was born in 1982 and since then until now they have shown the best non-commercial movies, directors like Tarkovsky, Bergman and Jodorowsky are widely spread in this place. The best thing about this place is also its location: it’s in the street Tarapaca 1181, very close from the Palacio de la Moneda government palace, in the historical downtown of the city. You can’t miss it!
