Don't let the 3 stars throw you off that this isn't a nice destination visit when in Santiago. This…read morepark is huge with lots to do from hiking up el Cerro San Cristobal, picnicing, to the zoo. Cerro San Cristobal has the most stunning panoramic views of the city and the Andes in Santiago! We were able to captivate some wonderful drone shots!The Virgin Mary statue is a peaceful sanctuary for those who seek prayer.
However, although el Parque Metropolitano is absolutely beautiful, it lacks to be tourist friendly. Ensure you take cash, because to enter the park you need to pay either per person or vehicle and there are is no ATM nor bank nearby. We circled an hour (because parking in front of a bank is non-existent in Santiago) to find a place to take out money.
Before visiting el Parque Metropolitano, I checked the website to ensure that the teleférico was operating because when I had gone in the past, the teleférico had been closed and in repair due to the earth quake of 2010. It finally opened in early 2017 so I thought "YES" the teleférico is open and I can finally go. Although the website said that the teleférico operated Tuesday - Sunday when I went on a Tuesday it was closed for regular maintenance... This really ticked me off because on the website it said that the maintenance days were Monday's not Tuesday's.
In the past, there used to be a way to drive all the way up to the Virgin Mary (the first two times we drove straight up the cerro). Parking is very limited so if you get lucky you'll find a spot. However, when i just went we were obligated to hike 8KM round trip (up and down the cerro) to see the Virgin. This was challenging since we were with our 11 month old who doesn't walk yet but at least we had our stroller. Once we got to the resting area close to the Virgin after about 45 minutes of walking up hill, the elevators to get to the Virgin were not working so we had to hike up the stairs with our stroller to see the Virgin!
Although this is one of the top tourist destinations of Santiago, it definitely lacks to be tourist friendly! Yes the park is beautiful, but it is poorly managed for tourists.