based on 17 experiences from female travelers
Sayen
Chile
It's a beautiful place, and as its name indicates, peaceful. A small and long river runs through it; it's huge and has a turquoise color that catches your eye at first glance. The people are very friendly, and there are both food places and very good specialized tours to the marble chapels. The Carretera Austral itself is gorgeous and worth getting to know; it makes you want to stay and live there.
Posted: May 19, 2025Experienced: December, 2024The climate in this city is cool and cold at night. It’s very peaceful and relax. Be sure to visit Penguin Island! The seafood soup is delicious. You can find the restaurant: magallania in the seafood market.
Posted: February 3, 2025Experienced: December, 2024I loved Chile so much, I stayed for tree months in Santiago, people where so so nice there I made a lot of friends, people host me nicely and we did a lot of activities together like go to the museum, hiking, cycling, grab dinner
Posted: January 26, 2025Experienced: September, 2023I loved Chile. I spent 3 days in Viña del Mar in an Airbnb on the coast—a very beautiful beach spot even in winter. Great places to eat and very safe. Then I spent 3 more days in Santiago at “Hostel la Casa Roja,” which I highly recommend. It has a great atmosphere, the people are friendly, and there are many solo travelers. It’s an excellent place to meet people.
Posted: August 13, 2024Experienced: April, 2024Marie
Germany
In 2018 I fulfilled myself a dreamed that I had for a long time. I travelled to South America to go backpacking! I was stoked about the idea and ended up growing A LOT in it. In the beginning I knew nothing. And it hasnt always been easy, neither has it always been safe, though I feel like I learned through it how to stay safe and how to trust my gut more. And I ended up enjoying the travels unbelievably much! Looking back, I am really proud for fulfilling this dream of mine.
Posted: August 1, 2024Experienced: February, 2018Based on 55 local experiences
Based on 55 local experiences
Camila
Santiago is quite safe, but certain neighborhoods should be avoided, such as Bellavista. Don't go alone, and if it gets late, call an Uber. Don't walk through the streets in that area after 9:00 p.m. Also, when walking through crowded places, don't carry your backpack on your back to avoid theft.
Posted: October 5, 2025Flavia
Although Santiago is a relatively safe city compared to other Latin American cities, you should be cautious in some areas. During the day, it's generally quite calm and safe. You can use public transportation or ride-hailing apps, but you should always be on the lookout for robberies and scams, especially targeting tourists. You should protect your cell phone, as well as flashy cameras, bags, and wallets. At night, you should be careful in dark areas. Always walk on main streets and try to use ride-hailing apps like Uber to ensure your safety. If you have a good budget, you can consider staying in areas like Providencia or Las Condes. If your budget is a little lower, you can consider the areas of Ñuñoa or downtown Santiago, but ideally, the areas that are close to a metro station.
Posted: October 3, 2025Javi
Although I find it to be an unsafe city, you can still explore and enjoy it if you are cautious, don't carry your cell phone in your hand on the street, and don't “give yourself away.” The city center and intercity bus terminals are the most critical areas, so be especially careful when traveling there. One thing to note is that women help each other a lot, so if you find yourself in a risky situation, turn to a girl for help.
Posted: September 26, 2025Javiera
Like every city, Santiago has safer neighborhoods (the north-western part of the city, often called “Santiago Oriente” is much safer than other parts). Obviously, more touristy places are more dangerous (downtown) and there are pickpockets, purse snatchers and it’s very common to have your phone stolen (happened to me), BUT! Catcalling and sexual harassment has been banned by law and you can go to the police to denounce a person for making comments that made you uncomfortable, or for being too close without your consent, so that’s a plus. When you’re walking around somewhere always look like you’re sure about where you’re going, and pay a lot of attention to your stuff (don’t have your phone in your hand unless strictly necessary, have your bag crossed over your shoulders and on the front of your body, etc), and try to avoid wearing obviously expensive stuff. Use Uber or Cabify to move around instead of taxis, but be very wary of the rating of the drivers and check that their picture and the license plate of the car matches the pictures on the app. As for public transport, my advise is the same as the one for when you’re walking around: look sure, be careful of your personal stuff, don’t wear obviously expensive stuff. It doesn’t happen much to my knowledge, but it has happened that women have been drugged while partying, so never accept drinks from someone you don’t know and watch as your drinks are being mixed. People tend to “fool” foreigners, charging them more money for stuff, taking them places that are not safe (never go anywhere with someone you don’t know and feel weird about, but I know that sometimes that’s impossible not to do so really trust your gut), but I guess that happens everywhere?
Posted: August 28, 2025It is fairly safe. There's a chance of your phone being snatched if you're not careful and you'll probably get robbed walking around at night in certain areas, but nothing too violent. For women, it has been getting better the last few years, so getting assaulted or catcalled randomly on the street is not something that should worry you
Posted: August 20, 2025