San Cristóbal Hill Funicular

You end the route at the foot of San Cristóbal Hill, Santiago's great urban park. From here the funicular departs, a small cable railway that has been climbing the slope for a century.

1A century of climbing

The idea was born in the 1910s, when the hill began to be turned into a park. The works were entrusted to the Italian engineer Ernesto Bosso, and President Arturo Alessandri opened it on 25 April 1925. The station you are standing at, with its castle-like look, is the work of the architect Luciano Kulczewski.

A curious fact: the strength tests on the cables were carried out by the engineer Jorge Alessandri, the president's son, who decades later would also become president of Chile.

2Three stations

The line is about 485 metres long and links three stops: Pío Nono, Zoológico and Cumbre. At the top stands the sanctuary with a large white statue of the Immaculate Conception, put up in the early twentieth century, and from there you can see the whole valley with the Andes behind. Pope John Paul II rode this funicular during his visit to Chile in 1987.

It has been a Historic Monument since 2000. After a long renovation of its cars, stations and track, it returned to service in 2022.

3What to look for

• Kulczewski's battlemented station.
• The two cars, which pass each other halfway up.
• The Virgin on the summit, visible from Calle Pío Nono.