Santiago Central Market — Local services in Santiago

YOU WILL BE MUGGED! DO NOT GO NEAR THE BRIDGE! WE WERE SURROUNDED AND MUGGED BY NO LESS THAN 17 PEOPLE HERE BY THE BRIDGE! IN BROAD DAYLIGHT AT 1:30PM. READ THE BAD REVIEWS!!! There were 3 of us and there were just too many people involved, it was literally insane. We are extremely experienced travelers and aware of the typical snatch and grab and pickpockets but this was on a whole other level. We are very physically capable and we did chase the guy that ended up with my purse but the entire crowd "mob" came against us trying to trip my husband, kicking him and trying to pull his pack off and steal his phone while he ran after the guy. I got blocked by the mob and had to curl up on the street like a hedgehog to keep men from wrestling my phone away. I bit one of them. They were trying to pull my mom's fanny pack off and she punched one. They only got my purse and had to aggressively wrestle it away from me and break it to get it. This was far beyond a snatch and grab. THIS PLACE IS A DEN OF THIEVES!!! I've been to 55 countries and have never seen anything like it. The authorities are aware of this and do nothing!! Rampant corruption here!!! Posting photos I made for visibility because all the NUMEROUS reviews that mention being robbed are not very visible. On another note, the fish market itself was fine and the chupe was great! We came back inside here to cancel credit cards in a "safer" place. Might not be great if you aren't used to being harassed by vendors though, but if you are experienced its not too bad really. On a scale of 0 to Egypt I'd give it about a 6/7 as far as vendor harassment goes, not too bad, very manageable. But totally skippable and not worth getting MUGGED for sure. Wasn't a very good market to be labeled a "central market" and...

Be very careful in this area as a tourist! My partner and I were crossing the bridge after passing through market yesterday and were robbed in broad daylight at 2pm. First someone ripped a necklace from my neck (that was barely visible). Then another person tried to rip a bracelet that was barely visible from my wrist. We crossed the road to the other side of the bridge sensing it was really unsafe when three men approached us appearing to have guns under their shirts. They demanded our things and only left when I handed the bracelet over. There were so many people on the bridge watching but no one helped us. We only managed to get away when a couple in a car pulled up and told us to get in. We had honestly read all the tips and tricks around safety and thought we were being so careful and vigilant. It really felt...

The central market is a great place to buy fresh seafood and just around the. Corner, a small farmers market to buy produce. The clams were very fresh. $2500 CLP a kilo. Mussels was $1000CLP a kilo. It is well worth to bring it back the Airbnb apartment to have some great seafood. One can also get a great deal Monday to Friday with fixed menu meals from $4,000 to $6,000CLP.

There are many businesses that are closed permanently like most businesses not only in Santiago but all cities from my experience traveling the world. The pandemic has really closed many businesses for good.

I highly recommend coming to the central market and walk down the side street to see the hundreds of sidewalk merchants selling many odds and ends all...