A traveler's guide to Santiago
Check the mountains in the morning. If they are visible, go look. If not, the neighborhoods will carry the day.
Santiago sits under the Andes when the air is clear and hides them when it is not. The neighborhoods are the trip: a market lunch, a park hill, and a wine valley if you want out. The city is more livable than dramatic, which is its charm.
When to go
The dry season from October into April is best, and summer afternoons are hot. Winter is the rainy season and ski season in the nearby ranges. Smog sits in the valley some winter weeks. Wine-harvest time in autumn is a good excuse.
Neighborhoods
Lastarria and the center for museums and walking. Providencia and Bellavista for dinner. Barrio Italia for a slower shop-and-meal afternoon. The nearby ranges and the wine valleys are excursions with real travel time.
Eating
Seafood even this far inland, empanadas, and Chilean wine by the glass without ceremony. The market lunch is a classic for a reason. Neighborhood restaurants are better at night than the ones facing the main squares.
If you only remember this
- The metro is useful and gets crowded.
- Air quality can hide the Andes. Have a city plan.
- Wine tours need a driver or a tour. Do not improvise the tasting and the driving.
- Summer sun in the valley is strong.