Santiago

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Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Plaza de Armas Santiago, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Plaza de Armas Santiago, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

About Santiago

Ringed by the snowcapped Andes, which on a clear winter morning seem close enough to touch, Santiago is Chile's capital and home to around seven million people across its metropolitan area. Pedro de Valdivia founded it in 1541 at the foot of Santa Lucia Hill, and the grid of the colonial center still radiates from the Plaza de Armas.

Earthquakes have spared few colonial buildings, which makes the 16th-century Church of San Francisco and the neoclassical La Moneda Palace all the more precious. Between them lie excellent museums, from pre-Columbian art to Pablo Neruda's whimsical house in Bellavista, and a lively food culture centered on the iron-roofed Mercado Central.

For views, ride the funicular up San Cristobal Hill or the elevators of Sky Costanera, atop South America's tallest building. Barrio Lastarria and Bellavista supply cafes and nightlife, while the vineyards of the Maipo Valley and the ski slopes of the Andes are both within a day trip.

Best seasonSeptember to November and March to May for mild weather; June to August for skiing in the nearby Andes.

Ideal stayThree days for the center, museums and hills, plus extra days for wine valleys or the coast.

ArrivingArturo Merino Benitez International Airport lies west of the city, roughly half an hour from downtown by car; the metro reaches most central sights.

12 Reasons to Visit Santiago

Landmarks 2

Plaza de Armas Santiago, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Plaza de Armas Santiago

Laid out by Pedro de Valdivia in 1541, the city's main square is still the heart of downtown, framed by the Metropolitan Cathedral...

La Moneda Palace, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

La Moneda Palace

Designed by Joaquin Toesca and completed in 1805 as the colonial mint, this neoclassical palace has been the seat of Chile's presi...

Churches 2

Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago

Built between 1748 and 1800, with Italian architect Joaquin Toesca directing much of the work, this is the latest of several churc...

Church of San Francisco Santiago, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Church of San Francisco Santiago

Begun in 1586, this is the oldest surviving colonial building in Santiago, its thick stone walls having outlasted several major ea...

Viewpoints 3

San Cristobal Hill, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

San Cristobal Hill

Rising above Bellavista, this hill forms the core of the Metropolitan Park, one of the largest urban parks in Latin America. A fun...

Santa Lucia Hill, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Santa Lucia Hill

Pedro de Valdivia founded Santiago at the foot of this rocky hill in 1541, and in the 1870s it was turned into an ornate park of t...

Sky Costanera, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Sky Costanera

The observation deck at the top of Gran Torre Santiago, at 300 meters the tallest building in South America, gives 360-degree view...

Museums 3

Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art

Founded in 1981 and housed in the elegant late-colonial Royal Customs House, this museum holds one of the finest collections of pr...

National Museum of Fine Arts Chile, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

National Museum of Fine Arts Chile

Chile's main art museum occupies the Palacio de Bellas Artes, opened in 1910 for the centenary of independence, with a glass-roofe...

La Chascona, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

La Chascona

Poet Pablo Neruda built this hillside house in Bellavista in the 1950s for Matilde Urrutia and named it after her unruly hair. Its...

Food and Drink 1

Mercado Central de Santiago, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Mercado Central de Santiago

Opened in 1872, this market hall is known for its ornate wrought-iron roof and for the seafood that fills its stalls and restauran...

Neighborhoods 1

Barrio Lastarria, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Barrio Lastarria

Tucked beside Santa Lucia Hill, this small neighborhood of cobbled streets and early 20th-century buildings is packed with cafes,...

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