Santiago

Santiago lies in Chile's central valley at around 570 metres, with the Andes rising sharply to the east. On clear days, particularly after winter rain, the snow line is visible from the city centre.

The historic core around Plaza de Armas is compact and colonial in plan; east of it, the city climbs through Providencia and Las Condes into the wealthier districts under the mountains. Between them, Bellavista and Lastarria hold the restaurants and nightlife, and Barrio Yungay and Brasil preserve nineteenth-century streets to the west.

Santiago is the most convenient base in South America for combining a city with mountains, wine and coast: ski fields and wineries are both about an hour away, and Valparaíso is around ninety minutes.

It also holds the country's memory and its museums — the pre-Columbian art collection and the memory and human rights museum are both first-rate — and a food scene that has developed quickly.

• Cerro San Cristóbal. The hill in the middle of the city, reached by funicular or on foot, with a statue at the top and the best view of the valley and the Andes.
• Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. A well-curated collection of pre-Columbian art from across the Americas, in a colonial building near Plaza de Armas.
• Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos. On the dictatorship of 1973–1990. Sober, essential and free.
• Cerro Santa Lucía. A landscaped hill in the centre, terraced with stairways and viewpoints, on the site where the city was founded.
• La Chascona. One of Pablo Neruda's three houses, at the foot of San Cristóbal in Bellavista.
• Mercado Central and La Vega. The fish market and the far larger produce market across the river; La Vega is where the city actually shops.
• Barrio Lastarria and Bellas Artes. Bookshops, cafés and the fine arts museum, and the most pleasant streets to wander.

September to November (spring) and March to May (autumn) are the best: mild, clear and with the vineyards either flowering or harvesting.

December to February is summer — hot and dry, and when Santiaguinos leave for the coast. The city is quieter and some restaurants close.

June to August is winter: cool, with rain that clears the air and puts snow on the Andes. This is the ski season, with resorts around an hour from the city, and also when air quality in the valley is at its worst.

Lastarria and Bellas Artes are the most enjoyable central base: walkable, full of cafés and close to the main museums.

Providencia is residential, leafy, safe and well connected by metro, with good value hotels.

Bellavista is the nightlife district at the foot of San Cristóbal; lively and noisy.

Las Condes and Vitacura are the modern, upmarket districts further east, convenient for the mountains and the business district but far from the historic centre.

Centro: Plaza de Armas, the cathedral, La Moneda palace and the pedestrian shopping streets.

Lastarria and Bellas Artes: cafés, cinemas, the fine arts museum and Santa Lucía hill.

Bellavista: bars and restaurants between the river and San Cristóbal, with Neruda's house.

Providencia: residential and commercial, along the metro line, with parks and good everyday restaurants.

Las Condes and Vitacura: modern towers, galleries and the closest access to the Andes.

Yungay and Brasil: nineteenth-century western districts, more worn and more atmospheric.

The Metro is modern, extensive and the fastest way across the city; fares vary by time of day and are paid with a Bip! card, which also works on buses.

The Transantiago/Red bus network fills the gaps. Ride-hailing apps operate and are widely used.

Arturo Merino Benítez Airport is west of the city, served by official transfer buses and taxis; there is no metro link. Long-distance buses are excellent in Chile and leave from several terminals for the coast and the south.

Chilean food is less spiced than its neighbours and built on seafood, bread and produce. Empanadas de pino — beef, onion, olive and egg — are the standard, especially around national holidays.

Completos, hot dogs buried under avocado, tomato and mayonnaise, are the street staple. Pastel de choclo, a corn-topped meat pie, is the summer dish, and cazuela the winter one.

Seafood is the strength: ceviche, machas, congrio and erizos. To drink, Chilean wine from the surrounding valleys, and pisco sour or terremoto.

Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, around ninety minutes west, pair a UNESCO-listed port city of painted hillside houses and funiculars with a beach resort next door. The most popular day out from Santiago.

The Maipo, Casablanca and Colchagua valleys are wine country, the first two within an hour. Cellar doors generally require booking.

Cajón del Maipo, a mountain canyon south-east of the city, offers hiking, hot springs and the El Yeso reservoir.

The ski resorts — Valle Nevado, La Parva, El Colorado — are roughly an hour up a switchback road and operate from around June to September.

Santiago is the most expensive capital in South America but still moderate by European or North American standards. Accommodation and restaurants are the main costs.

Markets, empanadas and the set lunch (menú del día) keep food cheap. The Metro is good value, the memory museum and several others are free, and the hills, parks and central neighbourhoods cost nothing. Wine tours and ski days are the discretionary expenses.

Get a Bip! card on arrival. It covers Metro and buses and is the only practical way to pay.

Keep phones out of sight in the centre. Snatch theft in crowded areas and on the Metro is the most common issue.

Check smog days in winter. The valley traps pollution and restrictions are sometimes announced.

Book winery visits in advance. Most cellar doors do not accept walk-ins.

Earthquakes are a fact of life in Chile. Buildings are engineered for them; follow posted instructions if one occurs.