Santiago

Chile·South America

Currency

CLP

Language

Spanish

Timezone

Santiago

Continent

South America

Our guide

Discover Santiago

Santiago is wedged between the Andes and the coastal range, and the snow peaks are visible from downtown on clear days. The Presidential Palace of Chile — La Moneda — still carries the history of the 1973 coup and can be visited. The Museum of Precolombian Art holds one of the continent's best collections, and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes occupies a 1910 palace. The National Library of Chile is among the oldest in Latin America. Cerro San Cristóbal rises three hundred metres over the city and is climbed by funicular.

When to go

Southern hemisphere. September to November and March to May are the best windows: mild and clear. The austral summer, December to February, is hot and dry, and the city empties in January. Winter is cool, damp and above all smoggy — the city sits in a basin and the air stagnates. Skiing is under two hours away between June and September.

Getting around

The metro is the largest in South America, clean and efficient, with a Bip! card that also works on buses. The centre walks. Ride-hailing is widely used. The city is vast but the districts that interest a visitor — the centre, Bellavista, Lastarria, Providencia — sit within a short radius.

Where to eat

Empanadas de pino, with beef, onion, egg and olive, are the national institution. Pastel de choclo, a corn and meat bake, belongs to summer. Pacific fish and shellfish are excellent and cheap. Chilean wine is drunk here at prices unrelated to export. No halal address is listed.

Good to know

The Chilean peso is the currency and the notes carry many zeros: an ordinary meal runs to a few tens of thousands. Card payment is widespread. Chile is seismic: buildings are designed for it, and the posted instructions are worth reading. And the Andean sun is fierce despite the cool of spring.

Smart Planning