Chile · Región Metropolitana de Santiago
Santiago
- Population:7M (metro)
- Timezone:CLT (UTC-3/-4)
- IATA:SCL
Overview
Santiago is Chile's modern capital, cradled in a green valley beneath the snow-capped Andes — a city of leafy viewpoint hills, a historic core and glassy skyline, bohemian barrios and superb food and wine, and the gateway to the coast, the vineyards and the mountains.
Travel
Santiago, Chile's capital and by far its largest city, sits in a broad valley hemmed by the Andes, whose snow-capped peaks form a spectacular backdrop on clear days — a sophisticated, safe-feeling and increasingly cosmopolitan metropolis that most travellers pass through on the way to Patagonia or the Atacama, but which rewards a couple of days of its own. The city is best grasped from its hills: Cerro San Cristóbal, the large park-topped peak rising from the Bellavista district, reached by a historic funicular or cable car, is crowned by a white statue of the Virgin and gives a sweeping panorama over the city to the mountains; the smaller, landscaped Cerro Santa Lucía, in the centre, is a romantic warren of terraces and fountains on the spot where the city was founded in 1541. Below lies the historic core around the Plaza de Armas, with the cathedral, the central market and the colonnaded squares, and the presidential palace of La Moneda. Santiago's character lives in its barrios: bohemian Bellavista, with its colourful houses, street art, nightlife and the hillside home of the poet Pablo Neruda (La Chascona); cultured Lastarria and Bellas Artes, with their belle-époque streets, museums, cafés and the fine-arts gallery; and the modern, high-rise Providencia and Las Condes, where the gleaming Costanera Center — South America's tallest tower, with the Sky Costanera observation deck — anchors the financial district. The food and wine are a highlight: fresh seafood at the Mercado Central, the produce of La Vega market, a confident modern-Chilean restaurant scene, and easy access to the country's celebrated wine valleys. And Santiago's greatest asset is its location — within easy reach are the colourful port city of Valparaíso and the beaches of the central coast, the Maipo and Casablanca wine valleys, and the Andes themselves, with world-class ski resorts and the dramatic Cajón del Maipo canyon less than two hours away. The Mediterranean-like climate brings warm, dry summers (December to February) and mild, sometimes smoggy winters; spring and autumn are pleasant, and the snow season (June to September) draws skiers.
Santiago's viewpoints are the best introduction to the city's dramatic setting. Cerro San Cristóbal, the great green hill rising from the Bellavista district, is the centrepiece of the large Parque Metropolitano — ride the restored 1925 funicular or the cable car to the summit, crowned by a white statue of the Virgin Mary, for a panorama across the whole city to the wall of the Andes beyond (clearest in the morning or after rain clears the valley's haze). The park also holds gardens, pools and walking trails. In the very centre, the smaller Cerro Santa Lucía is a delightful surprise — a steep, landscaped hill of stone terraces, fountains, balustrades and turrets built on the rocky outcrop where the conquistador Pedro de Valdivia founded the city in 1541, with city views from the top and a maze of romantic paths to wander up. Together the two hills frame the city and reveal its valley-and-mountain geography.
Frequently asked questions
Diplomatic missions in Santiago
20 embassies based in this city, grouped by region.
This overview comes from Visaja's worldwide missions database (visaja.com), checked against official government sources; for binding answers, the mission itself always has the final word.