In short
Santiago sits in a basin between the Andes to the east and the Coastal Range to the west. On a clear day, snow peaks above five thousand metres close the horizon at the end of the avenues — and in overcast weather, the same basin traps the pollution.
Providencia and Las Condes are the affluent, business districts. Bellavista, at the foot of Cerro San Cristóbal, holds the nightlife. Lastarria and Barrio Italia carry the cultural scene and the restaurants. The centre keeps La Moneda and the historic squares.
Arriving and getting around
The airport is some twenty kilometres west, linked by buses and shuttles.
The metro is one of the best in Latin America: clean, fast, extensive. The Bip! card works on the metro and the buses.
Valparaíso and Viña del Mar are about an hour and a half away by bus; the Maipo and Casablanca wine valleys are closer still.
What it really costs
Chile is one of the most expensive countries in South America, and Santiago reflects it.
The menús del día, midday set meals, remain the economical option. The central market and the Vega Chica opposite are two different price levels in the same neighbourhood.
When to come
September–November and March–May. Summer (December–February) is hot and dry; many Santiaguinos leave for the coast.
Winter poses an air problem: thermal inversion in the basin concentrates pollution from May to August, with alerts and traffic restrictions.
What nobody tells you
Cerro San Cristóbal is climbed by funicular or on foot from Bellavista and overlooks the whole city; it is the best place to grasp the geography of the basin.
The ski resorts are an hour away by road — Valle Nevado, Farellones, La Parva. Skiing in the morning and dining in the city that evening is an ordinary local practice, from June to September.
Chile is a seismic country and Santiago particularly so. Building standards are strict and moderate tremors are commonplace; instructions are posted in public buildings.
The Museum of Memory and Human Rights, devoted to the 1973–1990 dictatorship, is free and is the most honest way into the country's recent history.
