Santiago

Overview

The capital of Chile and home to 70% of the Chilean population, Santiago is a modern, prospering city. Quite European in style it is an excellent place to access the rest of the country, sitting as it does in the centre of Chile's 4500km length. In the centre are plenty of opportunities for shopping and discovering something of Chile's fascinating present and past from the many museums including the national art gallery and the national history museum. The Plaza de Armas features some of South America's best kept colonial architecture and the Cerro de Santa Lucia and San Cristobál provide amazing panoramics of the city, right out to the Andes which surround the city of its eastern side. Around the city Chile's famous vinyards and wineries can be found, several of which provide excellent tours, while the districts of Providencia and Brasil are not short on nightlife. A daytrip away from the city lie the towns of Viña del Mar and Valparaiso, both beutiful ports and popular Chilean holiday-home towns on the sea just to the west of Santiago.

History