In Santiago

Where to go in and around Santiago depends very much on the time of year you visit. Generally speaking Santiago has four distinct seasons: spring begins around October and lasts through November; summer begins in December lasting through January and February, while autumn starts in March through April to May with winter stretching from June and July to August and September.

The Chilean winter has many warm days in Santiago and further north, apart from rainy season and colder nights it is summer all year round. The hottest months are December, January and February and are perfect for those who want to visit the lake district around Temuco down to Puerto Montt and the extremely beautiful far south. The ski season is during July and August and the slopes can be reached easily from Santiago. Santiago has an old colonial centre dominated by the Cathedral, Post Office and the historic Moneda Palace.

View of Providencia, Santiago

View of Cerro Santa Lucia, Central Santiago

The centre of the city is pedestrianised and there are various art galleries and museums and parks as well as interesting areas like around the central Vega market, Bella Vista, where 'La Chascona' - one of the houses of Chile's great poet Pablo Neruda is found.

At certain times of the year, due to it being surrounded by mountains, Santiago can become extremely polluted. Traffic jams are notorious, especially between 7-9 am and 6-8pm. There is, however, an extremely fast, clean and cheap metro system linking various parts of the city, as well as a good bus system and taxis.

One particular place of interest in Santiago itself is the Mercado Central, designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, who also designed the Eiffel Tower.