Santiago & Central Valley

Chile

Chile’s capital is often overlooked as a mere stopover after the long international flight, and certainly it is less showy than Buenos Aires or Rio, but it is well worth staying a few nights in one of many good hotels, and exploring the city and its surrounding attractions.

Badly damaged by earthquakes over the years, Santiago’s architecture is an interesting mix of historic and modern, with gleaming buildings alongside baroque buildings and the impressive Presidential Palace on the central Plaza de Armas. To get the best views of the city and the surrounding Andes, head up San Cristobal hill with your camera.

The food is great; from the bustling central fish market to any number of upmarket international restaurants and more typical Chilean lunch options. South of the city, the Central Valley is where the majority of Chile’s wine comes from. The Maipo Valley, closest to Santiago, is home to the most widely known export; Concha y Toro, whose winery can be visited in a day trip. Maipo’s cool ocean breezes, bright sunshine and elevated slopes are perfect for Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, one of the export varieties Chile has become synonymous with, but local vineyards also grow Merlot and Chardonnay on the upper slopes.

Beyond that, deeper into the picturesque landscape of vines with the Andean backdrop, are many smaller vineyards, some of which form part of the ‘Wine Route’ and offer charming overnight accommodation.

Also Try


	Ski Portillo Chile Just two hour's drive from the capital Santiago, Portillo is the finest ski resort in Latin America, with a majestic Andean setting and superb powder conditions.
	Torres del Paine National Park Chile Chile’s spectacular Torres del Paine National Park is one of the most famous areas of Patagonia, with those much-photographed eponymous towering granite peaks that glow pink, red and orange with the sunset.
	Easter Island Chile To give you an idea of just how isolated a place this is, Santiago is a five-hour flight away, and the nearest inhabited island is Pitcairn, 1,200 miles to the north west.
	Lakes & Volcanoes Chile Squeezed between the mountains and the sea, Chile’s beautiful Lake District region stretches over a large distance.
	Atacama desert Chile With an extremely unusual ecosystem, this is one of Chile's top attractions, offering a plethora of excursions from the sedate to the most active, and excellent tourist infrastructure.