Santiago Travelers Recommend

Chile’s capital city, Santiago, feels a bit like a piece of Europe that has been dropped into South America. With neoclassical architecture, an efficient metro system, and plenty of nearby mountain resorts and wineries, it is also one of South America’s most glamorous and inviting cities. Here’s how to make the most of a three day visit.

Day 1: Explore the City

Get acquainted with Santiago on a sightseeing tour: Take a hop-on hop-off bus to see the city at your own pace, or opt for a guided tour and see all of the city’s main landmarks, such as the Plaza de Armas, La Moneda Palace, and San Cristóbal Hill, with an expert who can give you historic and cultural information. Alternatively, book a walking tour that takes you through the streets of a few different neighborhoods and into food markets; some tours also include lunch at a local restaurant. 

In the afternoon, make time for a visit to La Chascona, Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda’s Santiago home. The museum is located in the bohemian Bellavista district, so stick around afterward and soak up the local nightlife at the area’s bars, clubs, and music venues. If you don’t want to go it alone, opt for a small-group tour that includes drinks and snacks.

Day 2: Head to Wine Tasting or Skiing—or Both

On your second day, experience another side of Chile with a tour of some of the many wineries situated just outside the city. Sample top vintages from some of Chile’s most famous producers while soaking up the views in Chile’s rural countryside. 

If you’re  visiting during ski season (June through August), skip the wineries and hit the slopes. Portillo, one of Chile’s top ski resorts, is just a short trek from Santiago. Book a tour if you want to learn about the history of the mountain and the adventurers and explorers who first climbed the Andes. Ski rentals are available at the resort. Want to make the most out of the day? Join a tour that includes both skiing and wine tasting, and get the best of both experiences. 

Day 3: Head  for the Coast

On your final day, you can head for the coastal cities of Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. In the port city of Valparaiso, explore the rambling hillside streets by foot or funicular and check out the local street art. In the resort town of Viña del Mar, explore the historic buildings, visit the beach, and see the famed flower clock. Full-day guided tours that include both cities generally include round-trip transportation to give you as much time as possible to explore.

Alternatively, spend the last day of your trip taking a tour of Isla Negra. This charming beach-side village—the site of another of Neruda’s three Chilean homes—features eccentric architecture and a museum dedicated to Neruda’s life and works. Tours generally also stop at the village of Pomaire, which is known for fantastic pottery, before taking you back to Santiago where you can spend your last night toasting your trip in the city’s restaurants and bars.

With its colorful houses tumbling down the hillside to the port and its historic center designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Valparaiso is one of the most picturesque towns along Chile’s Pacific Coast. Here are your options for touring Valparaiso from Santiago. 

Group Tours

Full-day tours to Valparaiso are often combined with a visit to coastal cities such as the Garden City of Viña del Mar, a wine tour of the Emiliana vineyards, or a stop at nearby attractions like the ConCón sand dunes. Hotel pickup and round-trip transport is usually included, and some tours also include lunch. For a more personalized experience, choose a small-group tour with limited numbers.

Private Tours

Opting for a private tour means you’ll benefit from the undivided attention of your tour guide and have chance to customize your tour to your preferences. Private tours typically include round-trip transport from your Santiago city hotel and a walking tour of Valparaiso’s historic center, while possible extras include a Valparaiso harbor cruise, wine tasting in the Casablanca Valley, or a horseback riding excursion or surfing lesson on Concon beach.

Things to Know

• Valparaiso is located about 70 miles (115 kilometers) northwest of Santiago on Chile’s Pacific Coast.

• Full-day tours from Santiago typically last between eight and 10 hours and include hotel pickup and round-trip transport.

• Be sure to wear comfortable shoes to navigate Valparaiso’s hilly streets and cobblestones.

Chile is one of the world’s youngest but most prolific wine regions, known for full-bodied reds and bold flavors. Enhance your time in the country’s capital with guided tours to the region’s top wineries, where you can learn about the wine-making process and taste test several varietals. Here are some of the top wineries near Santiago.

Concha y Toro Winery

As one of South America’s largest wine producers, Concha y Toro is perhaps best-known for its award-winning cabernet sauvignon. Combine a visit to Concha y Toro Winery with stops at other wineries in the region, or opt for a cheese-and-wine tour. Whether you have a couple hours or a whole day, there are private and small-group options available.  

Santa Rita Winery

With its scenic location in the foothills of Alto Jahuel, Santa Rita Winery offers a great escape from the city center, though you can also combine a visit with a tour of the Chilean capital. Alternatively, lunch independently at Santa Rita’s on-site restaurant before exploring the vines and cellars on a private guided tour, or make a day of it in the Maipo Valley wine region on a full-day tour, which typically includes lunch, transport, and wine tastings.

Undurraga Winery

The storied history of Undurraga Winery dates back to the 19th century, and the popular vineyard is only a short drive from Santiago. In addition to tasting some of their excellent reds, such as malbec and cabernet sauvignon, learn about the soil and marvel over Mapuche carvings. Opt for a guided tour with round-trip transport or a small-group, half-day excursion.

Cousiño Macul

Cousiño Macul can be reached by Metro and a brief taxi ride from Santiago. The views over the vines with the Santiago skyline in the backdrop are impressive, while the 19th-century winemaking-tool exhibition is informative. You can experience Cousiño Macul alongside several other wineries on a full-day or half-day tour or as part of a weeklong, 2-country excursion.

Matetic Vineyard

Most Santiago-area wineries are found in the Maipo Valley, but the relatively young Matetic Vineyard is located in San Antonio Valley. It’s ideal if you want to see a different part of Chilean wine country, while the distinct climate helps produce elegant but intense wines. Full-day tours offer round-trip transport, or you can make Matetic Vineyard a stop on a wider exploration of the region.

MontGras Winery

Located in the Colchagua Valley, MontGras Winery is another of Chile’s considerably youthful wineries—it was founded by brothers Hernan and Eduardo Gras in 1993—and produces standout syrahs and carménères. Tours offer the opportunity to bottle, label, and take home your own personal bottle or give harvesting a go.

A 2-day trip to Santiago offers the chance to fully explore the cosmopolitan capital of Chile, visit a nearby winery, and delve deeper into the local culture. From visiting historic landmarks and bustling food markets to soaking up the vibrant nightlife, here’s how to spend two days in Santiago.

Day 1: The City by Night and Day

**Morning:**Spend your first hours in Santiago getting your bearings and doing some sightseeing. A bus or walking tour is a great way to familiarize yourself with the city and hit the highlights, while hop-on hop-off bus tours offer the flexibility of being able to customize your stops.

**Afternoon:**Spend the afternoon exploring one of the several wineries within easy reach of Santiago. Guided wine tours generally include transfers from your Santiago hotel and take you through vineyards and into wine cellars, and typically finish with an included glass of wine.

**Night:**Hit up the lively Bellavista neighborhood and spend your night drinking, dining, and dancing. A great way to get an insider’s perspective is by joining a small-group nightlife tour that hops between the best bars, nightclubs, and live music venues and includes drinks and snacks.

Day 2: Delve Deeper into Local Culture

**Morning:**Kick off your second day in Santiago by delving into its food culture. Joining a food walking tour allows you to eat your way around the city and immerse yourself in local life as you browse food markets, refuelling along the way with tastings of typical local dishes and pisco sours. Food tours typically end with lunch at a restaurant.

**Afternoon:**Visit the Santiago home of the beloved Chilean poet and Nobel laureate, Pablo Neruda. On the slopes of San Cristobal, La Chascona is filled with Neruda’s belongings, offering a fascinating insight into his life and legacy. As you stroll through the house your audio guide fills in the details.

**Night:**Round out your visit by immersing yourself in Chilean culture with a folklore and dinner show. Tours typically include a 3-course meal, which you enjoy while listening to folk songs and watching colorful traditional dances, which have originated from various different regions of Chile. Round-trip hotel transfers are generally included.

Santiago, the cosmopolitan capital of Chile, is often overlooked in favor of its flashier neighbor, Buenos Aires, but for no good reason; Santiago boasts fine wines, vibrant nightlife, and colorful neighborhoods that are made for exploring. Here’s how to spend one day in Santiago.

Morning: City Sightseeing

Kickstart your time in Santiago on a shared or private sightseeing tour; bus tours are ideal for time-pressed travelers as they cover more landmarks—such as the Plaza de Armas, Moneda Palace, and San Cristobal Hill—in less time, and provide crucial historical context. If you want to delve deeper into local life, embark on a walking tour that covers several neighborhoods and takes you to food markets frequented by locals. Alternatively, taking a hop-on hop-off bus tour has the added benefit of allowing you to set your own itinerary and pace.

Afternoon: Go Wine Tasting

Chile is renowned for its wine and, lucky for time-pressed travelers, some of the country’s best wineries are within easy reach of Santiago. Visiting Concha y Toro, Santa Rita, or Undurraga vineyards is possible on an afternoon; tours typically pick you up from your hotel around lunchtime and tend to include a winery tour, insight into history and production processes, a visit to the wine cellars, and a glass or three of wine, of course.

Night: Immerse Yourself in the Nightlife

Bellavista is one of Santiago’s most vibrant nightlife districts but, for new arrivals, it’s not always easy to pick the best places to drink, dance, and dine. Joining a nightlife tour gives you the inside scoop on the Bellavista district and saves you hours of prior research. Small-group tours typically cover several bars and nightclubs, and include popular drinks and bar snacks such as piscolas (pisco and cola) and sopaipillas con pebre (crunchy corn snacks). Some tours, which prove ideal for solo travelers, even include a salsa lesson.

In addition to having some of Chile’s best restaurants, wine bars, and tasting rooms, Santiago is just a short drive from several renowned wine-growing areas. Here’s info on the must-try varietals and wine tasting experiences near Chile’s capital.

Must-Try Varietals

Chile produces world-class wines thanks to its general climate, its microclimates, and the high mineral content of its soil. Recently Chile has been best known for carménère, the classic French grape varietal that was thought to have been lost to phylloxera in the mid-19th century but was rediscovered in a Chilean vineyard in the 1990s. Like its next-door neighbor Argentina, Chile produces notable malbecs, and on the white side is making quite a name for itself with its sauvignon blancs. Small-scale vineyards are currently becoming more popular, and certain producers are taking advantage of the area’s excellent terroir to grow lesser-known varietals like petit verdot.

Must-Do Experiences

• Combine a winery visit with outdoor adventures on a day trip to Valle Nevado and Aquitania. Spend time at one of the area’s most popular ski resorts before sipping your way through some notable wines.

• Visit four of the Casablanca Valley’s top producers and taste their distinctive wines.

• Pedal through the vineyards of the Maipo Valley on a winery bike tour.

• See the wine country from horseback on a full-day excursion that includes traditional Chilean meals and a stop at a local winery.

• Discover Chile’s winemaking heritage and sample a variety of local wines on a full-day tour of the Colchagua Valley.