Santiago is a beautiful city at the foot of the Andes and filled with green space. We’ve visited Santiago twice as part of separate, longer South America trips. While both visits were on the shorter side, the city makes a great stop at the start or end of any adventure.
Maipo Valley
Our favorite experience in Santiago was visiting the vineyards in Maipo Valley. Just a 40 minute drive south of the city, Maipo Valley is home to some of Chile’s best wine. The vineyards are surprisingly nice too.
Our first stop was Santa Rita, one of the region’s oldest wineries. After we arrived to the grounds, a golf cart shuttle was waiting for us at the parking lot and took us to the vineyard’s cafe to grab a bite before our tour (the hot chocolate and pastries here were delicious). From there we walked over to the start of the Clásico Inglés tour, which covered the entire facility and included a tasting in the cellar at the end. We liked the wine enough to buy a bottle from the shop to bring home – overall just a really good experience. (Quick note that the hour tour lasted closer to an hour and a half, so keep that in mind if you plan back to back tours at different wineries like we did.)
Our next stop was a tour at Concha y Toro, which honestly blew Santa Rita away a bit. The vineyard is massive – it makes perfect sense that Concha y Toro is the largest wine-growing company in Latin America. The start of the tour and the tasting took part outdoors on tree-covered walking paths that reminded us of Central Park. Our guide was pretty hilarious, but the scenery and commentary were overshadowed by the wine. Everything we tried was very, very good. We almost regretted buying wine from Santa Rita because we could have used the space for more wine from Concha y Toro. After the tour concluded in the cellar with an interesting tale of the vineyard’s history, we treated ourselves to a bottle of our favorite wine from the tasting plus a bottle of Pisco to bring home.
While we opted to drive to Maipo for these visits, you can take a guided tour from Santiago as well. If you plan to visit more than two vineyards we would recommend going this route, but we enjoyed the flexibility that came with having a car and arranging our own tours. Driving down to and around Maipo really wasn’t too stressful at all.
Other Things to Do
If wine isn’t your thing, there is plenty to do in Santiago itself.
- San Cristóbal Hill: This massive park is one of Santiago’s main attractions. For a bit of a workout, you can choose to hike to the top for great views of the city. If you’re pressed for time or aren’t up for the walk, there is also a funicular you can take to the peak. We opted to hike up and take the funicular down for the experience, and it is something we would definitely recommend.
- Santa Lucía Hill: This smaller hill – not too far from San Cristóbal – is also a nice area to explore with some monuments throughout. An hour or two is plenty to walk around Santa Lucía, but it is still a nice outdoor activity.
- Metropolitan Cathedral and Plaza de Armas: There isn’t much to do in the Plaza de Armas here, but it is still worth a quick visit as the city’s main square. Take 20 minutes to explore the interior of the Cathedral while there.
- Free Walking Tour: We did a walking tour during our first visit to Santiago to get a feel for the city. This is a good way to see the Plaza de Armas (but not the inside of the Cathedral) and learn more about the city’s history, and you will also likely get to see the outside of La Moneda Palace on the tour. As always, we recommend doing a tour like this when you first get to the city so that you can get local recommendations.
Where to Eat
- Ambrosia Bistro: Not to be confused with Ambrosia Restaurant on Santiago’s outskirts (one of us may have made that mistake when making a reservation…in my defense the two are affiliated), Ambrosia Bistro is right in the heart of the city. Even though the Bistro isn’t on the list of the World’s 50 Best Latin America restaurants (Ambrosia Restaurant checks in at Number 30), it is tasty and was accommodating with our mix-up. We especially liked the Pisco Sours and lengua plate, and the patio made for a nice atmosphere.
- Jose Ramon 277: This sandwich spot in the historical neighborhood of Lastarria is a great lunch option – especially before or after visiting Santa Lucía Hill. We recommend treating yourself to an empanada or two to share as well (they are fried in a way that makes them almost taste like wontons), along with some local beers.
- Mulato: Another good option in Lastarria, Mulato is slightly more up scale. They have a nice patio and delicious pisco sours for a refreshing break from exploring the city.
- Galindo: Our dinner here was very, very good. The shrimp was delicious, and we also really enjoyed the beef stew. Overall it is a solid option if you are in the area.
Other Tips & Tricks
- Where to Stay: Both times we visited Santiago, we stayed at the Four Points in the financial area of Providencia. While it isn’t the closest to the main tourist attractions, it is a nice, safe area close to plenty of good restaurants. The hotel itself was comfortable too and very reasonably priced (especially for a Marriott). It is also close to a metro stop, so it is easy to get to other parts of town.
- Getting Around: Speaking of the metro – it is super convenient in Santiago. It might take a little bit of translation to figure out how to buy the right kind of pass on the machine, but once you make it through that step the rest is smooth sailing. The biggest issue is that the metro doesn’t go to the airport. For that we recommend taking a taxi or uber, which is easy to call in the city.
- Local Currency: While the Chilean peso is the local currency, you shouldn’t need much cash. It is helpful though to have some coins and small bills for tipping and buying metro passes.
- Weather: Check the forecast before your trip. The weather can vary pretty wildly. Over the course of two weeks, we went from 50 and raining to 85 and sunny. Pack accordingly.
Happy traveling!
Kitrina & Jordan