Santiago is perfectly positioned for exploring some of Chile’s most iconic landscapes and destinations. Between its hillside viewpoints and colourful neighbourhoods, the Andes rise just beyond the city, while some of the country’s best known wine regions and the Pacific coast are only a short journey away. That makes the capital an ideal base for seeing far more of Chile than Santiago alone.
This guide brings together the best things to do in and around Santiago to help you make the most of your time in the city.
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1. Ride the Funicular Up Cerro San Cristóbal
Opened in 1925, the funicular up Cerro San Cristóbal has been carrying passengers for more than a century and is now protected as a Chilean Historic Monument. At the top, around 880 metres above sea level, you’ll get panoramic views across Santiago and towards the Andes. The summit is also home to the Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception, crowned by a huge white statue of the Virgin Mary.
Before heading back down, try a mote con huesillos from one of the stands near the summit. This traditional Chilean drink is made with dried peaches, cooked husked wheat and a sweet peach syrup.
2. Explore Santiago’s Different Barrios
Santiago is divided into a patchwork of barrios, or neighbourhoods, many of which developed their own character as the city expanded beyond its historic centre.
Barrio Lastarria was one of our favourites, along with Barrio Italia, where older buildings now house design studios, antique shops, independent stores, cafés and restaurants. Much of the charm is simply in wandering the streets, stopping at small galleries and markets, browsing local shops and finding somewhere for a coffee or something to eat.
3. Try a Pisco Flight at Chipe Libre
Pisco is a grape brandy associated with both Chile and Peru. In Barrio Lastarria, Chipe Libre – República Independiente del Pisco is dedicated to piscos from both northern Chile and southern Peru. The bar plays on the long running debate over which country pisco really belongs to, calling itself the “Independent Republic of Pisco” and bringing both traditions together under one roof.
You’ll see pisco sours everywhere in Santiago, but here you can try a tasting flight and compare several styles side by side, particularly useful if you’re thinking of taking a bottle home, or if you’re not continuing on to Peru.
It is an easy stop to combine with an afternoon around Lastarria and Cerro Santa Lucía.
4. Watch the Sunset from Cerro Santa Lucía
Cerro Santa Lucía is much smaller than San Cristóbal and sits right in the centre of Santiago, making it much easier to reach. The rocky hill was transformed into an elaborate public park in the 1870s, with stone staircases, fountains, terraces and the distinctive yellow and white Neptune Fountain leading towards the viewpoints at the top.
It only takes around 15 to 20 minutes to climb, but from the summit you get views across central Santiago and, on a clear day, towards the Andes. Entrance is free, but check the closing time before planning your visit around sunset, particularly outside the summer months.
5. See Santiago from Sky Costanera at Sunset
At 300 metres high, Sky Costanera sits at the top of Gran Torre Costanera, the tallest skyscraper in South America. The observation deck occupies floors 61 and 62, with 360° views across Santiago and, on a clear day, the Andes stretching behind the city. We timed our visit for sunset and, during our visit, noticed they were running Wine Sessions on selected evenings combining the view with Chilean wine tastings. There is also a Sky 300 Bar & Coffee at the viewpoint.
Booking tip: we booked Sky Costanera directly because the equivalent ticket through GetYourGuide was almost double the price.
6. Eat a Chilean Completo
A completo is Chile’s much more heavily loaded take on a hot dog. There are several versions, but the completo Italiano is one of the classics, topped with tomato, avocado and a very generous amount of mayonnaise, something you will quickly notice Chileans are not shy about adding to sandwiches.
For the original, head to El Portal Ex Bahamondes beside Plaza de Armas. The restaurant is credited as the birthplace of the Chilean completo, after Eduardo Bahamondes brought the idea of the American hot dog back to Santiago in the 1930s and adapted it with local ingredients. The Italiano variation was later created here too.
You’ll also see the same Italiano combination served as a churrasco Italiano, replacing the sausage with thin sliced beef. We tried one at Antigua Fuente, another of Santiago’s traditional sandwich shops.
7. Go Wine Tasting
Santiago is within easy reach of some of Chile’s best known wine regions, so I’d consider making time for at least one vineyard visit while you’re here. The Maipo Valley is the closest major wine region to the capital and is particularly known for Cabernet Sauvignon, which is one of the reasons we include Chile in our guide to the Best Wine Regions to Visit Around the World.
We chose Viña Concha y Toro in Pirque for our tasting, largely because it is the name behind Casillero del Diablo, a bottle most people in the UK will probably recognise. Once there, we realised the producer has a much broader reputation, including Don Melchor, whose 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon was once named Wine of the Year. Our Premium Guided Visit lasted around two hours and included the estate and vineyards, four tastings and a visit to the underground cellar.
We booked directly and travelled there independently, but if you would rather not arrange the journey yourself, this Concha y Toro tour from Santiago includes hotel transfers, the vineyard visit and wine tasting.
8. Take a Day Trip Into the Andes
The Andes are visible from almost everywhere in Santiago when the weather is clear, forming a huge mountain backdrop to the city, and they are much closer than they first appear. The range stretches for thousands of kilometres along the western edge of South America, but from Santiago you can be out of the city and passing through dramatic high altitude scenery within a couple of hours.
We booked this full day Andes trip and, after seeing the mountains on the horizon throughout the city, it was incredible to actually be among them. If you’re visiting in winter, this part of the Andes is also home to some of Chile’s best known ski resorts, including Valle Nevado, El Colorado, La Parva and Portillo.
9. Take a Day Trip to Valparaíso and Viña del Mar
Head west from Santiago and, in around two hours, you reach Chile’s Pacific coast, where colourful hillside Valparaíso sits just along the shore from Viña del Mar.
Valparaíso’s UNESCO listed historic quarter climbs above one of Chile’s most important ports, with old funiculars, colourful houses and huge murals around Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción. Continue along the coast through Viña del Mar and you can reach the Concón Dunes, a vast dune field overlooking the Pacific.
If you would rather have the transport arranged, this Valparaíso and Viña del Mar tour from Santiago combines both cities with a stop in the Casablanca Valley. For how we fitted the coast into the rest of our trip, see our Chile itinerary.
Continue Your Chile Trip to Easter Island
This is obviously not a Santiago day trip, but if you’ve made it all the way to Chile, Santiago is also the gateway to one of the most extraordinary additions you can make to the trip: Rapa Nui, or Easter Island. A few hours after leaving the capital, you can be standing beneath the moai at Rano Raraku, watching sunset behind Tahai or swimming at Anakena Beach.
We spent two nights on Rapa Nui after our time around Santiago. If you’re considering doing the same, start with our Easter Island Travel Guide: How to Plan a Trip to Rapa Nui, which covers flights, entry requirements, accommodation and how much time you actually need.
How Many Days Do You Need in Santiago?
You could see Santiago’s main city sights in two days. We had four days based in Santiago, which allowed us to combine the city with wine tasting in the Maipo Valley, a day in the Andes and a day on the Pacific coast. For our complete route through Chile, see our Chile Itinerary: Santiago, Andes, Valparaíso & Easter Island.
