Santiago
Capital Of Chile, Founded 1541, Set In A Valley Beneath The Andes; The Entry Point For Almost Every Visitor To The Country · Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan
Santiago is a large, orderly, modern capital in a valley ringed by mountains, and on a clear day after rain the snow-covered wall of the Andes rises straight behind its towers, which is the sight that stays with visitors. The historic centre is compact: the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral, the Presidential Palace of La Moneda, bombed in the 1973 coup, the Central Market for seafood, and some fine museums, including the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art and the moving Museum of Memory and Human Rights. Around them are lively neighbourhoods - Lastarria with its cafes, bohemian Bellavista with Neruda's house La Chascona, leafy Providencia - and two city hills, Santa Lucia and San Cristobal, climbed for the views. The Gran Torre Costanera, among the tallest buildings in South America, has an observation deck. Wineries in the Maipo valley are on the edge of town, ski resorts an hour or two up the mountains, and Valparaiso and the coast ninety minutes away. Smog hides the mountains in winter.
Plaza de Armas, Santiago, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile
A city on a late timetable: lunch after one, dinner after nine. Museums close on Mondays. The changing of the guard at La Moneda is held on alternate days. The funicular and cable car on Cerro San Cristobal run through the day, with some closures for maintenance.