Santiago 7-day itinerary

Funicular from Pío Nono (CLP 3,300 return) to the summit for Santiago's defining panorama — the city spreading below with the Andes as a colossal backdrop. Walk through the Parque Metropolitano, one of the world's largest urban parks. The Japanese Garden and Botanical Garden are peaceful stops. Descend to Bellavista on foot through the park trails.

Visit La Chascona (CLP 8,000) — Pablo Neruda's quirky Santiago home with ship-like architecture. The audio tour brings his poetry and life into vivid focus. Walk Bellavista's streets for murals — the Cerro San Cristóbal side streets have the best concentration. Lunch at Galindo for pastel de choclo (CLP 6,000–8,000) — a corn-based casserole that is pure Chilean comfort food.

Barrio Lastarria is intimate and charming — cobblestones, heritage buildings, and warm light from cafe windows. Dinner at Bocanariz for a Chilean wine flight (CLP 12,000–18,000 for 5 wines) paired with local cheeses and charcuterie. Or Liguria for buzzing bistro atmosphere (CLP 7,000–12,000). Walk through the Parque Forestal along the Mapocho River afterwards — beautifully lit at night.

Start at Plaza de Armas — the colonial centre with the Cathedral, Correo Central, and chess players. Walk to the Palacio de La Moneda for a free tour (book online) of Chile's presidential palace. The Centro Cultural underneath has excellent exhibitions (CLP 3,000). Walk Paseo Bandera for its colourful street murals and Paseo Ahumada for the bustling pedestrian energy.

Lunch at Mercado Central — the ornate iron market. Eat at the perimeter stalls for authentic prices — caldillo de congrio (CLP 5,000–8,000), paila marina (CLP 6,000–10,000), or raw seafood plates. Walk to La Vega Central across the river — Santiago's chaotic wholesale market with fruit, vegetables, and incredibly cheap food stalls serving immigrant cuisines. A full lunch here costs CLP 3,000–5,000.

Walk to La Piojera near Mercado Central — the legendary bar where the terremoto cocktail was invented. Pipeño wine with pineapple ice cream in a huge glass (CLP 3,000–5,000) — it tastes innocent but devastates. The bar is rough, loud, and joyfully chaotic. Everyone from presidents to backpackers has drunk here. Dinner afterwards at a Centro restaurant or walk to Lastarria.

Climb Cerro Santa Lucía (free) — the hilltop park where Santiago was founded in 1541. Fountains, terraces, and city views from a modest summit. Walk to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (free) — Chilean and international art in a gorgeous Beaux-Arts building. The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MAC, free) shares the same building with contemporary exhibitions.

Metro to Barrio Italia — a converted warehouse district now home to vintage shops, design studios, galleries, micro-roasteries, and some of the best food in Santiago. Walk the interior pasajes (passages) for hidden courtyards with cafes and antique dealers. Lunch at De Patio for creative Chilean dishes (CLP 5,000–9,000) or Mestizo for fusion cuisine. Browse vinyl at Fuga Records.

Stay in Barrio Italia for dinner and drinks. Silvestre serves refined seasonal Chilean food (CLP 9,000–15,000) or keep it casual at Chipe Libre for pisco cocktails (CLP 4,000–7,000) and Peruvian-Chilean bites. The neighbourhood is quieter than Bellavista or Lastarria but the food quality is higher. Walk the tree-lined streets back toward Providencia.

Take the metro to Puente Alto then a short taxi to Concha y Toro (CLP 15,000–25,000 for tours). Chile's most famous winery has beautiful gardens, a spooky Casillero del Diablo cellar, and tastings of their premium Don Melchor and Terrunyo wines. The Maipo Valley setting with Andean views is beautiful. Book the premium tour for older vintages.

If you have a car, visit a second winery — Viña Santa Rita (CLP 12,000–20,000 including tour and tasting) in Alto Jahuel has a stunning park, an Andean museum, and a colonial house where Chilean independence heroes took refuge. The Cabernet Sauvignon from this valley is world-class. Lunch at the winery restaurant or a roadside restaurant for Chilean home cooking.

Return to Santiago and head to Providencia — the tree-lined upscale neighbourhood with excellent dining. Dinner at Osaka for Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian-Chilean) cuisine (CLP 10,000–18,000) or Baco for a French-Chilean wine bar experience (CLP 8,000–14,000). Walk Avenida Suecia for the bar strip — craft cocktails from CLP 5,000–8,000.

Take a Turbus from Terminal Alameda to Valparaíso (CLP 4,000–7,000, 1.5 hours). Valpo is one of South America's most photogenic cities — a UNESCO-listed port town built on steep hills covered in colourful houses and street art. Start in the upper city — Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción have the most beautiful streets, galleries, and viewpoints. Ride a historic ascensor (funicular, CLP 300) between the hills.

Walk the cerros (hills) for street art — Valpo has the best urban art in Chile, possibly South America. Visit La Sebastiana (CLP 8,000) — Neruda's Valparaíso house with harbour views. Lunch at a cerro restaurant — chorrillana (fries topped with meat, onions, and eggs, CLP 5,000–8,000 to share) or fresh seafood at the port market (CLP 4,000–7,000). The peeling paint and crumbling facades are the charm.

Watch the sunset from Cerro Artillería — the view over the harbour, container ships, and the Pacific is spectacular. If you have time, drinks at Fauna on Cerro Alegre for craft cocktails with harbour views (CLP 5,000–7,000). Catch the bus back to Santiago (last Turbus around 10pm). Dinner at Santiago's Mercado Central or a quick bite in Lastarria upon return.

Rent a car or join a tour to Cajón del Maipo (1.5 hours) — a dramatic Andean canyon with towering mountains, hot springs, and the turquoise Embalse El Yeso reservoir. The drive through the canyon is stunning — the landscape shifts from green valley to high-altitude desert. The reservoir at 2,500m sits below snow-capped peaks — completely surreal and only accessible by road.

Soak in the Baños Morales hot springs (CLP 5,000–8,000) surrounded by Andean peaks — natural thermal pools at the base of a mountain valley. Lunch at a roadside restaurant in San José de Maipo — charquicán (beef stew, CLP 4,000–6,000) or empanadas de pino (meat, CLP 1,500–2,000 each). The mountain air and silence are a world away from Santiago.

Return to Santiago for a Bellavista night out. The neighbourhood comes alive after dark — bars and restaurants fill Calle Constitución and Pío Nono. Dinner at Peumayen for indigenous Chilean cuisine (CLP 10,000–16,000) — dishes using ancestral Mapuche ingredients. Drinks at Bar Constitución or La Casa en el Aire — a multi-level bar with live music and a rooftop (CLP 4,000–7,000 cocktails).

Metro to Ñuñoa — a residential neighbourhood where Santiaguinos actually live. Walk Plaza Ñuñoa for the weekend antique fair, browse independent bookshops on Irarrázaval Avenue, and discover craft coffee at local roasters. Brunch at one of Ñuñoa's family-run cafes (CLP 5,000–8,000). This is the Santiago tourists rarely see — genuine, unhurried, and full of charm.

Visit the Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos (free) — a powerful museum documenting Chile's Pinochet-era human rights abuses. It is essential for understanding modern Chile. Allow 2 hours. Then a final walk through your favourite neighbourhood — Lastarria, Barrio Italia, or Bellavista — picking up souvenirs. Lapis lazuli jewellery (CLP 5,000–30,000) is Chile's national stone.

Final dinner at Boragó — frequently named Chile's best restaurant, celebrating endemic Chilean ingredients (tasting menu CLP 90,000–120,000). Or keep it real with a farewell terremoto at La Piojera, caldillo de congrio at Mercado Central, and a final stroll along the Mapocho River at sunset. Santiago grows on you quietly — it is a city that reveals itself over time.