Santiago, Valparaiso and Surroundings
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Santiago, capital city of almost 6 million people, will surprise the visitor with its aspect of a modern metropolis, numerous buildings and skyscrapers that have been built in the last 15 years, due to an exceptional economic growth.

The downtown area has many historic buildings, museums and parks: Bellas Artes museum, Precolombino museum, Natural History museum and some old constructions such as "La Moneda" (government palace), The Cathedral, Central Market, Church of San Francisco and the Municipal Teather. A city tour of Santiago must include the San Cristobal hill, from where you get a panoramic view of this large city.

The Bellavista area is the bohemian part of the town where restaurants, pubs and handicraft markets give tourists an overview of the popular Chilean culture. Santiago also offers some of the biggest shopping malls, such as the Alto Las Condes mall, and the Vespucio shopping mall.

While in Santiago, and just about 120 kilometers NW, we find the spectacular city of Valparaíso, the main seaport of Chile. Built by the Spaniards around 1535, this city stands over hills that surrounds a natural bay and harbor, most of these hills have some of the oldest funiculars, which give to this city a romantic and multi-cultural touch.

Some of the places to be visited are the Naval Museum, the harbor, the house/museum of the Nobel Price winner and national poet Pablo Neruda, etc. Close to Valparaíso, we find the beautiful city of Viña del Mar with its nice beaches, restaurants, pubs and luxury shopping malls. The Casino, discos and restaurants are always visited and crowded, especially on weekends, when tourists and "Santiaguinos" decide to enjoy some of the finest beaches in the central coast of Chile. Every February, Viña del Mar welcomes one of the finest Song Festivals in South America, which gives to this amazing city a character of its own.

From Santiago, you can also organize trips to the wine valleys that surround the city, or travel south to some of the most important vineyards located in what is called the "wine road". The ski resorts are another reason to spend some time around Santiago. These complex are only one hour away by car, which let you ski during the day and spend the night in some of the finest hotels that Santiago has to offer.

For all these reasons we advise you to spend two or three days in this region.