Santiago Itinerary

1. ~8:30aCafé & a marraqueta breakfast

   Chile's crusty marraqueta bread with avocado (palta) and fresh juice, and a strong coffee — a Lastarria café to start, the Andes filling the skyline.

   
2. ~9:30aPlaza de Armas & the historic centre

   The colonial heart — the cathedral, the Central Post Office, and the changing of the guard at La Moneda presidential palace, scarred and rebuilt since 1973.

   
3. ~11:30aCerro San Cristóbal

   The funicular up the city's great hill to the white Virgin statue and the panorama — on a clear day the whole city against the snow-capped Andes wall.

   
4. ~1:30pMercado Central seafood lunch

   The cast-iron fish market — a bowl of caldillo de congrio (the eel soup Neruda wrote an ode to), machas a la parmesana, and a glass of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc.

   
5. ~4:00pLastarria & Bellas Artes

   The bohemian quarter — the fine-arts museum, antique and design shops, leafy cafés, and the GAM cultural centre; the city's most charming streets to wander.

   
6. 8:30pBoragó (Santiago)Anchor table

   Rodolfo Guzmán's Boragó — perennially among the World's 50 Best — a foraged journey through Chile's endemic ingredients, endemica to coast. The country's defining table; book well ahead.

   

Santiago is backed by the Andes — clear mornings (often after rain) give the best mountain views from San Cristóbal. The Lastarria quarter is the nicest base for wandering, eating, and nightlife.

Day 1 in photos

1. ~8:30aSouth into the wine valleys

   Down to the Maipo or Colchagua Valley — Chile's great red-wine country, where the lost Bordeaux grape Carmenère was rediscovered thriving.

2. ~10:30aCellar tours & tastings

   A grand estate (Lapostolle's Clos Apalta, Montes, or Concha y Toro's Casillero del Diablo) — vineyard, cellar, and a tasting of Carmenère and Cabernet on a terrace under the Andes.

3. ~1:00pAn estate asado lunch

   A Chilean barbecue at the winery — grilled meats, pebre salsa, and empanadas de pino, paired through the estate's reds.

4. ~3:30pA horseback or vineyard ride

   A ride through the vines on a Chilean huaso (cowboy) horse, or a bike between cellars, as the afternoon light gilds the valley.

5. ~8:00pDinner back in Santiago

   Return to the city for a modern-Chilean table — or stay overnight at a vineyard hotel and dine among the vines.

   

The wine valleys are an easy, beautiful day south of the city — Colchagua is the richest, Maipo the closest. Use a driver or a tour so everyone can taste the Carmenère that Chile made its own.

Day 2 in photos

1. ~9:00aOver the hills to Valparaíso

   Ninety minutes to the riotously colourful port city — the UNESCO old town tumbling down 42 hills to the Pacific, every wall a mural.

   
2. ~10:30aThe ascensores & street art

   Ride the creaking Victorian funiculars (ascensores) up the hills of Cerro Alegre and Concepción, the open-air street-art gallery of the bohemian quarters.

   
3. ~12:30pLa Sebastiana — Neruda's house

   Pablo Neruda's whimsical hilltop home, kept as he left it — eccentric collections and the best window in the city over the harbour.

   
4. ~1:30pHilltop seafood lunch

   A cerro restaurant for the catch of the day — reineta or congrio — and a pisco sour with the technicolour port spread below.

   
5. ~4:00pViña del Mar & the coast

   The neighbouring beach resort — the flower clock, the coastal promenade, and a Pacific sunset before the drive back.

   
6. ~8:00pDinner in Santiago

   Back in the capital for a late Chilean dinner — coastal seafood or a Patagonian lamb, with a valley red.

   

Valparaíso is a riot of colour, art, and faded grandeur — the funiculars and Neruda's house are the highlights. It's a hilly, bohemian place; wear good shoes and keep an eye on your belongings.

Day 3 in photos