Home › Santiago › How many days
How many days in Santiago? 4 days, with the Andes, the hills and a day at the coast
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Santiago is usually the city people fly through on the way to Patagonia or the Atacama, but it deserves four days: two for the city, one for a winery in the Maipo Valley at the foot of the Andes and one for the painted hills of Valparaíso on the Pacific, 120 km away. The centre is compact and the metro is clean and fast. Plan around the light: the Andes are sharpest in the morning and after rain.
Short answer
Two days covers the historic centre, the markets, Cerro San Cristóbal and the Bellavista and Lastarria neighbourhoods. Four days adds the wine country and Valparaíso, the two outings most visitors remember.
The 4-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Historic centre, La Moneda and Cerro Santa Lucía
Morning. Start on Plaza de Armas with the cathedral and the Correo Central, then walk 3 minutes to the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino (about CLP$10,000), one of the best collections of pre-Columbian art in South America, from Andean textiles to Mapuche silver. Walk 10 minutes south to the Palacio de La Moneda, the presidential palace bombed in the 1973 coup.
Afternoon. Visit the Centro Cultural La Moneda under the palace square for its exhibitions, then walk 15 minutes east along the Alameda to Cerro Santa Lucía (free, you register at the gate), the hill where Santiago was founded in 1541. The climb to the Torre Mirador takes about 20 minutes.
Evening. Cross to Barrio Lastarria at the foot of the hill for wine bars, bookshops and the GAM cultural centre. A main course in a Lastarria bistro costs about CLP$12,000-18,000.
The changing of the guard at La Moneda takes place every other day at about 10:00 (11:00 on weekends); check the current schedule before you go.
Day 2: Markets, Bellavista and Cerro San Cristóbal
Morning. Walk to the Mercado Central, the cast-iron fish market of 1872, for a bowl of caldillo de congrio or machas a la parmesana; skip the touts at the entrance and eat at the stalls on the sides. Cross the Mapocho river to La Vega Central, the giant produce market where Santiaguinos shop, for fruit you have never seen and a fresh juice for CLP$2,000.
Afternoon. Visit La Chascona (about CLP$9,000-10,000), Pablo Neruda's house in Bellavista, built like a ship for his lover Matilde Urrutia. Then ride the funicular up Cerro San Cristóbal (about CLP$3,000-4,000 return) to the white Virgin statue, 860 metres up, and the teleférico cable car across the park.
Evening. Eat in Bellavista around Patio Bellavista or the streets off Pío Nono, the student nightlife district. Try a pisco sour or a terremoto, white wine with pineapple ice cream, at La Piojera near the Mercado Central, if you dare.
The Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos (free, near Quinta Normal metro) is a sober and essential visit about the Pinochet years; allow 2 hours, closed Mondays.
Day 3: Maipo Valley wine day
Morning. Take metro line 4 to Las Mercedes (about 40 minutes from the centre), then a taxi 15 minutes to Concha y Toro in Pirque, the biggest winery in Chile, home of the Casillero del Diablo cellar. Tours with tasting cost about CLP$25,000-35,000 and must be booked online.
Afternoon. For a smaller cellar, Cousiño Macul sits inside the city in Peñalolén, 20 minutes by taxi from Plaza Egaña metro, and Santa Rita in Buin has a museum of pre-Columbian art in the estate. Carménère, the grape that was thought extinct until it was found in Chile in 1994, is the one to taste.
Evening. Return to Providencia or Italia for dinner; Barrio Italia's restaurants and design shops are around Avenida Italia and Condell. Then go up Sky Costanera in the Gran Torre Santiago, about 300 metres high (roughly CLP$20,000-25,000), for the city lights against the dark Andes.
A winery tour with transport from Santiago costs about CLP$70,000-110,000 and lets everyone taste; driving yourself after tastings is not a good idea in Chile, where the limit is very low.
Day 4: Day trip: Valparaíso
Morning. Buses leave from Terminal Alameda (metro Universidad de Santiago) every 15-20 minutes, take about 1h45 and cost about CLP$4,000-8,000 each way. In Valparaíso, walk to Plaza Sotomayor and ride the Ascensor Concepción or Reina Victoria, century-old funiculars that cost a few hundred pesos.
Afternoon. Wander Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción, the UNESCO-listed hills of painted houses, murals and staircases, and climb to La Sebastiana (about CLP$9,000), Neruda's tall house above the port. A free walking tour starts from Plaza Sotomayor most days.
Evening. Eat seafood empanadas in Viña del Mar next door or in Valparaíso's hill restaurants with port views, then take a bus back (the last ones leave around 21:00-22:00).
Valparaíso has pickpockets around the port and El Plan; keep cameras close, stay on the busy hills and take a taxi after dark.
Only have 2 days?
With 2 days, do Day 1 and Day 2 as written and add Sky Costanera at night. You lose the wine country and the coast.
Got extra days?
From June to September, a 5th day can go skiing at Valle Nevado or Farellones, about 1h30 into the Andes. In summer, the Cajón del Maipo gorge (about 1h30 by bus or tour) has hiking, rafting and the hot springs of Baños Colina, near the El Yeso reservoir.
Where to stay in Santiago
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Barrio Brasil / Bellavista | Hostels and guesthouses in old mansions; lively, check the street at night. | CLP$35,000-60,000 |
| Mid-range | Lastarria | Walk to the centre and Cerro San Cristóbal, cafés and bars on the doorstep. | CLP$70,000-120,000 |
| Mid-range | Providencia | Calm, safe, on metro line 1, many restaurants. | CLP$70,000-130,000 |
| Comfort | Las Condes / Vitacura | Modern towers, Costanera Center, mountain views; 20 minutes from the old centre. | CLP$150,000-300,000 |
Getting around
The metro is the easiest way around: buy a bip! card and expect about CLP$800-900 a ride, a little more at peak times; line 1 runs under the Alameda from the centre to Providencia and Las Condes. Uber, Cabify and DiDi are widely used and cheap, about CLP$4,000-8,000 for most city rides. From the airport, the Centropuerto and TurBus coaches run to Los Héroes metro for about CLP$2,500 in 30-40 minutes; an official taxi costs about CLP$25,000-35,000.
What to eat in Santiago
Chilean food is generous and simple. Try empanadas de pino (beef, onion, egg and olive), pastel de choclo (corn pie baked in a clay dish), cazuela soup, porotos granados in summer, and the completo, a hot dog buried in avocado and mayonnaise, about CLP$3,000. Seafood is excellent: machas, locos, sea urchins and conger eel. Lunch is the main meal; many places offer a menú del día for CLP$7,000-12,000. Sweet mote con huesillo (peach drink with wheat) is sold on Cerro San Cristóbal. Dinner starts after 20:30, and wine by the glass is good and cheap.
Best time to visit
September to November (spring) and March to April (autumn, grape harvest) are best, with 20-28°C and clear Andes views. December to February is hot and dry, often above 30°C, and many Santiaguinos leave in February. Winter (June-August) is cool, with frosty nights near 0°C, smog on still days and snow on the mountains for skiing.
Month-by-month weather for Santiago →
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | CLP$22,000 | CLP$48,000 | CLP$110,000 |
| Food & drink | CLP$20,000 | CLP$40,000 | CLP$80,000 |
| Sights & tickets | CLP$6,000 | CLP$18,000 | CLP$40,000 |
| Local transport | CLP$3,000 | CLP$9,000 | CLP$25,000 |
| Total per person, per day | about CLP$51,000 | about CLP$115,000 | about CLP$255,000 |
Approximate 2026 prices in Chilean pesos; foreign visitors who pay for hotels in US dollars or by foreign card and show their passport and entry record are usually exempt from the 19% IVA tax on rooms.
Before you go
Common questions
Is Santiago safe?
It is one of the safer capitals in South America, but phone snatching and pickpocketing are common in the centre, around Plaza de Armas, the Mercado Central, Bellavista and on busy metro lines. Keep your phone in your pocket on the street, use ride apps at night, and stay in Lastarria or Providencia. Violent crime against tourists is rare.
Should I see Valparaíso as a day trip or stay overnight?
A day trip works well, since buses run every 15-20 minutes and take under 2 hours. Staying one night in a guesthouse on Cerro Alegre lets you see the hills at sunset and early morning without crowds, and around New Year the fireworks over the bay are famous. For one night, add Viña del Mar's beach and the Casablanca wine valley on the way back.
Do I need cash in Chile?
Cards and contactless payments work almost everywhere in Santiago, including taxis booked by app. Carry some pesos for the markets, the funiculars in Valparaíso, small kiosks and tips. Chilean ATMs charge a fee of about CLP$6,000-9,000 per withdrawal for foreign cards, so take out larger sums less often.
How many days do I need before going to Patagonia or the Atacama?
Two to four. Flights from Santiago to Puerto Natales, Punta Arenas or Calama leave early, and the Andes views are a good way to recover from a long-haul flight. Many visitors split the city days, two at the start and one or two at the end, so a delayed southern flight does not cost them a connection.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan may earn a commission; the price you pay is the same. How we make money.