Wayne Bernhardson - Moon Chile: Including Easter Island

LOOK FOR TO FIND RECOMMENDED SIGHTS, ACTIVITIES, DINING, AND LODGING.

Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino: In an elegant colonial building, this rehabbed museum houses an irreplaceable assortment of indigenous artifacts from throughout the Americas ().

Mercado Central: North of the Plaza de Armas, this onetime colonial landfill became a produce market and, more recently, a tourist draw for its simptico seafood eateries ().

Palacio de la Moneda: The public is welcome to stroll the passages of this colonial presidential palace. Its subterranean cultural center is a treasure ().

Cerro Santa Luca: In the late 19th century, visionary mayor Benjamn Vicua Mackenna started the transformation of a barren quarry, where Pedro de Valdivia founded Santiago, into what is now a true garden spot ().

La Chascona: On a cul-de-sac in bohemian Barrio Bellavista, Nobel laureate poet Pablo Nerudas whimsical Santiago residence is a delight ().

Via Cousio Macul: The vineyards and subterranean bodegas of this classic winery are conveniently close for tours and tasting ().

Valle Nevado: Few cities can boast world-class ski slopes so close ().

Cajn del Maipo: The Ro Maipos canyon has hiking, hot springs, rafting, kayaking, and much more ().

Presuming you have only two days in Santiago, get to know the central Plaza de Armas and vicinity, including the Mercado Central and the Museo Precolombino, the Palacio de la Moneda, Cerro Santa Luca, poet Pablo Nerudas La Chascona house, and a winery or two. With an additional day or two, theres time for activities-oriented excursions, such as hiking or rafting in the Cajn del Maipo, or wintertime skiing.

Santiago is 32 cities in oneeach of its comunas (boroughs) has a separate municipal government. The national government, though, controls services that overlap municipal boundaries, such as transportation.

Between the high Andes and the lower coast range, Gran Santiago sprawls from north of the Ro Mapocho to south of the Ro Maipo; the meandering Mapocho joins the Maipo near the town of Talagante, in the southwestern corner of the Regin Metropolitana. The city sits on a southwest-sloping sedimentary plain 550 meters above sea level, but Andean outliers such as 635-meter Cerro Santa Luca and 869-meter Cerro San Cristbal are scattered throughout.

The Mediterranean climate includes a pronounced dry season (NovemberApril) and wet winters (though droughts are not unusual). The daily maximum temperature averages 28C in January, but the elevation helps keep nights cool. In July, the coolest month, the daily maximum averages 10C.