Santiago, Valparaíso & Chile’s Wine Country: A Week Between the Andes and the Pacific

Morning

Begin at La Moneda Palace, Chile’s seat of government, and descend into the Cultural Center beneath it, a subterranean hall alive with design and exhibitions.

From here, stroll north along the pedestrian Paseo Ahumada into Plaza de Armas, the city’s founding square where palms shade chess games and the Metropolitan Cathedral anchors centuries of history.

Afternoon

For lunch, stay in step with the neighborhood. At El Portal Ex Bahamondes, under the plaza’s porticos, the completo italiano was first served—a hot dog transformed into an icon, lavishly topped with tomato, avocado, and mayonnaise. The colors echo the Italian flag, yet the sandwich is entirely Chilean, beloved for its messy abundance and everyday charm.

For something equally historic but more refined, Confitería Torres serves the Barros Luco, the beef-and-cheese sandwich once favored by presidents.

Evening

Continue east to Santa Lucía Hill, a terraced 19th-century park where fountains and staircases spiral up to Castillo Hidalgo.

As the city turns golden, transfer northeast to Mestizo in Parque Bicentenario, where glass walls reflect pools and sky while ceviche and carménère mark an elegant close to the day.

Morning

Cross the Mapocho River into Bellavista and ride the funicular up San Cristóbal Hill. From the summit, the Andes stretch in jagged silhouette. Return by cable car down to the park’s eastern edge.

From there, it’s a short hop to the Costanera Center and its Sky Costanera deck—the tallest view in South America, Santiago at your feet.

Afternoon

Late lunch belongs to Lastarria, ten minutes by taxi, where Bocanáriz curates Chile’s terroir into flights of wine paired with small plates—goat cheese, smoked fish, sharp pickles.

Spend the afternoon strolling the barrio’s galleries and bookshops, then walk back into Bellavista for La Chascona, Neruda’s whimsical house.

Evening

Dinner stays in the neighborhood at Peumayén Ancestral Food, where Mapuche and other indigenous flavors are transformed into an elegant tasting menu—earthy, smoky, deeply rooted.

Morning

Begin in Providencia, a leafy district where boulevards spill into parks and shaded cafés.

Continue east to Pueblito Los Dominicos, a rustic market village of clay-roofed workshops where artisans craft silver, wool, and wood by hand.

On the way back, pause in Barrio Italia, where antiques and design ateliers fill sunlit courtyards.

Afternoon & evening eats

Lunch is at Liguria, a boisterous institution where bold murals frame plates of pastel de choclo—a rich corn pie layered with beef, olives, and egg.

The afternoon is yours for wandering or resting, before a short evening transfer north to Ambrosia in Vitacura, where Chef Carolina Bazán’s market-driven creations unfold in a lively, almost familial dining room.

Morning

Leave Santiago early and head south into the Colchagua Valley, where vines quilt the hillsides beneath Andean ridges.

Stop first at a traditional bodega for barrel tastings before arriving at Viña Vik—part winery, part design retreat. Its titanium pavilion glints above rolling vineyards. Inside, glass walls dissolve into the valley. Tastings here are immersive, each pour matched to the land outside.

Evening

Dinner is a vinous odyssey: lamb glazed with carménère, garden vegetables charred and dusted with herbs—every course paired to Vik’s vintages.

Stay the night if you can. Dawn brings silver mist across the vines, a moment that distills Santiago’s singularity—where mountains, vines, and the city are all within reach of a single horizon.

• Insider’s note: Pressed for time? Maipo Valley (one hour south) offers storied cellars and bold Cabernets; Casablanca Valley (90 minutes west) produces crisp whites closer to the coast.

Morning

Drive west to the Pacific. Begin in Valparaíso, its funiculars rattling up hills splashed with murals. In Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción, pastel houses tumble toward the bay.

Visit La Sebastiana, Neruda’s eccentric coastal home, then pause at Restaurant La Concepción, where machas a la parmesana—razor clams baked under Parmesan—arrive with a view across the harbor.

Afternoon stroll & eel stew

By afternoon, continue twenty minutes north to Viña del Mar, known as the “Garden City.”

Pause at the Flower Clock, admire Castillo Wulff perched above the surf, and walk the sands of Reñaca Beach.

Stay for dinner at Castillo del Mar, where waves crash below the terrace and bowls of caldillo de congrio—Neruda’s beloved eel stew—anchor the coast in both poetry and tradition.

Day in the Maipo Valley

Leave Santiago at first light, when the towers still cast long shadows, and head southeast toward the Cajón del Maipo. Within an hour, the sprawl gives way to orchards and foothills, the Maipo River a silver ribbon guiding you deeper into the Andes. The air cools, the horizon sharpens, and the road winds into a canyon where condors ride the thermals high above.

By late morning you reach Embalse El Yeso, a glacial reservoir cradled 2,500 meters above sea level. The water here is an impossible turquoise, luminous against stark granite walls. A gentle walk along the shoreline lets you absorb the silence—broken only by the rush of wind and the rare flash of a condor’s wing.

On the descent, pause for lunch at Casa Bosque, a whimsical timbered lodge near San Alfonso. Inside, stained glass throws jewel tones across heavy beams, and fireplaces crackle against the mountain chill. The food is as robust as the setting: cazuela steaming with corn and meat, lamb slow-braised with rosemary, or trout from nearby rivers, poured alongside a Maipo Valley red. It is mountain fare elevated by atmosphere, comforting yet entirely of its place.

Evening

By early evening, Santiago comes back into view, its skyline softened by dusk.

Close the day with dinner at Cuerovaca in Vitacura, where open-fire grills and bold Chilean reds restore the city’s cosmopolitan rhythm. After the wilderness, the return to sleek interiors and Wagyu cooked over flame feels like a perfect balance—mountain silence answered by metropolitan sophistication.

• Insider tip: The roads into Cajón del Maipo are narrow and winding. A private driver is highly recommended, leaving you free to watch the landscape unfold without distraction.

Say farewell

Your final day in Santiago unfolds at the pace of your departure. If leaving in the morning, let the city offer one last view from your hotel terrace, a quiet breakfast in the gardens, or a walk through nearby streets—just enough to feel its rhythm one more time.

For those with an afternoon or evening flight, begin your day southeast of the city at the Templo Bahá’í de Sudamérica, its lotus-like dome sculpted from marble and glass high above Peñalolén. From its terraces, Santiago stretches below, the Andes etched sharp against the horizon. Inside, silence is expansive, an elegant pause before the journey ahead.

Final dinner

If you remain for dinner, close the journey at Boragó, where Chef Rodolfo Guzmán distills Chile’s landscapes into a single poetic tasting menu—Pacific seaweed, Patagonian herbs, Andean roots. It is not simply a meal but a farewell note, a memory of Chile that lingers long after you board your flight.

• Insider tip: Allow extra time for airport transfers. Santiago’s international terminal can be busy, and late-afternoon traffic often slows the route. Plan at least 90 minutes door to gate.