Santiago, also Santiago de Chile is the capital and largest city of Chile located in the central valley of the country, at an altitude of 520 m (1,706 feet) above mean sea level.
Founded in 1541, Santiago has been the capital since colonial times. The city has a downtown core of 19th century neoclassical architecture and winding side streets, dotted with art deco, neo-Gothic, and other styles.
The urban landscape of Santiago is formed by several autonomous hills, the fast Mapocho river, flanked by parks like the Forest Park.
The mountains of the Andes chain can be seen from most points of the city. These mountains contribute to a considerable pollution problem, especially during the winter. The outskirts of the city south of Santiago are the rich and beautiful vineyards of the Maipo Valley, one of the most renowned wine producing regions in the world.

---

Santiago is also the center point of a region filled with attractive locations and a variety of activities. Only 60 km away are the main ski centers of South America, and the beautiful Pacific beaches are only an hour's drive to the northwest.
The city has hotels of all categories, from the cheapest to the most luxurious, restaurants of all ethnicities, nightclubs, clubs, a museum, universities, international and national airports, high-rise office buildings, theater, shopping malls, amusements, a modern metro system, and more.
If you come for business or pleasure you will like Santiago.
Within an hour or so from Santiago, you can also find outdoor opportunities such as hiking, nature, hot springs, and skiing.

---

Chile has the most amazing, fresh and seasonal products. From fruit and vegetables to fish and shellfish and a variety of typical dishes in addition to the international dishes existing in almost every city in the world such as fast food and pizzas.
As for the variety of cuisine the Empanada Chilena, which can be served fried or roasted and containing in the filling, meat and onion or cheeses and clams, a delight!
The proximity to the sea and the cold water currents that bathe the Chilean coast, guarantee the quality and variety of fish and seafood served in the restaurants specializing in the products.
In the central market of Santiago de Chile we find many of these restaurants that stand out among their main dishes, Albacora or Corvina in butter, fried Congrio, seafood and many others.
At lunch or dinner if you choose seafood, start with a Saute de Mariscos, with a traditional sauce of bread with a touch of spice or Curanto a delicious cooked in a hole in the earth on a bed of stones and leaves of nalca, composed of seafood, poultry and pork, onions and chili.
The two delicacies are usually served with potatoes or Chapaleles (grilled omelette).
Other wonders of the palate we find in the Seafood Soup (in winter it is a divine cold wonder that comes comforting and delicious), the Seafood Panel or the Fish Soup.
Still for the lovers of the sea, we present the Pastel of Jaiba (Crab) or the Machas (species of mollusk) to the Parmesana roasted in clay pot.
For those who like to taste great flavors and do not abdicate the meat we mention the Carbonada, which consists of a fried or cooked meat with several vegetables and the typical Chilean tablecloths that will not disappoint you.
Another authentically Chilean dish is the Charquicán, which consists of a mixture of meat and charque, prepared with varied vegetables and served in a pickle of onions. There is a variation prepared with beef rib.
Lovers of the roasts can not fail to experience the "Asado al Palo", a dish traditionally served at creole parties consisting of jabbing in two stakes an open lamb and roasting it directly over the red-hot fire. This dish is usually accompanied by a salad made with onion, tomato, coriander and the typical green pepper.
In the cold, a consistent vegetable dish warms the soul and leaves satisfied for many hours of the day. A delicious way to eat the typical white beans is to taste the Porotos Granados with corn and pumpkin in the Chilean way.
Accompany anyone with the delicious homemade breads prepared with natural lard present at every Chilean table.
A very healthy way to kill the hunger of the afternoon is to eat a Humita (salty pamonha).
Also it is the famous Pastel of Choclo Chilean, the green corn cake stuffed usually with meat of chicken or ground meat, made in clay pot sprinkled with sugar (the mixture of sweet and salty flavors is a very typical custom of Chile).
In desserts the Chilean is not very extravagant and rescues in traditional recipes the simplicity and all the flavor inherited from the ancients, as for example we can taste in the famous Sopaipillas (fried marmalade fritters bathed in brown sugar syrup) and Picarones ( fried donuts made with "zapallo" a kind of Chilean typical pumpkin, bathed in sugar syrup with lemon or orange).
To conclude, we indicate some traditional Chilean drinks that you can accompany with your meals or when you are partying:
In addition to the already traditional wine, which tops the list of the best in the world, Santiago offers different drinks such as Pisco Sour (Pisco based cocktail - a Peruvian cachaça extracted from grapes, lemon juice, and sugar); the Chicha (fermented drink based on fruits such as grapes or apples) and Guindado, a traditional liqueur based on red fruits with the main ingredient cherry (a kind of cherry).

---

The climate of Santiago is similar to that of the Mediterranean.
The rainy winter, (but not much) that runs from May to August, has temperatures that fluctuate a lot. To get an idea, during the day the temperature can vary from 10ºC to 25ºC and during the night reach below zero.

---