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Whether you’re eagerly anticipating a snowy ski holiday in the Andes or a sultry night of salsa dancing at a club in Bella Vista, there’s no wrong time to visit Santiago.
Flights to Santiago tend to fill up between the months of December and March. This is when visitors are flocking to the city for their holidays and the natives are heading out of the city to nearby Valparaíso in hopes of avoiding the scalding summer heat. Santiago is the capital of a predominantly Catholic country, so booking a flight to Santiago during Holy Week and the Easter holidays should be made months in advance, as airfare prices can be high. During this period there is a procession through the city, which sees a priest riding on a decorated carriage, being followed by people wearing colourful, traditional attire. The celebrations go into the night, with plenty of music and dancing.
The transitional seasons of autumn and spring are the best times for finding cheap flights to Santiago. Given that the city is located in the Southern Hemisphere, spring falls between the months of September and November, while autumn takes place from April until mid-June. Visiting Santiago during April can be a great time to take advantage of discounts on Airline tickets, especially if you’re a music lover. The incredibly popular music festival, Lollapalooza, takes place over two days during this month. Expect to see well known international artists from a variety of music genres, including pop, rock and dance.
Protected by the towering peaks of the Andes, Santiago is a sprawling capital city rich in history, culture and national pride. The city is now a thriving cultural haven that is one of the most visited sites in Latin America. With museums boasting walls of priceless artwork, nightclubs blasting the best dance music until the wee hours of the morning and restaurants serving up heaping portions of humitas (sweet corn cakes) it’s no wonder that visitors are flocking to the city.
Santiago is ideal as a jumping off point for further travel within Chile and throughout South America as well. Visit Santiago for a vacation in this urban oasis complete with the majestic sight of the Andes in the distance or venture off to the nearby port town of Valparaíso for a dream-like seaside stay. Santiago is a metropolis that embraces its rich history as well as the youthful energy of its inhabitants. Colonial buildings and magnificent churches are just as prevalent as bungalows covered in sprawling graffiti murals and street fairs, and it’s this mix of pride and ingenuity that keeps visitors entertained all year round.
Summers (December to February) in Santiago are sweltering. The city’s location in the middle of a valley means that pollution and humidity tend to settle over Santiago and temperatures can reach as high as 30 degrees during the day. Though the sun can be brutal in the summer time, this is still the busiest time of year in Santiago. Winter months (June through September) are mild with some precipitation and average temperatures hovering around 11 degrees.
International buses from Argentina and Bolivia arrive regularly at the Terminal de Buses Santiago and Terminal los Heroes. More than a million people ride Santiago’s metro, one of the best and cleanest in South America, each day. If you’re planning on staying in town for more than a day, get a travel pass to get discounted fares.
Travellers who book flights to Santiago will arrive at Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL), which is also known as Santiago International Airport and Pudahuel Airport. It is located in Pudahuel, which is 9 miles (15 km) north-west of Santiago’s city centre.