Against the backdrop of the snow-capped Andes, life in the bustling capital of Chile with a population of five-million people unfolds.
 On clear days the 5,000 m high peaks of the Andes appear to be so near that one could almost touch them. The best panoramic view can be enjoyed from the highest point in Santiago, the wooded mountain Cerro San Cristóbal: behind the belt of the Mapocho river the glass facades of the new business centres and the domestic towers of the city's upper communities line up as far as the foot of the Cordillera. Two public open air pools, a small zoo, a botanical garden and several restaurants tempt visitors to linger in this green oasis right in the middle of the city.
Santiago is multi-facetted. Firstly, there is the time-honoured centre around the Plaza de Armas. The bronze rider statue of Pedro de Valdivia, commemorates the year 1541, when the conquistador founded "Santiago de la Nueva Extremadura". The prestigious buildings around the main square for the most part date back to the 18th century: the neo-classical cathedral, the former court (today a History Museum), the municipal building and the Casa Colorada (City Museum).
In the midst of a hectic capital city, life on the Plaza has a much slower, leisurely pace: artists offer their paintings, ice cream vendors with carts ring their bells, and chess players are totally immersed in their matches. From here you can stroll through the lively pedestrian precincts, walk over to the newly restored governmental palace Moneda or in direction of the river to the iron Market Hall, where fruits and seafood are piling high. There's no better place to taste fresh fish or muscles from the Pacific than in one of the restaurants amongst these buzzing market stalls.
A totally different atmosphere greets visitors in the business and office mile along the Avenida Providencia. Modern architecture, neat shopping malls and trendy boutiques dominate the scene. Yuppies meet for Happy Hour and high society indulges in sophisticated dinners in the many stylish bars and elegant restaurants.
Lively, too, is the artists' and bohemian quarter Bellavista. The bizarre home of the nation's poet, Pablo Neruda, can be viewed here, and in the evening one has the difficult choice between Off-theatres and salso-teques, elaborate restaurants and jazz pubs.
What's more, you're just a stone's throw away from the seaside resorts on the Pacific coast, featuring long sandy or pebbled beaches, rustic seafood restaurants and cultural attractions such as the coastal retreat of the poet, Pablo Neruda - Literature Nobel Prize winner - in Isla Negra. The fancy house full of nooks and crannies, where Neruda collected everything from bottles and sea snails to figureheads, is now a museum.
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Santiago and around the metropolis
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