Plan an amazing trip to Chile
Located in the south west of South America, and bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Chile is over 2,500 miles long and only 125 miles wide. The longest country in the world, it offers an impressive variety of landscapes and climates owing to its specific geographic location.
From the border with Peru to Tierra del Fuego, Chile will enchant you with its beauty. The vertiginous summits of the Andean cordillera, the arid Atacama desert, the plateaus and fertile plains, the mediterranean coastline’s immense beaches and Patagonia’s untamed landscapes will bowl you over.
There are a number of national parks where you can pursue outdoor activities such as hiking and kayaking. Torres del Paine National Park in the south of the country, with its imposing landscape of forests, fjords and glaciers, and Lauca National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site in the Altiplano to north, with its volcanos and exceptional fauna, are both well worth a visit.
A land of contrasts, Chile is also a country of picturesque villages, seaside resorts and old colonial towns.
Santiago de Chile, the capital, surrounded by snow capped peaks, has to be seen for its historic district’s 16th century monuments, the baroque cathedral and museums such as the Museum of Pre-columbian art and the National History Museum. Also worth exploring are the city’s numerous parks and the picturesque markets and neighbourhoods, such as Bellavista, Providencia and Chascona, home to the Pablo Neruda museum.
The historic district of Valparaiso, the country’s second city, at the edge of the Pacific, has beenn classed as a UNESCO world heritage site. The port will charm you with its multi-coloured houses built on the hillside, its cobbled backstreets and the unique cable car.
Valentin's tips, local guide
Best time to go to Chile
To be sure to travel at the right time, check out our tips and weather histories with temperatures, sunshine and rainfall for each month.