Santiago De Chile : Why go there?

Santiago de Chile: a name that smells of the antipodes and exoticism. However, many travellers are disappointed by it: uninteresting architecture, unpleasant pollution (in winter because there is no wind, and in summer by the ozone), a chaotic and sickly urban frenzy... It certainly doesn't have the cachet of Rio de Janeiro, or even Buenos Aires. However, the capital of Chile (about 6.5 million inhabitants, that is to say 1/3 of the inhabitants of the whole country!) still retains a particular charm, especially thanks to the presence of many parks and gardens and a successful global "makeover" recently. The hotel offer is excellent, the gastronomic menu is varied and of high quality, and museums and cultural centres abound. In the surrounding area, you can quickly reach glaciers in the high and wild Andes. Wine enthusiasts can discover numerous vineyards. And the country's seemingly simplistic geography means that a traveller almost inevitably passes through it. Santiago marks the border between North and South: between the world of mines, the raw, heroic lights, the work, the kindness of the northern inhabitants; a peaceful and generous southern central valley, its colonial atmosphere and its wine aromas; and a colder, reserved, practical and Germanic Great South. Santiago de Chile certainly doesn't deserve a long stay, but today it is an indispensable step to understand the country and capture the essence of this capital at the confluence of Latin and Western influences.