See all Posts in the Wanderlust – A Travel Blog Series
Ok, so you love the ocean and want to book a midwinter escape from the cold. But you also love hiking in the mountains. And you love art. And you love wine and fine dining. But you only have a week.
To quote Mick Jagger — “You can’t always get what you want…”
Or can you?
Let me tell you about Santiago, Chile, a modern, gleaming city nestled on the shores of the Pacific Ocean with the stunning backdrop of the Andes Mountains to the east. Santiago (Chile’s capital) is in the Southern Hemisphere, so the dead of winter in Minnesota is the dog days of summer in Chile.
Like every other capital city south of the Equator, Santiago boasts the best empanadas in the world, along with the best Pisco (a rum-based spirit commonly served in a Pisco Sour with lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, and bitters).
The water is safe for Americans to drink, the food is varied and delicious throughout the country, and restaurant meals are amazing bargains due to the strong dollar.
If you love hiking, modest urban hikes with spectacular views are available within the city limits. Or you can find day-trip hikes in the mountains on the eastern edge of the city and true alpine high-Andes experiences farther east in the canyons and ski resorts.
If you crave beach life, Viña del Mar (just 75 miles away) is an upscale resort city known for wide, popular beaches. To be fair, it is better for sunbathing than swimming, however. The Humboldt Current brings cold water (and penguins!) up from Antarctica, making it famously brisk. OK — bone-chilling. Pack a picnic lunch for the beach, but bring a wetsuit if you want to swim or surf.
If you love art, you won’t want to miss Valparaíso (also just a short drive from Santiago), which is known as the Graffiti Capital of the World. Chile generally has mixed feelings about street art. They are immensely proud of the high-quality murals that adorn walls and buildings throughout the country (especially in Valparaíso). Street art is also revered for its history as a tool of political resistance to the Pinochet regime in the 1970s and 1980s.
At the same time, there is frustration with the proliferation of “tags,” which many see as simple vandalism. Either way, street art graces much of Santiago and virtually all of Valparaíso. Walking tours there are a delight.
Valparaiso is an astounding hidden gem in one other way as well. Valparaiso hosts the grandest, most iconic New Year’s Eve party in South America. The city is a natural amphitheater, with high rises built on successively higher hills surrounding the bay in the heart of downtown.
The centerpiece of the celebration is an enormous fireworks display launched from barges just offshore. Live music and dancing spill into every alley and last until sunrise. Because the view is so perfect from so many vantage points, over a million people attend each year (more than three times Valparaiso’s normal population).
Chile may not be the first place people think of as a wine tour destination, but it is the second-largest wine producer in South America (behind Argentina) and the largest wine exporter. istorically, Chile produced wine as a commodity (bulk quantity at modest prices).
While they still produce plenty of “grocery store” wine, they have also become world-renowned for premium red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère, as well as crisp white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
The wineries of Maipo Valley are just 30 to 60 minutes from downtown Santiago. Concha Y Toro and Santa Rita are among the best-known producers in this area. Casablanca Valley and Aconcagua Valley are a little further out, yet still provide an excellent opportunity for a day trip to discover your next new favorite wine.
Using Santiago as your base of operations, if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.
(Dan Keyport is a CCLN board member and former Chaska business owner, now retired. His home base for international travel has been Chaska for over 30 years.)
