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Travel and Tourism in Chile
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Chile.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
- Time Difference
- UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Currency
- 673.2
- Climate
- Chile's climate is as varied as its geography. Despite lying in the tropics, northern Chile is characterized by warm summers and mild winters, due to the moderating influence of the cool Humboldt Current. In the central region, where Santiago is located, summers (December to March) are dry, with warm days reaching into the high 80s or low 90s, but cooler nights. Winter (June to September) is generally cold, foggy, and rainy (rainfall averages 14 inches a year); temperatures climb into the 50s and 60s during the day and usually drop to the 40s at night, with occasional frost. The southern Lake District has cooler average temperatures and is wetter than the central region, with annual rainfall reaching 100 inches. In the far south, the climate is colder still, with gale force winds much of the year. Rainfall in this region also averages 100 inches annually, except in the Patagonian steppes, where it drops to an average of 20 inches a year.
- Language(s) Spoken
- Spanish 99.5% (official), English 10.2%, Indigenous 1% (includes Mapudungun, Aymara, Quechua, Rapa Nui), other 2.3%, unspecified 0.2%; note - shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census
- Ethnic Groups
- White and non-Indigenous 88.9%, Mapuche 9.1%, Aymara 0.7%, other Indigenous groups 1% (includes Rapa Nui, Likan Antai, Quechua, Colla, Diaguita, Kawesqar, Yagan or Yamana), unspecified 0.3%
- National Holiday
- Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 30 00 S, 71 00 W
- Location
- Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru
- Airports
- 476
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
Regions and Cities
Santiago, Chile's capital and by far its largest city, is a sprawling, dynamic metropolis that serves as the political, cultural, economic, and social heart of the nation. With a metropolitan population of approximately seven million people, or roughly a third of the country's entire population, Santiago dominates Chilean life in ways that few other national capitals do. The city sits in a broad, fertile valley surrounded by the Andes to the east and the coastal range to the west, and on clear days the snow-capped Andean peaks provide a backdrop of almost theatrical grandeur. Unfortunately, Santiago suffers from significant air pollution, particularly in winter, when thermal inversions trap pollutants in the valley, and the mountains are often obscured behind a layer of smog.
Despite its pollution challenges, Santiago is an immensely rewarding destination. The historic city center, the Centro, contains the Plaza de Armas, the traditional heart of colonial Latin American cities, surrounded by the Metropolitan Cathedral, the colonial Palacio de los Gobernadores, the Central Post Office, and the Museo Histórico Nacional. A short walk from the plaza is the Palacio de La Moneda, the presidential palace that was bombed during the 1973 coup and meticulously restored, now open to visitors.
Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Santiago has two main private hospitals that are accredited by The American Hospital Association and meet U.S. standards: Clinica Alemana and Clinica Las Condes. Both have international patient departments and experience with some international insurance companies. Medical care in Chile is generally good, though it may not meet U.S. standards in remote areas. Major hospitals accept credit cards, but many doctors and hospitals in Chile expect immediate payment in cash.