Santiago de Chile

Santiago is built around its hills. Santa Lucía, the rock where the city was founded, stands in the centre among the old streets of the Plaza de Armas and the Mercado Central; San Cristóbal, much larger, rises over Bellavista, where Neruda's house La Chascona stands among bars and restaurants. Between them, the neighbourhood of Lastarria has the cafés and the cultural life, and the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino holds one of the best collections of pre-Columbian art in the continent.

A night or two is the usual. A day on foot through the centre, the market and Lastarria, and up San Cristóbal by funicular for the view of the city with the Andes behind. Those with more time can go into the mountains of the Cajón del Maipo, or out to Valparaíso and the vineyards. For travellers crossing from Mendoza by road over the Andes, Santiago is the first stop in Chile.

It works all year, and spring and autumn are the best for walking it.