Chile's capital at the foot of the snow-capped Andes: Plaza de Armas, La Moneda Palace, the funicular and cable car up Cerro San Cristóbal, Neruda's 'La Chascona' house, the cafés of Lastarria and Bellavista, and wineries in the Maipo Valley. UNESCO-listed Valparaíso and the beaches of Viña del Mar are ~1 h 45 min by bus; in winter (June–September) ski at Valle Nevado. No direct flights — over 30 hours via Istanbul or Madrid. Mongolian citizens are visa-free for 90 days.
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Costs and prices on the ground
return from $1900
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Weather
Daytime 16–31°C · warmest in January
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: March, April, May, September, October, November.
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Things to see (12)
12 places: Plaza de Armas and Metropolitan Cathedral, La Moneda Palace, Cerro San Cristóbal…
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Plaza de Armas and Metropolitan Cathedral★ 4.5 (60,000)
CultureFreeSquare 24 hours; cathedral ≈9:00–19:00
The main square where Pedro de Valdivia founded the city in 1541: an 18th-century neoclassical cathedral, the Central Post Office and the National History Museum. Chess players and street performers; crowded, so guard your bag.
CultureFree (interior tours need advance registration)
Show all (12)
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Cerro Santa Lucía★ 4.6 (50,000)
CityFree (sign in and show ID at the gate)Tue–Sun 8:00–19:30, Mon 12:00–19:30 (until 20:30 in summer)
A small hill in the centre with the Neptune fountain, stairways, castle-like terraces and Fort Hidalgo. At its foot, the Lastarria district's bookshops, cafés, museums, the MAC and GAM cultural centre — lovely for a stroll.
Adult return fare: $1900–$3500Choose connections on one ticket so your bags are checked through. Routing via the USA (Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston) requires a US visa even in transit. Transiting Europe (Madrid, Paris, Frankfurt) without leaving the international area needs no transit visa for Mongolians, but entering Schengen needs a visa. Brazil and Türkiye are visa-free. Mongolia is not on Australia's transit-without-visa list, so transiting Sydney needs a Transit (subclass 771) visa. Seasons are reversed: December–February is summer and pricey. Santiago is 11 hours behind Ulaanbaatar (12 hours April–September).
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Visa and documents
Visa-free · 90 days · language, safety, medical, SIM
Visa-free · 90 days
Mongolian citizens with any passport type are visa-free in Chile for up to 90 days (since 29 Dec 2018). The visa table of Chile's foreign-ministry consular service lists Mongolia as 'no visa required, 90 days'. At the border the PDI (investigations police) issues a digital Tourist Card (Tarjeta de Turismo) — print it or keep a photo; it is checked when you leave. Be ready to show a return ticket, hotel booking and sufficient funds. Food, fruit, meat and seeds must be declared on the SAG form. Check transit rules separately: via the USA a US visa; via Australia a transit visa.
Visa rules can change — confirm with the embassy or an official source before you travel.
Language:Spanish (the Chilean accent is fast, drops word endings and has its own slang like 'po' and 'cachai'); some English in hotels and restaurants in Providencia and Las Condes — a translation app is needed
Safety:Petty crime has risen in recent years: pickpocketing and phone snatching on the metro, around Plaza de Armas, in Bellavista and the Valparaíso port area — don't hold your phone out in the street. Staying in the eastern districts (Providencia, Las Condes, Lastarria) is safer in the evening. Chile is highly seismic — know your hotel's exits, and if a tsunami warning sounds on the coast, head to high ground. Demonstrations happen in the centre — keep away.
Healthcare:Healthcare is among the best in Latin America: private clinics such as Clínica Alemana and Clínica Las Condes treat patients in English, but are very expensive. Winter smog is heavy; take care with altitude in the mountains. Travel insurance is a must.
Phone:Easiest is an eSIM bought before you fly (Airalo, Holafly and the like) — no IMEI registration needed. Local Entel, Movistar, WOM and Claro SIMs can be bought with a passport, but a foreign phone is blocked unless its IMEI is registered within 30 days. Get a Bip! card for transport.
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Travel guide
Arrival, SIM, transport, money, customs — step by step
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goChile is visa-free for Mongolians, but the journey is long — check the rules of every country you connect through in advance.+
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Visa: 90 days visa-free
Mongolian citizens with any passport type are visa-free in Chile for up to 90 days (since 29 Dec 2018). The Chilean consular service's visa table lists Mongolia as 'no visa required'. Border officers may ask for a return ticket, hotel booking and proof of funds.
Connecting through the USA requires a US visa even in transit. Transiting Madrid, Paris or Frankfurt without leaving the international area needs no transit visa for Mongolians. Istanbul and São Paulo are visa-free. Mongolia is not on Australia's transit-without-visa list, so routing via Sydney needs an Australian Transit (771) visa in advance.
Tip: Book one ticket with bags checked through — problems usually happen in transit.
Seasons are reversed: Mongolia's autumn is spring there. The most pleasant months are September–November and March–May; the grape harvest is in March–April and ski season June–September. Private hospitals are very expensive, so travel insurance is a must.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityArturo Merino Benítez (SCL) airport lies north-west of the centre; international flights use Terminal 2.+
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Immigration and customs
PDI border police check your passport and issue a digital Tourist Card — keep a photo; it's checked when you leave. Then SAG (the agriculture service) X-rays your bags: undeclared fruit, meat, dairy, seeds or honey bring heavy fines. Declared items are simply confiscated.
The Centropuerto bus costs CLP 2,400 one way, and Turbus runs a similar service — to Pajaritos and Los Héroes metro stations, then continue by metro. Prepaying at the official taxi/transfer counters inside arrivals costs ~CLP 27,000–29,000 to the centre. Don't go with people calling 'taxi?' outside.
If your phone supports eSIM, install a Chile or Latin America eSIM before flying. Travel eSIMs need no Chilean IMEI registration, so they're the easiest option.
Entel's tourist SIM costs ~CLP 4,500 (4 GB, 7 days), and a 30-day 20 GB bundle ~CLP 19,000. But a foreign phone is blocked unless its IMEI is registered within 30 days, and some stores won't sell a SIM on a foreign passport. Movistar, WOM and Claro also operate.
🚇Getting aroundThe metro is clean and fast; RED buses cover the rest. Both need a Bip! card.+
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Bip! card and metro
Buy a rechargeable Bip! card at metro ticket offices. Metro fares depend on time: peak (7:00–8:59, 18:00–19:59) CLP 895, daytime CLP 815, early morning and late evening CLP 735. Buses take no cash — Bip! only; transfers within 2 hours are almost free.
Uber, Cabify and DiDi are widely used, with upfront prices. In black-and-yellow street taxis, check the meter is running; at night, booking by app is safer.
💳Money+
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Chilean peso (CLP)
In October 2026 $1 ≈ CLP 982. Visa and Mastercard are accepted everywhere and contactless payment is common. ATMs add a surcharge for foreign cards, so withdraw larger amounts at once; change money at the official casas de cambio on Agustinas street.
Foreign tourists who pay for their hotel in US dollars or with a foreign card, showing their tourist card and passport, are exempt from VAT (IVA). Ask whether the quoted rate includes IVA when booking.
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Tipping
Restaurants ask '¿Desea incluir la propina?' and add a suggested tip to the bill — accepting it for good service is customary. When paying cash in shops you can round up.
The cold Pacific current makes shellfish and fish plentiful: paila marina soup, ceviche, machas a la parmesana (razor clams with cheese), centolla (king crab). The small stalls around Mercado Central are cheap and fresh.
Tip: The lunchtime 'menú del día' (soup + main + drink) is the cheapest full meal.
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Street and traditional food
Baked empanadas filled with pino (beef, onion, egg, olive), pastel de choclo (corn pie), chorrillana (fries topped with meat and egg) and the 'completo' hot dog. For something sweet, mote con huesillo and alfajores.
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Wine and pisco
Carménère is Chile's signature red; visit wineries in the Maipo, Casablanca and Colchagua valleys. The pisco sour is a point of rivalry with Peru over who invented it. Drinking alcohol in public places is banned.
🛡️Safety and health+
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Emergency numbers
Ambulance (SAMU) 131, fire 132, police (Carabineros) 133, investigations police (PDI) 134 — free, 24 hours. Mountain rescue 136. Report thefts at a Carabineros station and get a report ('constancia') for your insurer.
Petty crime and armed robbery have risen in recent years: guard your phone and bag on the metro, around Plaza de Armas, in Bellavista and at the Valparaíso port. Don't hang bags on café chairs. Don't walk alone at night; use app taxis. Staying in Providencia, Las Condes or Lastarria is safer.
Chile is one of the most seismically active countries in the world; buildings are designed to withstand strong shaking. If it shakes, 'drop, cover, hold on' — get under a table, away from windows. On the coast, if sirens sound or after strong shaking, follow the tsunami route signs to high ground.
Acquaintances greet with a single kiss on the right cheek; men shake hands with each other. Saying 'Buenos días' when entering a shop or lift is polite.
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Conversation topics
The Pinochet dictatorship, the 1973 coup and politics are sensitive — ask with care. Chileans have friendly rivalries with Peru and Argentina (pisco, football) — listen rather than tease.
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Time and meals
Lunch is long and dinner late; 'once', an early-evening tea with light food, is common. Arriving a little late to a private meeting is normal, but be on time for tours and flights.
📱Useful apps+
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Transport
Red Movilidad is the official app for RED buses and the metro; Google Maps works well too. For rides use Uber, Cabify or DiDi.
Download Spanish in Google Translate for offline use. Check SENAPRED for official earthquake, tsunami and wildfire alerts — they are also pushed to phones.
Get to the airport well ahead of an international flight; roads out of the city jam at rush hour. Keep your tourist card (digital copy) handy. Turkish's return flight stops in São Paulo — check whether you need to leave the plane.
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Where next
Domestic flights from Santiago reach the Atacama Desert (Calama), Patagonia (Punta Arenas) and Easter Island; Buenos Aires and Lima are a short flight away. Argentina and Peru are visa-free for Mongolians for 90 days.
Changing of the guard every other day, Mon–Fri 10:00, Sat–Sun 11:00; interior tours Mon–Fri 9:00–16:30
The presidential palace — the historic scene of the 1973 coup. The Carabineros' changing of the guard on Plaza de la Constitución lasts about 30 minutes; the La Moneda Cultural Centre underneath hosts exhibitions.
NatureFunicular return CLP 2,250; cable car from CLP 3,150 (children cheaper)Funicular and cable car Tue–Sun 10:00–18:45 (summer 19:45)
A hill rising 300 m over the city, topped by a white statue of the Virgin Mary with views of the Andes. The 1925 funicular climbs from Bellavista and a cable car from Providencia; at the top, drink mote con huesillo (a peach-and-wheat drink). The National Zoo and swimming pools are on the hill.
A powerful museum documenting human-rights abuses under the 1973–1990 Pinochet dictatorship through records and testimony. English audio guide; next to Quinta Normal metro station. Emotional content, not suited to young children.
CultureCLP 11,000 (students and under-17s CLP 4,500)Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00
The ship-like house of Nobel-winning poet Pablo Neruda, toured with an audio guide. It sits on a Bellavista street of murals, bars and restaurants; his 'La Sebastiana' house in Valparaíso is also a museum.
A 360° observation deck 300 m up on floors 61–62 of Gran Torre Costanera, South America's tallest building. Snowy Andean peaks on clear days. The large Costanera Center mall is below.
FoodFree to enter≈9:00–17:00 (closes earlier at weekends)
An 1872 iron-framed fish market: fresh shellfish, king crab (centolla), paila marina soup and ceviche. The restaurants in the central hall are pricey for tourists — the small stalls around the edge are cheaper. La Vega Central fruit-and-vegetable market is nearby.
FoodTraditional tour ≈CLP 28,000 (3 wines and a souvenir glass)Daily, scheduled tours (book ahead)
The historic Pirque estate and vineyards of Chile's biggest winery, with the legend of the 'Casillero del Diablo' cellar. Take metro Line 4 to Las Mercedes, then a taxi, or join a tour. Santa Rita, Undurraga and other wineries are also in the Maipo Valley.
About 1 h 45 min by bus from Santiago: a UNESCO-listed port of colourful hillside houses, street art and century-old funicular lifts (Concepción, Reina Victoria). Viña del Mar's beaches and flower clock are next door. Take care around the port, especially in the evening.
Cajón del Maipo and El Yeso Reservoir★ 4.7 (15,000)
NatureFree (tours from ≈CLP 40,000)Daytime; the road may close in winter depending on conditions
An Andean canyon 1.5–2 hours east of the city: the turquoise El Yeso reservoir, rafting, the village of San José de Maipo and natural hot springs. High altitude (2,500 m) — bring warm layers and sunscreen.
NatureDay ticket prices vary by date; children under 12 free (card CLP 6,000)Ski season ≈mid-June to September
One of South America's largest ski resorts, 60 km from the city at 3,000 m, next to La Parva and El Colorado. The road is full of hairpin bends, so go by shuttle or tour; in summer there are mountain walks and views.
