Santiago

Santiago needs 3 days: the historic center and Santa Lucía hill on one, the Bellavista neighborhood and San Cristóbal hill on another, and a nearby vineyard trip on the third. March-May (southern hemisphere autumn) brings mild weather and clear skies, ideal for seeing the Andes in the background. It's cheaper than other South American capitals like Buenos Aires relatively speaking, though Chile's cost of living is among the region's highest. It's one of the few capitals in the world where you can ski in the Andes and visit world-class vineyards on the same day, thanks to its geography compressed between mountains, valley and coast.