Best of Summer in Santiago

This acclaimed ice cream parlor with more than 15 locations (most Santiago malls have one) dishes out every imaginable flavor. Regulars crave dulce de leche, lifted from the namesake caramel dessert. Or try the Chilean classic called café...

The mercury during summer afternoons can hit 34C (or around 95F). How to stay cool during the hottest time of the day (4-6pm)? Besides seeking shade or air-conditioning, Santiaguinos seek solace in a traditional drink called "mote con huesillos."...

For the uninitiated northerner, spending Christmas in Santiago can be a little odd. First, it is HOT. December 21 is the summer equinox and the temperature can heat up well into the 90s. There are no cookies in sight here; yuletide cheer comes...

Atop towering Cerro San Cristóbal, there are two municipal pools where many families go to cool off during the summer: Tupahue and Antilén. Conveniently, these all have fabulous views of the city below. However, they do come with a price tag of...

After New Year's, tomatoes become the king of vegetables and flood the markets with no end in sight (until March). Many of the shirt-soakers hail from a dusty country town near the coast called Limache. These tomatoes hold a place in most...

Only an hour and a half north of Santiago is one of the Central region's best kept secrets: La Campana National Park. The park covers over 20,000 acres and preserves over 60,000 Chilean palms (some over 400 years old and multiple stories tall). To...

Catedral is part of the trio of Café del Opera (great coffee, lunch, ice cream) and the high-end gourmet restaurant Opera. The third piece is Catedral, located on the second floor and roof of the historic building sprawling over the corner of José...

Santiago's largest summer festival is held every January and is focused on the performing arts, with a heavy emphasis on theater. The international festival draws in major theater troupes, plays, clowns, mimes and puppeteers from around the world...

When the inland summer heat gets to you, take a day trip and head west to the mighty Pacific, only an hour and a half away. North of the crowded resort area of Viña del Mar is Concon. Once a tiny village, Concon lines the azure Pacific like the...

The newly opened Parque Fluvial Renato Poblete was once a garbage dump and squatters’ before the nearly 50 acres were taken by the government and transformed into this handsome park. Dividid into two areas, “El Cauce” (The Channel) is 17-acre...