Welcome to Santiago! Santiago, also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation (Greater Santiago). It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of 520 m (1,706.04 ft) above mean sea level. Although Santiago is the...
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Welcome to Santiago! Santiago, also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation (Greater Santiago). It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of 520 m (1,706.04 ft) above mean sea level. Although Santiago is the capital, legislative bodies meet in the coastal town of Valparaíso, a one-hour drive to its west.
Chile's steady economic growth has transformed Santiago into one of Latin America's most modern metropolitan areas, with extensive suburban development, dozens of shopping centers, and impressive high-rise architecture. It is an Alpha(-) World City and has a very modern transport infrastructure, including the steadily growing underground Santiago Metro, an effort at modernizing public bus transport and a free flow toll-based ring road and inner city highway system, part of which is tunneled underneath a large section of the city's main river Mapocho connecting the Eastern and Western extremes of the city in a 25-minute drive. Santiago is the regional headquarters to many multinationals, and a financial center. Santiago has a cosmopolitian diverse culture. Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport is Santiago's national and international airport. 15 minutes from downtown through the urban highways (Costanera Norte-Vespucio Norte). The airport currently serves non-stop flights from Santiago to the United States via Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta. There is an extensive network of bicycle trails in the city, especially in the Providencia comuna. The longest section is the Americo Vespuccio road, which contains a very wide dirt path with many trees through the center of a street used by motorists on both sides. The next longest path is along the Mapocho River along avenida Andrés Bello.
The city's main parks are:
• Cerro San Cristóbal - San Cristóbal Hill, which includes the Santiago Metropolitan Park Zoo
• Parque O'Higgins - O'Higgins Park
• Parque Forestal - Forestal Park, park located at the city centre alongside Mapocho river
• Cerro Santa Lucía - Santa Lucía Hill
• Parque Araucano in Las Condes adjacent to the Parque Arauco shopping mall contains 30 hectares of gardens. It is closed for maintenance on Mondays.
• Parque Inés de Suarez, Providencia.
• Parque Padre Hurtado(a.k.a. Parque Intercomunal).
There are ski resorts to the east of the city (Valle Nevado, La Parva) and wineries in the plains west of the city.
Cultural places to visit include:
• Museo de Bellas Artes - Fine Arts Museum
• Barrio Bellavista, cultural and bohemian neighborhood
• Central Station, railway station designed by Gustave Eiffel
• Víctor Jara Stadium
• Ex National Congress
• Plaza de Armas, central square
• Palacio de La Moneda, government palace
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