Few capitals boast as dramatic a setting as Santiago, Chile, which is squished between the Chilean Coast Range and some of the highest mountains in the Andes. Frequently overlooked by travelers headed onward to Chile’s wild extremes—like Patagonia and the Atacama Desert—this city of 7 million people really does deserve a few days of your time. 

Day-trippers can swirl a glass of peppery Carménère at a Spanish-colonial Maipo Valley winery, soak in milky-green hot springs at Colina Valley, or hike to the Condor Lookout to photograph the largest raptors on earth. In winter, you can even race down the Andes at one of four ski resorts. And within two hours, you can survey the vast Pacific from a tony beach town like Zapallar or the art-filled streets of Valparaíso.

Of course, be sure to spend time downtown, too. Santiago has world-class museums, vibrant parks and plazas, bohemian barrios, buzzing nightlife, and a growing food scene to match those globe-conquering wines… (continue reading at Condé Nast Traveler)