{"id":40158,"date":"2023-08-01T12:29:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T09:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/chile-the-capital-and-other-cities\/"},"modified":"2023-08-01T12:33:07","modified_gmt":"2023-08-01T09:33:07","slug":"chile-the-capital-and-other-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/chile-the-capital-and-other-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"Chile: The capital and other cities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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About Chile<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Chile
Hand statue found in Atacama Desert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

First, a bit about Chile\u2019s history. Ruled by the Inca Empire, the region was conquered and colonized by the Spanish in the mid-16th century. At the time, it was estimated that more than 500,000 indigenous people lived in the area, with the majority of those in the north making their living from fishing and farming. Chile declared its independence from Spain in 1818. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting to Chile<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Airlines operates flights from Istanbul to Santiago, Chile\u2019s capital, via Bogota (Colombia), Panama City (Panama), and Sao Paulo (Brazil). You can check out flight times and other details on our flight ticket<\/a> page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to visit Chile?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As Chile is in the southern hemisphere, the country\u2019s summer months are December and January. Many travelers believe that the spring months \u2013 September, October and November \u2013 are the best time for a visit to Chile. On the other hand, keep in mind that the seasons and the weather may vary depending on where you are in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where is Chile?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Andes
A cute llama in the Andes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chile has a long Pacific Ocean coastline and is alongside Argentina on the southern tip of the South American continent. The Andes Mountains form Chile\u2019s border with Argentina, and the Drake Strait, one of the world\u2019s most challenging bodies of water to cross, separates Chili from Antarctica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The capital, Santiago, and other Chilean cities<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Plaza de las Armas, one of the popular squares of Santiago, the capital of Chile\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Chilean capital, founded in 1541, is home to 40% of the country’s population. Let’s take a look at Chile’s capital, Santiago, and some of the country’s most popular cities one by one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chile\u2019s capital: Santiago<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 1541, Santiago is the Chilean capital and the country\u2019s largest city as home to 40% of the country’s population. Established along the banks of the Mapocho River and featuring breathtaking views of the Andes rising in the east, Santiago is a colorful and crowded metropolis, a tourist attraction and an important cultural center. The highlights of Santiago include the Plaza de las Armas, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of Fine Arts, Cerro San Cristobal Hill, and La Chascona House. Let us reiterate that the best time to visit Chile\u2019s capital, Santiago, is during the spring \u2013 unless you plan to ski, in which case, the winter months are ideal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antofagasta<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The northern port city of Antofagasta is Chile\u2019s second largest city and the capital of Antofagasta Province. Bordered to the east by Bolivia and Argentina, and to the west by the Pacific Ocean, the vast majority of the province’s population live in towns such as Tacopilla and Calama. Antofagasta has a cold desert climate while being saturated by the sea and the sun. In July \u2013 the coldest month of the year in the region \u2013 the average temperature is around 12 degrees. Some highlights in Antofagasta are the Centro Cultural Estacion Antofagasta, an important cultural center, and Museo Regional. There\u2019s also the majestic Monumento Natural La Portada, a natural stone arch in an oceanside park about a 20-minute drive from the city center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valparaiso<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Valparaiso, the capital of the Valparaiso region, is one of the most important port cities in the South Pacific, with a substantial cruise and container ship presence. Located 120 kilometers from Santiago. Valparaiso is an appealing city that has inspired a great deal of art \u2013 particularly street art. It is often referred to as Chile\u2019s cultural capital and its historical district, which reflects its colonial period, was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2003. Valparaiso has a Mediterranean climate that features hot summers and wet winters. We suggest visiting the region during the spring months. While in Valparaiso, we recommend an excursion to Vi\u00f1a del Mar. Often referred to as \u2018the garden city\u2019, Vi\u00f1a del Mar is a picturesque town with several museums and an amphitheater. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dining in Chile<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"What
Chile’s national dish is the cazuela, made with chicken, beef or lamb.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chile has a diverse seafood industry due to its long coastline. Furthermore, as in the rest of South America, red meat is widely consumed. Some of the country\u2019s notable dishes include the following. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Cazuela, <\/strong>a hot dish featuringchicken, meat or seafood along with vegetables and a broth. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Pastel de choclo<\/strong>, a pie made of sweetcorn flour and basil, and filled with minced meat, onions and spices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Sopapilla<\/strong>, a sweet Chilean street delicacy similar to pumpkin bread<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Dulce de leche cookies<\/strong>, shortbread cookies with a filling of caramel or caramelized milk <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Buen apetito!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    Practical information about Chile<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Chile\u2019s capital city: <\/strong>Santiago<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chili\u2019s official language: <\/strong>Spanish<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chilean currency: <\/strong>Chilean peso<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    About Chile First, a bit about Chile\u2019s history. Ruled by the Inca Empire, the region was conquered and colonized by the Spanish in the mid-16th century. At the time, it was estimated that more than 500,000 indigenous people lived in the area, with the majority of those in the north making their living from fishing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":39402,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[147],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-40158","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-trip-ideas"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40158"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40162,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40158\/revisions\/40162"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}