Best Time to Visit Chile

Santiago: the easy months

Santiago has a Mediterranean climate, so summers are dry and winters are cool and damp. The best stretches are April to May and August to November. In autumn, the vineyards around the city turn gold and the days are mild. In spring, the Andes still have snow on top, and you can see them clearly from Cerro San Cristóbal on a good day.

January is the hottest month, with highs around 32°C. Afternoons are dry and strong, and the city empties a bit as locals head to the coast. June is the wettest month at 52 mm, but that's still not much rain. Winter days are often crisp and clear between the grey ones.

Chile is long, so timing changes

Our site only covers Santiago for now, so these are general notes. Chile stretches a very long way north to south. The Atacama Desert in the north is dry almost all year. Patagonia in the far south is best in the warm months, roughly November to March, when trails like Torres del Paine are open and days are long. It's also windy, even then.

If you want to ski, aim for roughly June to September. Resorts like Valle Nevado are within a couple of hours of Santiago.

Holidays, crowds and seasons

High season is January and February, when Chilean schools are on summer break. Beach towns like Viña del Mar and Pucón fill up, and Patagonia is at its busiest. Winter school holidays in July bring families to the ski fields.

Fiestas Patrias, around 18 September, is the big national holiday. Expect asados (barbecues), empanadas, and fondas, which are festive food-and-dance fairs. Buses are packed, and many shops close for a few days. Easter week also brings a long weekend.

Low season is roughly May to August outside the ski areas. If you hate crowds, April, May, October and November are your best bet. You'll get good weather in Santiago and more space almost everywhere.