Don't Skip Santiago

Are there any cities with a more dramatic setting than Santiago?

Fringed by craggy, 20,000-foot peaks cloaked in snow, Chile's capital and largest city affords views of the magnificent Andes Mountains from just about anywhere in town -- and offers a good deal more, such as good food and drink, Spanish colonial heritage buildings, a sparkling central business district, a stylishly bohemian drinking and dining district and bracingly good modern architecture.

Santiago is typically a short stopover for travelers from North America, and that's understandable, if outdated. Chile is blessed with spectacular natural attractions such as the mountains and fjords of Patagonia in the far south and the world's driest salt desert in the far north. In their haste to explore wild nature, visitors pop in and out of Santiago's international airport and skip over the city. ...