Visa and entry requirements Chile:
Passport required
No visa is required

Information from the Foreign Office about your trip to Chile:
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/chilesicherheit/201230

Chile is a country in southwestern South America that forms the western edge of the continent and has around 18 million inhabitants. Chile stretches 4,275 kilometers from north to south, while the average extent from west to east is less than 200 kilometers. Because of this unusual shape, Chile has often been called “the elongated country” since its discovery.

The state borders the Pacific Ocean to the west and south - with a total of around 6,000 kilometers of coastline, to the north by Peru, to the northeast by Bolivia and to the east by Argentina. Chile is the most developed country in all of Latin America.

The national currency is the Chilean peso, where 1 euro corresponds to around 800 CLP. The official language in Chile is Spanish and around 70% of the inhabitants are Roman Catholic.

Due to the long north-south extension over more than 39 degrees of latitude, but also the considerable differences in altitude, Chile has a wide variety of climate and vegetation zones. The Chilean lakes include the salt lakes in the north, the largest and best known of which is the Salar de Atacama.

The north of Chile has several mountains, some of which are over 6,000 meters high. The Atacama Desert stretches between the coast and the western Andes chain. This desert is one of the driest areas on earth; there is often no rain for years.

The very sparsely populated south of Chile is an extremely rainy region. The coast is very rugged with a large number of offshore islands.

South of the mainland is the island of Tierra del Fuego, which Chile shares with Argentina. On the island “Isla Hornos” off Tierra del Fuego is Cape Horn, the southernmost point of Chile and South America.

The ten largest cities in the country include Santiago de Chile, Valparaiso, Concepcion, La Serena, Antofagasta, Temuco, Rancagua, Arica, Talca, Punta Arenas and Puerto Montt.

The country's main tourist destinations include the city of San Pedro de Atacama in the Atacama Desert, the Andes Mountains, the impressive landscape of Patagonia with the Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares National Parks - the largest glacier in South America, the city of Punta Arenas, the Campo de Hielo Sur and the capital Santiago de Chile.

Santiago de Chile is the undisputed center of Chile, home to around 6.5 million inhabitants. The capital is located in a valley about 50 kilometers in diameter, around 500 meters above sea level.

The most important sights in Santiago include the Metropol de Santiago Cathedral, the former National Congress, the Plaza de Armas, the Presidential Palace, the Palace of Justice, the Historical Museum, the Santo Domingo Church, the 127 meter high Torre Entel television tower, the 300 meter tallest buildings in South America - Gran Torre Costanera, the Cerro San Cristobal - a landmark of the city with breathtaking views, the house of the former Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, the National Stadium, the Central Cemetery of Santiago, the statue of Salvador Allende and the Santiago Metro.

In January 2018 I visited the Chilean capital Santiago de Chile for four days, after having already been there for one day in 2014. During this time I lived with friends in the upscale district of “Lo Barnechea” and spent very eventful days there.

Through a full-day, personal tour of the capital, I got to know almost every corner of Santiago, including some non-touristy places.

On the second day, a visit to Cerro San Cristobal was on the agenda. This impressive statue high above the city is a must-see for any Santiago tourist. The breathtaking view over the entire city of Santiago de Chile is simply fantastic.

The “Bellavista” urban area is lined with countless restaurants, bars and clubs. Every evening you can end there in one of the many different and cozy locations. I even found a quaint German pub there with home-brewed wheat beer and original German food. This restaurant called “Kunstmann”, which by the way is highly recommended for everyone, really came in handy after just two weeks in South America.

Overall, the city of Santiago de Chile seems very European and completely different from the rest of South America. It somehow felt mostly like being in Spanish-speaking Europe.

Chile is a fantastic holiday country and wonderful and easy to travel for every tourist. One day I'll take more time to explore the rest of this great part of South America. Atacama is still at the top of my wish list.