Santiago de Chile is the country’s capital and largest metropolis, positioned almost smack in the middle of this long narrow country between the Andean mountain corridor and the Pacific Ocean. This city is largely made up of narrow side streets and 19th-century neoclassical architecture interspersed between hills, parks, and the Mapocho River. While the air in Santiago is somewhat polluted and smoggy, the views of the Andes rising up above the skyscrapers are breathtaking in and of themselves. Our guide to running in Santiago features some of the city’s great parks and neighborhoods with good streets for running.
Running is getting more popular in Santiago, and there’s a growing community of runners, running groups, and stores. Because the streets are not designed for running, the best places to run in Santiago tend to be the parks like Parque Forestal, Cerro San Cristobal, and Parque O’Higgins. Some neighborhoods, like Vitacura, have decent road running.
Like many cities developed before modern public transportation, Santiago can be maze-like and confusing to navigate. However, they do have a very reliable Metro and bus system which will get you pretty much anywhere you want to go. If you plan on being in town for even a few days, it’s worth it to purchase a Bip! Card, the easiest and cheapest way to charge your fares.
Santiago has a Mediterranean climate, with warm summers and mild winters, with relatively low amounts of precipitation. Summers, which are December-March, average in the high 80s (29C) during the day, but coolish nights with lows in the 50s (11C). The air is dry and precipitation is rare in summer. Wintertime (June-Sept) temperatures are in the mid-50s (14C) during the day and 30s at night (2C). Ice and snow are rare. The bulk of Santiago’s 11 inches of annual rain falls in winter.