Santiago City Tour, Santiago

Santiago, home to just under six million people, is one of the great capital cities of Latin America. Traveling its myriad neighborhoods and city streets you find a fascinating mix of the old and the new. Like any venerable metropolis, the culture of Santiago reveals itself in its people, art, music, architecture, and cuisine. That means the best way to get to the heart of it is on a guided tour of the city with an English-speaking guide.

The highlights of this half-day or full-day tour are many. It includes a visit to Santiago's labyrinthine Mercado Central and Mercado La Vega. These markets are the beating heart of the city, overflowing with vendors and local residents eager to get their hands on the day's fresh produce. The tour also passes by the Catedral Metropolitana, a neoclassical church dating to 1748 and whose towering twin bell towers dominate the north side of the plaza.

But to really get a sense of the scope of Santiago, it's vital to see it from above. That's why the tour stops at the glittering Costanera Center, an epic skyscraper encased in glass. At nearly 1,000 feet (304 meters) high, the top floor offers 360-degree views of the city below, as well as the surrounding Andes. An alternative and equally impressive panoramic viewpoint is found at the top of Cerro San Cristóbal, a hill that sits 300 meters (984 feet) over Metropolitan Park and offers 360° views of the entire city. It's possible to hike up to Cerro San Cristóbal on foot or take a cable car or funicular elevator.