Santiago in January

When to go

In January the WMO normals from Chile's national weather service show hot afternoons, much cooler nights and almost no rain, so plan for heat by day and a layer after dark. New Year's Day is one of the holidays on which Chile's labor directorate says retail workers must rest, with exceptions such as restaurants and airport shops, so check opening hours around it.

Trip facts

• The World Meteorological Organization's World Weather Information Service lists, for Santiago, Chile, a mean daily maximum temperature of 30.1 °C (86.2 °F) and a mean daily minimum temperature of 13.3 °C (56.0 °F) in January, from the Dirección Meteorológica de Chile and based on monthly averages for 1981–2010. (worldweather.wmo.int, checked 2026-10-16)
• The WMO's World Weather Information Service lists, for Santiago, Chile, a mean total rainfall of 0.6 mm in January, from the Dirección Meteorológica de Chile and based on monthly averages for 1981–2010. (worldweather.wmo.int, checked 2026-10-16)
• The visa table on Chile's consular website (Consulado de Chile, Ministry of Foreign Affairs) answers 'NO' to '¿Requiere visa?' for Estados Unidos de América, with a maximum stay ('plazo máximo estadía') of 90 days. (www.consulado.gob.cl, checked 2026-10-16)
• Chile's Servicio Nacional de Migraciones says Permanencia Transitoria is granted to foreigners who enter the country for tourism, business or other reasons for a limited time, allows a stay of up to 90 days that can be extended once for up to 90 more, and is recorded on the Tarjeta Única Migratoria (TUM) that the Policía de Investigaciones (PDI) hands over on entry. (serviciomigraciones.cl, checked 2026-10-16)
• Sernatur's official site, chile.travel, says Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez Airport (SCL) is the main air terminal in Chile, that it is located 17 km from the center, and that you can take direct buses to the Pajaritos or Los Héroes Metro stations, a taxi, or rent a vehicle to get to your accommodation. (chile.travel, checked 2026-10-16)
• The airport's operator, Nuevo Pudahuel, describes its official transportation as a regulated service available 24 hours a day, and says to hire it (taxi, bus, transfer) only at the official counters inside the terminal, before heading out to the public area, and to refuse informal transport offers in hallways or parking lots. (www.aeropuertosantiagodechile.cl, checked 2026-10-16)
• Red Metropolitana de Movilidad, Santiago's public transport system, lists Metro hours of 06:00 to 23:00 Monday to Friday, 06:30 to 23:00 on Saturdays, and 07:30 to 23:00 on Sundays and holidays, and says that entering the network at 23:00 still lets you catch the last train through your station. (www.red.cl, checked 2026-10-16)
• Red Movilidad says the Tarjeta bip! is the official means of payment of Red Metropolitana de Movilidad, which integrates buses, Metro and MetroTren Nos, that it can be bought and topped up at all Metro and MetroTren Nos ticket offices, and that it allows travel on all three modes with up to two transfers on a single payment within 2 hours (120 minutes). (www.red.cl, checked 2026-10-16)
• Sernatur's chile.travel page for Santiago Capital lists among its unmissable attractions the Historic center, Sky Costanera, Cerro San Cristóbal, the Lastarria and Bellas Artes Neighborhood, and Barrio Italia and Bellavista. (chile.travel, checked 2026-10-16)
• Chile's Dirección del Trabajo says that, under Law 19.973, May 1, September 18 and 19, December 25 and January 1 of each year are mandatory, non-waivable holidays for all retail workers, except those working in places such as clubs, restaurants, entertainment venues and shops at airports. (www.dt.gob.cl, checked 2026-10-16)