Season guide · Santiago · Chile
Santiago in winter
June–August: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Carlos Figueroa Rojas, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Cool and grey with most of the year's rain, frosty mornings and occasional smog, but snow-capped Andes and ski season from about late June. Expect highs up to 17°C (63°F) and lows around 3°C (37°F), with about 17 rainy days across June–August.
Key facts
- Months
- June–August
- Temperatures
- 3°C (37°F) to 17°C (63°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 17
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Hotel prices
- Average
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | 15°C (59°F) | 4°C (39°F) | 6 | 9.9 h | 2/5 |
| July | 15°C (59°F) | 3°C (37°F) | 6 | 10.1 h | 3/5 |
| August | 17°C (63°F) | 4°C (39°F) | 5 | 10.9 h | 3/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 16°C (61°F) against a yearly 23°C (73°F), and 17 of the year's roughly 30 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 3/5 and hotel prices 3/5 on average.
Good choices for winter
Gallery · Parque Forestal
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Chile's national fine arts museum occupies a 1910 Beaux-Arts palace with a glass-domed central hall at the edge of Parque Forestal.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Architecture
- Free
- Rainy day
Museum · Quinta Normal
Museo Nacional de Historia Natural
Combine it with the Museum of Memory, across the road from the park's north side.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Free
- Rainy day
- Nature
Museum · La Granja
Museo Interactivo Mirador (MIM)
Santiago's hands-on science museum has hundreds of interactive exhibits on physics, the human body, earthquakes and technology, set in a large park in the south of the city.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Active
Museum · Centro Histórico
Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
Allow time for the basement Chile gallery, which many visitors miss after the main floors.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Quinta Normal
Museum of Memory and Human Rights
Opened in 2010, this museum documents the human rights violations committed during the military regime of 1973–1990 through testimonies, photographs, letters and broadcast footage.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Rainy day
Day trips in winter
- Cajón del Maipo (About 1–2 hours by road) — The Maipo River canyon south-east of the city has hiking trails, hot springs, rafting in summer and the turquoise El Yeso reservoir high in the Andes.
- Maipo Valley wineries (Pirque) (About 1 hour by Metro and taxi) — The closest wine country to Santiago, with historic estates such as Concha y Toro in Pirque offering cellar tours and tastings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère against an Andes backdrop.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Santiago?
It is a trade-off: Cool and grey with most of the year's rain, frosty mornings and occasional smog, but snow-capped Andes and ski season from about late June. The best months overall are March–April and October–November.
+What is the weather like in Santiago in winter?
Highs of up to 17°C (63°F) and lows around 3°C (37°F), with about 17 rainy days over the season.