December in Santiago is the first real month of summer, and the single most important thing to know is that the city splits around December 20. For the first three weeks, the weather is warm and dry, santiaguinos are still at work, and Barrio Lastarria's sidewalk cafes keep full terraces into the evening. School holidays begin around December 15. Christmas preparations take over. Half the santiaguinos head for the coast, Viña del Mar and Valparaíso in particular, while hotel rates for the Christmas-to-New-Year window climb sharply.
December's weather tends to be close to ideal if dry heat agrees with you. Highs average 29°C (84°F) and lows sit around 14°C (57°F), with practically no rainfall and humidity near 50%. Sunset doesn't come until close to 9pm. You get roughly 15 hours of daylight. The Andes snowpack remains visible from rooftops across the eastern comunas, white against a sky that rarely hosts a cloud.
One thing most Northern Hemisphere visitors underestimate is the UV intensity. Santiago sits at about 520 meters (1,700 feet) elevation and 33° south latitude, where the ozone layer runs thinner than at equivalent latitudes north of the equator. A 20-minute walk along the Mapocho River without sunscreen will leave a mark.
Why visit in December
- Nearly zero rainfall through December makes outdoor plans reliable from Cerro San Cristóbal to the Maipo Valley vineyards, with no rain contingencies needed
- Roughly 15 hours of daylight with sunset near 9pm leaves time for a full museum morning and an evening walk along Parque Forestal without rushing
- Chilean cherries and stone fruits hit their annual peak at La Vega Central, priced well below their export value during these first weeks of the harvest season
- Early December, before the 15th, still carries moderate pricing and fewer crowds if your travel dates are flexible
Worth knowing
- Afternoon temperatures in the Santiago basin can feel hotter than the thermometer reads due to the urban heat island effect, especially along the concrete corridors near Estación Central
- The final 10 days of December see holiday-driven price spikes of 30-50% on hotels in Providencia and Las Condes, with limited availability around New Year's Eve
- Intense sun at Santiago's elevation and latitude is a genuine hazard, particularly between 11am and 3pm when the angle is steepest
- Several family-run restaurants and smaller shops close from December 24 through early January for summer holidays, thinning options in neighborhoods like Barrio Yungay and parts of Centro
Best for
Think twice if
December sits squarely in the dry season. Rainfall barely registers, with a monthly total of 2mm that might fall as one brief late-afternoon event, if it bothers to show up at all. Mornings tend to start mild before the Santiago basin heats up through the afternoon. The valley geography traps warmth, so you'll notice that downtown corridors near the Alameda and Estación Central feel hotter than the eastern hillside comunas like Vitacura or La Reina. Evenings in Parque Forestal or Barrio Bellavista cool enough for a light layer after sunset. The consistent dryness makes the warmth more manageable than tropical cities at similar latitudes in Southeast Asia or Central America.
Seasonal caution
- UV index reaches 11+ (extreme on the international scale) throughout December, amplified by the city's elevation and the Southern Hemisphere's thinner ozone layer at this latitude. Exposed skin can burn in under 15 minutes of midday exposure without protection.
- Occasional heat waves push afternoon temperatures above 35°C (95°F) for 2-3 consecutive days, particularly in the second half of December. The Santiago basin's geography traps hot air, making these events uncomfortable without air conditioning.
Year-round climate
Averages from the last 5 years.
| Month | Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 15 | 15 |
| Feb | 30 | 16 | 4 |
| Mar | 28 | 14 | 5 |
| Apr | 24 | 12 | 16 |
| May | 18 | 9 | 47 |
| Jun | 16 | 7 | 94 |
| Jul | 16 | 7 | 34 |
| Aug | 16 | 7 | 100 |
| Sep | 18 | 8 | 33 |
| Oct | 23 | 10 | 18 |
| Nov | 26 | 12 | 14 |
| Dec | 29 | 14 | 2 |
Holidays and festivals in December
Public holidays
- Immaculate Conception(Inmaculada Concepción)8 December 2026
- Christmas Day(Navidad / Natividad del Señor)25 December 2026
Best things to do in December
Morning hike on Cerro San Cristóbal
outdoorThe 722-hectare Parque Metropolitano offers multiple trails up Cerro San Cristóbal, from the paved Camino Real to the quieter Sendero Chagual on the eastern slope. December's clear mornings make the Andes snowpack visible from the summit terrace, and the walk up from the Pío Nono entrance in Bellavista takes roughly 45 minutes at a steady pace.
December's dry weather and clear skies make the Andes panorama from the 880-meter summit sharper than at any other time of year. Start before 9am to climb in comfortable temperatures.Booking tipThe funicular has long weekend queues. Walk up via the Bellavista entrance or take the Teleférico from Pedro de Valdivia Norte for a shorter wait.
Wine tasting day trip to the Maipo Valley
food and drinkThe Maipo Valley vineyards, about 45 minutes south of central Santiago, run extended summer visiting hours in December. The vines are in full green canopy before the late-summer harvest, and Cabernet Sauvignon is the valley's signature grape. Several established wineries accept walk-ins on weekdays.
Summer visiting hours mean later closing times, and the vineyards are at their most photogenic with full foliage before the February-March harvest begins.Booking tipBook 3-5 days ahead for weekend tastings at popular estates. Weekday visits rarely require a reservation.
Swim at Piscina Tupahue on Cerro San Cristóbal
outdoorThe hilltop public pool on Cerro San Cristóbal is one of Santiago's few swimming spots with genuine panoramic views of the city below. The pool operates on a first-come basis in summer, with a modest entry fee. Shaded areas around the pool deck are limited.
Piscina Tupahue opens for the summer season in late November and runs through March. December's consistently warm afternoons make it the most reliable swimming month.Booking tipArrive before 11am on weekends. The pool reaches capacity by midday and stops admitting visitors.
Visit the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art
cultureThe 1981-founded museum in the heart of Centro houses one of South America's most significant collections of pre-Columbian art. Andean textiles, Mapuche silverwork, and ceramics spanning several thousand years fill the permanent galleries. The air-conditioned interior makes it a welcome midday destination.
December afternoon temperatures make air-conditioned museums a genuine draw rather than a fallback option. The permanent collection alone takes 2-3 hours to absorb properly.Booking tipFree admission on the first Sunday of each month. December's first Sunday tends to draw fewer visitors than the same day in January or February.
Evening walk along Parque Forestal
outdoorThe 1.5km park stretches along the Mapocho River's south bank from the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes toward Mercado Central. December evenings bring skateboarders, street performers, and families to the tree-lined walkways. The golden-hour light on the museum's Beaux-Arts facade draws photographers most evenings.
December's late sunset opens a 2-3 hour window of warm evening light for a leisurely walk. The park fills with locals but rarely feels overcrowded on weeknights.Browse La Vega Central for summer produce
food and drinkSantiago's largest wholesale produce market occupies several connected halls in Recoleta. December stalls overflow with seasonal fruit, and the prepared-food counters on the upper level serve full lunches that rarely cost more than a few thousand pesos. The atmosphere is more working-market than tourist attraction.
December's opening weeks of Chile's stone fruit season bring the widest variety and freshest stock. Come on a weekday morning when the wholesale buyers are finishing and the retail shoppers haven't arrived.What to eat in December
In season: fruit
Cerezas (Chilean cherries)
December opens Chile's cherry harvest. The dark Lapins variety dominates market stalls across Santiago, firm and sweet. Chile ships over 90% of its crop to Asia, so December is the brief domestic window when local buyers get first pick.
Duraznos (peaches)
Chilean peaches arrive at markets in December, slightly firm and aromatic. The white-fleshed varieties tend to be sweeter than the yellow. Both are best bought by the flat at La Vega Central or a neighborhood feria libre.
Chirimoya (custard apple)
La Serena-grown chirimoyas start appearing in Santiago markets in late November and peak through December. The flesh is creamy, fragrant, and almost custard-like, eaten chilled with a spoon straight from the rind.
Street food peaks
Mote con huesillo
Chile's defining summer street refreshment appears at carts across the city once temperatures climb. Sweetened wheat kernels and dried peach swim in cold nectar syrup, served in a tall glass. Vendors cluster near Plaza de Armas and along the Alameda.
What to drink
Cola de mono
A Christmas tradition made with aguardiente, coffee, milk, sugar, and cinnamon, served ice-cold. Families prepare batches for Nochebuena (December 24), and some bars in Barrio Bellavista pour their own versions through the month.
Festival food
Pan de Pascua
Chile's Christmas fruitcake is denser and spicier than Italian panettone, loaded with candied fruit, walnuts, and almonds. Bakeries start selling it in early December, with the best versions from small pastry shops rather than supermarket shelves.
Regular events in December
Inmaculada Concepción (Immaculate Conception)Free
National public holiday across Chile. Most shops and businesses close for the day. The Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral, established in 1800 on Plaza de Armas, holds the city's largest special mass, and the day marks the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season.
December 8Nochebuena y Navidad (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day)Free
Chile's main Christmas celebration happens on Nochebuena (December 24), when families gather for late dinners that run past midnight. December 25 itself is quiet across Santiago, with most shops, restaurants, and museums closed. Streets in Providencia and Centro empty noticeably.
December 24-25Año Nuevo (New Year's Eve)Free
Santiago's NYE celebrations center on the area around Torre Entel, where midnight fireworks light up the skyline. The display is visible from high points across the city. Mind you, the more famous Chilean NYE celebration happens in Valparaíso's harbor, a bus ride of roughly an hour and a half to the northwest.
December 31Feria de Navidad at Pueblito de Los DomínicosFree
Annual Christmas craft fair at the Pueblito de Los Domínicos artisan village in the eastern foothills. Local artisans sell ceramics, lapis lazuli jewelry, textiles, and leather goods alongside the year-round craft vendors. The fair expands the regular market with seasonal stalls through December.
Throughout DecemberBest places this December
Cerro San Cristóbal (Parque Metropolitano)
parkSantiago's 722-hectare hilltop park offers the city's clearest panoramic view of the Andes, with December's dry skies making the snowcapped peaks particularly sharp. The Sendero Chagual on the eastern slope is less crowded than the main funicular approach from Bellavista.
BellavistaSanta Lucía Hill
parkThe terraced gardens sit at their greenest in December's early summer. The climb to the Terraza Caupolicán at the summit takes about 15 minutes and rewards with a 360-degree view of the city center. Go before 10am to enjoy the hillside before the afternoon heat settles in.
CentroParque Bicentenario
parkVitacura's modern park stretches along the Mapocho's north bank. The resident Chilean flamingos in the central lagoon are most active in the morning. December evenings bring families and joggers out until the late sunset, and the park's cafe terraces stay open late.
VitacuraLa Vega Central
marketThe sprawling wholesale produce market fills with summer stone fruit in December, stacked at stalls run by the same families for decades. The adjacent Mercado Tirso de Molina section has some of Santiago's cheapest prepared food, including Peruvian and Vietnamese stalls.
RecoletaMuseo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts)
museumThe 1880-founded museum occupies a Beaux-Arts palace facing Parque Forestal. Summer exhibitions rotate, and the air-conditioned galleries make it an ideal midday escape. The glass dome in the main hall fills the space with natural light, best appreciated in the morning hours.
CentroMuseo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos (Museum of Memory and Human Rights)
museumThis 2010 museum in Barrio Yungay documents Chile's 1973-1990 military dictatorship through personal testimonies, photographs, and artifacts. The outdoor reflection pools on the plaza side are particularly contemplative on quiet December mornings before the holiday crowds arrive.
Barrio YungayBarrio Italia
neighborhoodThe design and antique district along Avenida Italia comes alive in December's dry weather, when shop owners extend displays onto sidewalks and cafe patios stay open until the late sunset. The side streets between Avenida Italia and Santa Isabel hold the densest concentration of independent design shops.
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Insider tips
The Teleférico (cable car) on Cerro San Cristóbal closes on Mondays for maintenance. If Monday is your free day, hike up from the Pío Nono entrance in Bellavista or take the funicular from the same side of the hill.
La Vega Central in Recoleta is where santiaguinos buy their summer fruit. Mercado Central, a 5-minute walk south, is the more tourist-oriented seafood market. Both are worth visiting, but La Vega has better prices and a more authentic atmosphere.
Most national museums offer free admission on the first Sunday of each month. December's first Sunday falls early enough that the summer crowds haven't arrived, making it the best free-admission day of the entire season.
For the Misa de Gallo (Christmas Eve midnight mass) at the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral, arrive by 10:30pm to get a seat. The choir and the candlelit interior make it an experience even for non-religious visitors.
Street vendors selling mote con huesillo cluster near university campuses and Estación Central. The cart vendors tend to charge less and use more traditional recipes than the permanent stalls in tourist areas.
Avoid these mistakes
- Scheduling a full walking tour for early afternoon. December visitors from the Northern Hemisphere often forget that 2pm in Santiago's summer basin feels like mid-July in southern Spain. Plan Cerro Santa Lucía, Centro's pedestrian streets, and other shadeless routes for morning or late afternoon.
- Assuming everything stays open through Christmas week. Many family-run restaurants, smaller museums, and neighborhood shops close from December 24 through at least December 27. Check Google Maps hours or call ahead before crossing the city for a specific spot.
- Skipping sunscreen because the air feels dry and comfortable. At Santiago's latitude and elevation, exposed skin burns faster than most visitors expect during peak sun hours. The dry air makes the intensity deceptively mild.
Practical tips for December
The Chilean peso currently trades at roughly 913 CLP to 1 US dollar. ATMs in Providencia and Las Condes reliably dispense pesos at interbank rates, while the cambios along Paseo Ahumada in Centro tend to offer worse exchange. Uber and Cabify both operate in Santiago and tend to be more convenient than hailing taxis, especially at night. The Metro de Santiago runs approximately 5:30am to 11pm on weekdays with slightly shorter weekend hours; expect crowding on Line 1 between Los Héroes and Baquedano during the pre-Christmas shopping weeks (for transit details, see https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Santiago#Get_around). Book accommodation before mid-December if you plan to stay through New Year, as availability drops once the holidays begin. Most sit-down restaurants add a 10% propina sugerida (suggested tip) to the check. You can decline, but 10% is standard. The BIP! transit card works on both Metro and city buses, and can be bought and loaded at any Metro station. January's Santiago a Mil international theater festival opens ticket sales in mid-December. Weekend shows tend to sell out quickly.
FAQ
Is December a good time to visit Santiago?
December is one of the better months to visit, consistently in the top tier for the year. The weather is warm and dry with long daylight hours, and the city runs at full capacity through mid-month. The main trade-off is that prices and crowds build once school holidays and Christmas arrive. If your dates are flexible, the first two weeks offer the best balance of summer weather and reasonable pricing. October and November tend to edge December out slightly, with milder temperatures and lower costs.
What is the weather like in Santiago in December?
December brings warm, dry summer weather to Santiago. Expect comfortable mornings that warm steadily into genuinely hot afternoons, with almost no rain for the entire month. The air is dry rather than humid, which keeps the warmth from feeling oppressive. Evenings cool down pleasantly. The biggest weather factor most visitors overlook is the UV exposure, which reaches extreme levels at Santiago's latitude. Sunscreen and a hat are everyday necessities, not accessories.
Is Santiago crowded in December?
The first half of December feels relatively calm, comparable to a regular weekday in many European capitals. After mid-month, schools let out and the Christmas shopping season fills the Metro and commercial streets, especially along Paseo Ahumada. That said, many santiaguinos leave for coastal cities in the final week, so the crowds shift more than they double. Museums tend to be quieter than expected on December 26-28 as locals are still with family.
Is Santiago safe for solo travelers?
Santiago scores 5.8 out of 10 for solo-traveler safety (see /research/solo-safety/). Pickpocketing is the most common risk, concentrated in crowded spots like the Metro, Mercado Central, and near Cerro Santa Lucía. Avoid displaying expensive phones or cameras in Centro after dark. Providencia and Las Condes feel noticeably safer at night than the historic center. Violent crime against visitors remains uncommon. For neighborhood-level safety guidance, see https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Santiago#Stay_safe.
Should I split my December trip between Santiago and the coast?
Many visitors pair 4-5 days in Santiago with 2-3 days in Valparaíso or Viña del Mar, about 90 minutes northwest by bus from Terminal Alameda. December's dry weather works well for both cities. Valparaíso's hillside neighborhoods are more photogenic in summer light, and Viña del Mar's beaches fill up after Christmas. If you're considering the coast, go before December 22 to avoid the peak holiday migration from Santiago.
Things to Do in Santiago in December
Free cancellation Cable Car, Funicular and Sightseeing Bus in Santiago one day
City tour: 2 hours, free cancellation.
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Free cancellation Maipo Valley Wine Tour with 4 vineyards from Santiago.
Day trip: 10 hours, free cancellation.
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Free cancellation Tour to Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Pablo Neruda Museum and Vineyard
Day trip: 10 hours, free cancellation.
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Free cancellation Inca Lagoon in Andes Mountain Range - Visit Local Vineyard with Tasting included
Day trip: 11 hours, free cancellation.
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Free cancellation Discover Santiago: Tourist Bus, Cerro San Cristobal and Wine
City tour: free cancellation.
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Free cancellation Andes Range Tour at Inca Lagoon & InSitu Winery Snack Included
Day trip: 10 hours, free cancellation.
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