By Tengri Genc, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile With just a month to go before completing my semester abroad in Santiago, Chile, I thought I’d take the time to see those parts of the city further afield than my accommodation and its surrounding area. One area I’d briefly visited before was Tobalaba, famous for being the home of Gran Torre Costanera, the tallest building in South America. However, whilst this behemoth stands as the focal point of Santiago, just a short walk away lies another much more revolutionary development which I believe is worthy of some praise.

By Tengri Genc, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile New Year’s Eve, Easter, Halloween, Christmas. We like our holidays in the UK – like, not love. Chile loves its holidays, though one particular festivity stands out as the biggest day of the Chilean year. Having now experienced the anticipation, celebration, and aftermath of the ‘Fiestas Patrias’, I can now determine whether Chile’s national holiday is really ‘all that’.

By Tengri, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile There is no shortage of nightlife for a student in Santiago, Chile. The city boasts a number of bars, clubs, and restaurants throughout its 32 ‘comunas’. Many, more prominent venues (notably Blondie and Sala Gente) offer themed events and notable line-ups with smaller establishments hosting classic outings like karaoke and pub quizzes. Your weekends spent in Santiago will be eventful, to say the least. However, at some point, you may wish to leave the city for a (figurative and literal) breath of fresh air. Here, you can read about some of the weekend trips I’ve taken out of Santiago and decide whether…