We have the option of staying for a 3 day stop either in Lima or Santiago on our way to Buenos Aires. What is a "better" city for a 3 day stop? We like architecture, culture, nature.
Lima or Santiago
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www.limaeasy.com
www.secondhomeperu.com
cute hotel on the ocean...
Santiago is a lovely, safe city with many good hotel and dining options.
Santiago is an easier city in terms of transport and safety but Lima does have some wonderful architecture downtown. Both have great museums. Santiago can be combined with Valparaíso (1.5 hrs by bus).
The two cities are just totally different so it is difficult to compare them. One deal breaker might be the reciprocity fee entering Chile if you are from the US, Canada or Australia.
I've been to both and prefer Lima for food, colonial architecture at the Plaza Mayor, museums (Raphael Larco de Herrera), shopping and overall value. Santiago has a much cleaner, westernized feel to it (and if you are lucky, a view of the Andes). Lima has a crazier energy and traffic can be overwhelming. A good antidote is to stay in a quieter neighborhood such as Barranco, and not Miraflores. I liked Second Home Peru quite a bit (www.secondhomeperu.com).
Thanks so much for these descriptions. It really helps. Toss a coin?
both cities sound wonderful in different ways.