Santiago · Chile
May
Late autumn — cool, clear air, best Andes views of the year, and the city very affordable.
Strong option
#6 of 12 months
There are better months for Santiago — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
17°C
Low
6°C
Rain
44mm
Sun
5.8hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How May scores in Santiago
Weather
Very good
Value
Excellent
Crowds
Excellent
Events
Above average
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in May
- ↑May produces the most reliable and spectacular Andes views of the year. The combination of frequent rain washing the basin air and the mountain snowpack growing means that clear mornings often reveal the full Cordillera in crystalline detail — visible from parks, rooftops, and streets across the city. The view from Terraza Bellavista on Cerro San Cristóbal at dawn in May is among the finest urban-mountain panoramas in South America.
- ↑Prices are at their shoulder-season low and the city is genuinely affordable. Santiago's internationally recognised restaurant scene — including the Mercado Central, the Tirso de Molina wholesale market in the Barrio Meiggs area, and the neighbourhood eateries of Barrio Italia — is at its most accessible and least crowded.
What you sacrifice
- ↓May's 44mm of rainfall and increasingly grey skies signal the approach of Santiago's mild winter. Rainy days interrupt outdoor exploration and the temperature of 17°C with a cold wind from the Andes can feel chillier than the number suggests, particularly in the evenings (6°C at night requires a proper jacket).
- ↓The ski season has not opened — Valle Nevado and El Colorado typically open in June. May is an in-between month for mountain access.
How May compares to March (best month)
| Factor | May | March ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 7 | 9 |
| Value | 8 | 6 |
| Crowds | 8 | 6 |
May in other destinations
Lisbon (20.7°C)Barcelona (20.8°C)Tokyo (23.8°C)Bali (31.2°C)Santorini (19.8°C)Paris (18.1°C)New York (20.4°C)Marrakech (26.4°C)Amsterdam (16.4°C)Maldives (31.5°C)Rome (21.7°C)Bangkok (32.6°C)Istanbul (20.7°C)Vienna (19.7°C)Seoul (21.4°C)Dubrovnik (20.9°C)Rio de Janeiro (26.2°C)Kyoto (25.2°C)Phuket (32.6°C)Cape Town (18.9°C)Prague (21°C)Amalfi Coast (23°C)Mexico City (27°C)Medellín (27°C)Fiji (28°C)London (18°C)Sydney (19°C)Iceland (10°C)Tulum (32°C)Dubai (38°C)Singapore (33°C)Hoi An (33°C)Chiang Mai (33°C)Miami (30.6°C)Florence (23.1°C)Queenstown (11°C)Madrid (21.7°C)Porto (21°C)Edinburgh (15°C)Copenhagen (16°C)Budapest (22°C)Kraków (20°C)Tbilisi (23°C)Palawan (32°C)Hanoi (31°C)Osaka (25°C)Goa (33°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (19°C)Mykonos (23°C)Zanzibar (28°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (27°C)Cancun (32°C)Krabi (33°C)Athens (25°C)Seville (27°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (34°C)Havana (30°C)Split (22°C)Taipei (30°C)Kuala Lumpur (33°C)Valletta (24°C)Ho Chi Minh City (34°C)Hawaii (29°C)Cappadocia (22°C)Dominican Republic (31°C)Jamaica (31°C)Tanzania (23°C)Seychelles (28°C)Nepal (28°C)Jordan (28°C)Azores (21°C)Bora Bora (28°C)Los Angeles (22.8°C)Cairo (34.8°C)Kenya (26.1°C)Jaipur (40.2°C)Las Vegas (33.8°C)San Francisco (17.5°C)Madeira (23°C)Vancouver (17.8°C)Muscat (40.1°C)Lima (20.5°C)Cinque Terre (21°C)Kotor (22°C)Tel Aviv (27°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (17.8°C)Penang (33.2°C)Lombok (31.5°C)Cape Verde (27.8°C)Fez (27.8°C)Kerala (33°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (28°C)Oslo (17°C)Auckland (17°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Santiago, not across destinations. Methodology →