How long to stay in Santiago ?

Not if it's at the expense of staying somewhere lively or interesting.

Surely it's a good place to visit being the captial city ??

It depends what your interests are, but there is plenty to keep you busy and you can combine it with day trips to the coast (Valparaiso) or into the Andes mountains. Vineyards are also within easy distance of Santiago.

Interested it lots of things , day trips and the Andes for sure.Thanks for the reply I will check out Valparaiso.

Santiago itself has a limited interest. But indeed you can visit Valparaiso, hiking one day in the Andes, ...

Surely it's a good place to visit being the captial city ??

Brasilia is the capital of Brazil. Canberra, the capital of Australia, Sacramento the state capital of California and Brussels the unofficial capital of the EU. Capital city status isn't the most reliable guide to the intrinsic interest of a city.

To be fair, I will confess to having sojourned there for a. similar period and managed to keep myself occupied. That said, I have an active interest in Chilean history, particularly the Allende and Pinochet eras so I happily wandered around the various significant sites. For someone with but a passing interest, five days is likely to drag unless you get out of town. Santiago doesn't really have a whole lot of immediate appeal to tourists, well not compared to other places n the continent.

Safe but a little dull is how I would describe Santiago but we are all different so your mileage may vary.

Ok thank you for the replies I think it's going to be 3 nights and days then.Its more of a stop off place and to relax for us anyway before we move on again.

That is always Santiago's curse: a stop off to somewhere else. Few people actually do any research about what is available to do or see. Due to our penchant for very large earthquakes (and telescopes) there are not that many very old buildings to offer - though those there are can be interesting. One of the free walking tours will point some out. The city does have a more modern look in the newer bits but there are still plenty of older neighbourhoods to explore. The recent influx of immigrants from Haiti, Colombia, Syria - and of course Peru - makes it one of the more interesting places to eat now. With apologies to Canberra and Brasilia, it is a good deal more interesting than both. But it requires a bit of homework.

Hola,
Apparently you like more Bike riding, So don't spend to much time in Santiago. There is not a lot to see in Santiago.
Much more to see and do all over the country.
If you need help let me know, I leave a Vina del Mar, city very close of Valparaiso.
Enjoy you trip