Sights in Chile
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Casa Hitschfeld
Notable constructions in Puerto Varas include private houses from the early 20th century. Several of these houses serve as hospedajes, including the 1930 Casa Hitschfeld. Ask at the tourist offices for the brochure Paseo Patrimonial, which suggests a walking tour of 10 different houses, or the brochure Monumentos Nacionales.
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Casa Wetzel
Notable constructions in Puerto Varas include private houses from the early 20th century. Several of these houses serve as hospedajes, including the 1930 Casa Wetzel. Ask at the tourist offices for the brochure Paseo Patrimonial, which suggests a walking tour of 10 different houses, or the brochure Monumentos Nacionales.
reviewed
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Muelle de Pasajeros
Hour-long boat tours around the harbor leave from Iquique's 1901 passenger pier, just west of the Edificio de la Aduana. The tour floats past the Boya Conmemorativa del Combate de Iquique, a buoy marking the spot where the Esmeralda sank in a confrontation with the ironclad Peruvian Huáscar. It also approaches a colony of sea lions.
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Museo Arqueológico de Santiago
Admission to the Museo de Artes Visuales includes the Museo Arqueológico de Santiago, tucked away on the top floor. The low-lighted room with dark stone walls and floors makes an atmospheric backdrop for a small but quality collection of Diaguita, San Pedro and Molle ceramics, Mapuche jewelry and Easter Island carvings.
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Quinta Vergara
Once the residence of the prosperous Alvares-Vergara family and now a public park, the grounds of the magnificently landscaped Parque Quinta Vergara contain the Venetian-style Palacio Vergara, which dates from 1908. This building houses the Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes, which has a reasonable collection of European and Chilean art.
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Mirador Cerro la Cruz
Worth the few minutes' walk from the plaza and up a series of steps is Mirador Cerro la Cruz, a lookout over the city and the water. It's a great place to shoot some photos, as the view takes in the city's wide streets and tall buildings (there are at least one or two), with the Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego in the distance.
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Galería de la Historia
Political correctness is clearly not a priority at the Galería de la Historia, where small dioramas representing local history gleefully celebrate the massacre of the Mapuche at the hands of conquistadores and pioneers. If you’re able to overlook such ideological undertones, the models themselves are vivid and fun.
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Museo Arqueológico
The crescent-shaped archaeological museum makes an ambitious attempt to corral Chile’s pre-Columbian past. Its highlights include Atacameña mummies, a hefty 2.5m-high moai (large anthropomorphic statues) from Easter Island and interesting Diaguita artifacts that include a dinghy made from sea-lion hide.
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Catedral de Chillán
On the northeast corner of Chillán’s main square stands the stark, modernist Catedral de Chillán. Built in 1941, its soaring semi-ovaloid form is made of a series of earthquake-resistant giant arches. The 36m-high cross next to it commemorates the thousands of Chillán residents who died in the 1939 earthquake.
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Museo de la Moda
This slick, privately operated fashion museum comprises a vast and exquisite permanent collection of Western clothing – 20th-century designers are particularly well-represented. Star attractions include John Lennon's jacket from 1966, the 'cone bra' Jean Paul Gaultier designed for Madonna, and an evening gown donned by Lady Diana in 1981 (but note that only a fraction of items from the 10,000-piece collection are on display at any given time.) Lighthearted temporary exhibits have ranged from a Michael Jackson tribute to a 'Back to the 80s' show to a fútbol-themed exhibit featuring athletic wear from the World Cup held in Chile in 1962. The airy on-site cafe is a…
reviewed
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Museo La Merced
When you need a breather from the Centro’s busy streets, drop by the Museo La Merced. Most people skip the main collection (it documents the history of the Merced religious order in Chile) in favor of the Easter Island collection, which includes a Rongorongo tablet, and the shady, plant-filled courtyard.
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Museo Histórico
OK for a crash course in local history, the museum is a quick visit. There are natural history items (mostly stuffed animals), archaeological artifacts, such as stone and whalebone arrowheads and spear points, plus a Yaghan canoe, Tehuelche bolas and historical photographs of Puerto Natales’ development.
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Congreso Nacional
One of Valpo’s only modern landmarks is the controversial Congreso Nacional, in the east of El Plan. Its roots lie in Pinochet’s presidency both literally and legislatively: it was built on one of his boyhood homes, mandated by his 1980 constitution (which moved the legislature away from Santiago).
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Plazoleta Estación
The 1924 German locomotive that once pulled trains on the Arica–La Paz line now stands in the Plazoleta Estación. On the north side of the Plazoleta is the train station, Estación Ferrocarril Arica-La Paz, which dates from 1913. There are no longer passenger trains to La Paz.
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Museo Regional Salesiano
Especially influential in settling the region, the Salesian order collected outstanding ethnographic artifacts, but their museum touts their role as peacemakers between the Yaghan and Ona and settlers.
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Parque de las Esculturas
On the north side of the Río Mapocho lies a rare triumph in city landscaping: the Parque de las Esculturas, a green stretch along the river decorated with sculptures by noted Chilean artists. Trees muffle the sounds of the Costner Norte freeway, which runs through a tunnel beneath the park.
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Train Station
The bottle green Train Station, built in 1887, is the restored terminus of the Antofagasta-La Paz railway, from where you'll still see freight trains shuttling their heavy load. It's closed to the public but you can see several old engines and British-style telephone boxes through the western railings.
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Reserva Nacional Río de los Cipreses
Set in the Andean foothills 40km east of Rancagua, this little-visited 370 sq km park contains a variety of volcanic landforms, hanging glacial valleys, waterfalls and fluvial landscapes. The park ranges in altitude from 900m to the 4900m summit of Volcán El Palomo.
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Jardín Botánico Nacional
There are over 3000 plant species in the 61 hectares of parkland that comprise Chile’s Jardín Botánico Nacional. It’s 8km southeast of the city center; catch bus 203 from Viana east to the end of the line (CH$440), then cross the bridge and walk about 1km north up Camino El Olivar.
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Palacio Baburizza
The rambling art nouveau building at the western end of Cerro Alegre is Palacio Baburizza; it houses the Museo de Bellas Artes but was closed for renovation at the time of research. Ascensor El Peral runs here from just off Plaza Sotomayor.
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Museo O’Higginiano y de Bellas Artes
Talca’s one and only sight is the 1762 house where Bernardo O’Higgins signed Chile’s declaration of independence in 1818. Known as the Museo O’Higginiano y de Bellas Artes; at the time of research it was closed for a total overhaul and isn’t due to reopen until late 2009.
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Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón
Puerto Varas’ well-maintained German colonial architecture gives the town a distinctive middle-European ambience. The imposing and colorful 1915 Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón, overlooking downtown from a promontory, is based on the Marienkirche of the Black Forest, Germany.
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Termas de Puritama
These idyllic volcanic hot springs puddle together in a box canyon, en route to El Tatio. Their temperature is about 33°C (91°F), and there are several falls, pools and changing rooms on site. Few tours stop here because of the hefty admission charged, but taxis will take you.
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Museo Regional de Atacama
Built in the 1840s by industrial moguls and radical politicians, the Matta family, the Museo Regional de Atacama is a national monument worth a snoop simply for the architecture. It houses a piecemeal museum with indigenous artifacts and a mock mine made of fiberglass.
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Tulor
Circular adobe structures huddle together like muddy bubble-wrap in the ruins of Tulor, the oldest excavated village in the region. It’s an interesting diversion 11km west of San Pedro; however, you’ll have to take a tour, drive along sandy tracks or mountain-bike it.
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