Things to do in Chile
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La Sebastiana
Bellavista’s most famous resident artist was Pablo Neruda, who made a point of watching Valparaíso’s annual New Year’s fireworks from his house at the top of the hill, La Sebastiana. Getting here involves a hefty uphill hike, and the climbing continues inside the house – you’re rewarded on each floor with ever more heart-stopping views over the harbor. The best of all are from Neruda’s crow’s nest study. Unlike at Neruda’s other houses, you can wander around La Sebastiana at will, lingering over the chaotic collection of ship’s figureheads, glass, 1950s furniture and artworks by his famous friends. Just don’t go behind the bright pink bar, which was reserved for…
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Las Vacas Gordas
Steak, pork, chicken and vegetables sizzle on the giant grill at the front of the clattering main dining area, then dead-pan old-school waiters cart it over to your table. This popular steakhouse is often packed, so reserve or get there early.
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Emporio La Rosa
Choco-chili, strawberry and black pepper, and rose petal are some of the fabulous flavors of this extra-creamy handmade ice cream, which has been known to cause addiction. Flaky pains-au-chocolat and squishy focaccia sandwiches are two more reasons to plonk yourself at the chrome tables.
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Palacio de la Moneda
Chile's presidential offices are in the Palacio de la Moneda. The ornate neoclassical building was designed by Italian architect Joaquín Toesca in the late 18th century, and was originally the official mint – its name means 'the coin.' The north facade was badly damaged by air-force missile attacks during the 1973 military coup when President Salvador Allende – who refused to leave – was overthrown here. A monument honoring Allende now stands opposite in Plaza de la Constitución.
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El Tatio Geysers
El Tatio is ringed by volcanoes and fed by over 80 gurgling geysers and a hundred gassy fumaroles. Contrary to popular opinion it is not the world's largest geyser field, but the third largest. The best time to see the geysers is 06:00, so make sure you wipe the sleep from your eyes if you want experience the awesome spectacle.
Watch your step - in some places, visitors have fallen through the thin crust into underlying pools of scalding water and suffered severe burns. Dress in layers: it's toe-numbingly cold at sunbreak but you'll bake in the van on the way back down.
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Astrid y Gastón
The seasonally changing menu of Peruvian haute cuisine has made this one of Santiago's most critically acclaimed restaurants. The warm but expert waitstaff happily talk you through the chef's subtle, modern take on traditional ceviches, chupes (fish stews) and cochinillo (suckling pig), all beautifully presented. The barman deserves an ovation for his complex cocktails: Peruvian pisco comes with physalis juice in the Aquaymanto, for example.
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Pasta e Vino
The word on Pasta e Vino – credited with starting Valpo’s gastro revival – has gone from ‘fabulous’ to ‘overrated’ and back to ‘fabulous’ again. Your prize for bagging a table (at the time of research, it was first-come, first-served) is watching the chefs make whatever the inventive pasta of the day is, and then eating it. Expect unusual combinations – bean with orange or duck with plum, for example.
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Ocean Pacific’s
From brass-rimmed portholes to fish tanks and a massive fiberglass whale skeleton, they’ve gone all out on under-the-sea decor here. The menu should come as no surprise then, not least because they’ve illustrated it with photos of each fishy dish. The kitsch factor is reason enough to come, but the massive seafood platters and traditional fish stews are surprisingly good, too.
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Cerro Concepción
Cerro Concepción is one of the most delightful of all Valparaíso's neighborhoods, with its brightly painted corrugated iron facades and pitched roofs. To get there, take the city's oldest elevator, Ascensor Concepción (also known as Ascensor Turri) from the corner of Prat and Carreño, across from the Reloj Turri (clock tower).
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Teatro Municipal
This exquisite neoclassical building is the most prestigious performing-arts venue in the city. It's home to the Ballet de Santiago and also hosts world-class opera, tango and classical music performances.
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Feria Municipal
There are an abundance of craft markets in the Feria Municipal. It also contains a municipal tourist office.
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Bravíssimo Gelateria
The ice cream at this popular chain comes in colors as lurid as its sign, but it still goes down a treat on a hot day.
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Parque Nacional Huerquehue
A gem of the area, Parque Nacional Huerquehue protects 12,500 hectares (30,888 acres) of rivers and waterfalls, alpine lakes and araucaria forests. It's easily accessible and has an array of trails. Conaf sells decent trail maps at the entrance, where there's a Centro de Educación e Intepretación Ambiental (park information office).
The Los Lagos trail (one way 3-4hr; 9km/5.5mi) switchbacks through dense lenga forests with rushing waterfalls, then enters solid stands of araucaria surrounding a cluster of pristine and placid lakes.
Most hikers turn back at Lago Verde and Laguna el Toro, the largest of the cluster, but continuing on the northern loop to Lago Los Patos and…
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La Chascona
When poet Pablo Neruda needed a secret hideaway to spend time with his mistress Matilde Urrutia, he built La Chascona (loosely translated as 'messy hair'), the name inspired by her unruly curls. Neruda, of course, was a great lover of the sea, so the dining room is modeled on a ship's cabin and the living room on a lighthouse. Guided tours take you through the history of the building and the collection of colored glass, shells, furniture and artworks by famous friends that fills it – sadly much more was lost when the house was ransacked during the dictatorship. The Fundación Neruda, which maintains Neruda's houses, has its headquarters here and runs a lovely cafe and gift…
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Valle de la Luna
Watching the sun set from the exquisite Valley of the Moon is an unforgettable experience. From atop a giant sand dune, you can drink in spectacular views as the sun slips below the horizon and a beautiful transformation occurs: the distant ring of volcanoes, rippling Cordillera de la Sal and surreal lunar landscapes of the valley are suddenly suffused with intense purples, pinks and golds.
The Valle de la Luna is named after its lunar-like landforms eroded by eons of flood and wind. The valley is San Pedro's most popular organized tour, with trips leaving in good time to explore before sunset.
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Museo de Colchagua
Along with dealing arms, Carlos Cardoen has made a name for himself as a hard-core collector. The fruit of his passion is the incredible Museo de Colchagua, the largest private museum in Chile. The collection includes pre-Columbian anthropomorphic ceramics from all over Latin America; weapons, religious artifacts and Mapuche silver; and a whole room of huasos cowboy gear. Steam-driven machinery, winemaking equipment and a re-creation of Colchagua’s original train station fill the huge courtyard, and adjoining display rooms showcase old carriages and vintage cars.
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Servicios Astronómicos Maury y Compañía
Take a Tour of the Night Sky from San Pedro with Servicios Astronómicos Maury y Compañía. Tours leave nightly at 7:30pm and 10:30pm in winter and 9pm and midnight in summer (except around the full moon), and they alternate between Spanish, English and French. Bring very warm clothes. French astronomer Alain Maury ferries travelers into the desert, far from intrusive light contamination, where they can enjoy the stars in all their glory. He owns several chunky telescopes through which visitors can gawk at galaxies, nebulae, planets and more. Shooting stars are guaranteed.
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Fogón de Cotelé
Reviews are mixed as to whether it’s still the best steak in town, but the experience at this intimate quincho-designed steakhouse with just seven tables surrounding an open hearth is priceless. Watching the owner methodically slow-cook your chosen weight of bife chorizo evokes Picasso in his prime. Just down the road in Pelluco, it can easily be reached by colectivo or buses from the terminal marked Chamiza (CH$300). Reservations are a good idea, especially Thursday through Sunday.
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Iglesia de San Francisco
The first stone of the austere Iglesia de San Francisco was laid in 1586, making it Santiago's oldest surviving colonial building. Its sturdy walls have weathered some powerful earthquakes, although the current clock tower, finished in 1857, is the fourth. On the main altar look for the carving of the Virgen del Socorro (Our Lady of Perpetual Help), which Santiago's founder Pedro de Valdivia brought to Chile on his 1540 conquistador mission to protect him from attacks.
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Patagonia
No prizes for working out where the star ingredients at this cozy wood-lined restaurant come from. Harder to predict are the combinations the Argentine chefs cook them into: Patagonian lamb comes in a calafate (berry) sauce, rainbow trout is dressed in smoked goat cheese, and the brownies come with a Cabernet coulis. Wild boar and venison are also on the cards, but there’s also a plain old parrillada (mixed grill) if you’re not feeling, um, game.
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Masay
While Masay appears to have your standard Chilean sandwich/pizza restaurant menu, it does everything better than standard. It's very clean, offers fast service, serves oversized and always quality sandwiches, and abundantly topped pizzas. For those who are tired of the southern 'red meat served with red meat' diet, it offers top-rate chicken sandwiches made with breast meat and individual vegetarian pizzas that are a meal in themselves.
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Isla Magdalena
Isla Magdalena has thriving Magellanic penguin colonies. Five-hour tours on the Melinka ferry land for an hour at the island and depart the port on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from December through February. Confirm times in advance. Book tickets through Turismo Comapa ([tel] 200-200; www.comapa.com; Magallanes 990) and bring a picnic.
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Mercado Cardonal
As colorful as Valparaíso’s trademark houses – and built almost as high – are the fruit and vegetable displays in the Mercado Cardonal, bordered by Yungay, Av Brasil, Uruguay and Rawson. Ground-floor stalls spill out onto the street, while upstairs is taken up by cheap seafood restaurants. Whole families of cats are on constant leftover-fish patrol.
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Cruce de Lagos
Many travelers enjoy the scenery around Lago Todos Los Santos, which can be crossed either as a day tour or as part of the bus-boat excursion across the Andes to Bariloche, Argentina. If the weather is clear it's a pleasant tour, but otherwise it can be quite frustrating. Only one company, Cruce de Lagos, does the trip; reservations are made through Andina del Sud.
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Restaurant Majestic
The chef at Santiago’s only Indian restaurant is Bangladeshi and the menu revolves around rich northern dishes like Rogan Josh, tandoori meats and breads. There’s a good selection of vegetarian curries, but let them know if you like yours hot. Predictably decorated with elephant statues and batik tablecloths, it’s inside the Majestic Hotel.
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