Punta Arenas
A central plaza of magnificent conifers surrounded by opulent mansions. Facing the plaza’s north side, Casa Braun-Menéndez houses the private Club de la…
Must-see attractions in Chile
Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Ahu Tahai is a highly photogenic site that contains three restored ahu (ceremonial platform). Ahu Tahai proper is the ahu in the middle, supporting a…
Monumento Natural Los Pingüinos
Southern Patagonia
The thriving Magellanic penguin colonies of Monumento Natural Los Pingüinos on Isla Magdalena and Isla Marta are well worth visiting, particularly if you…
Santiago
'Flaunt it' seems to have been the main idea behind the shockingly lavish Palacio Cousiño. It was built between 1870 and 1878 by the prominent Cousiño…
Elqui Valley
You won't get far in the Elqui Valley without someone offering you a Guayacan, and if you're even vaguely interested in beer, you should accept. This…
Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo
Northern Patagonia
Cerro Castillo's basalt spires are the crowning centerpiece of Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo, a sprawling 1800-sq-km park located 75km south of Coyhaique…
Santiago
This striking shell-shaped temple in the Andean foothills is a tranquil spot to relax – even for those who don't ascribe to the Baha'í faith – with an…
Elqui Valley
A Buddhist stupa in a remote corner of northern Chile? You'll think you took a wrong turn off the Panamericana and somehow ended up in the Himalaya rather…
Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Unusual for its inland location, Ahu Akivi, the first scientific restoration on the island (in 1960), sports seven restored moai. They are the only ones…
Valparaíso
Cannons still stand ready outside this naval museum. Much space is devoted to Chile's victory in the 19th-century War of the Pacific. Other exhibits…
Valparaíso
The historic heart of the city is Plaza Matriz, which is watched over by Iglesia La Matriz. Begun in 1837, it's the fifth church to occupy this site since…
Elqui Valley
The town's landmark Museo Gabriela Mistral, between Riquelme and Baquedano, celebrates one of Chile's most famous literary figures. Gabriela Mistral was…
Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Your first encounter with the moai will probably take place at Ahu Tautira, which overlooks Caleta Hanga Roa, the fishing port in Hanga Roa at the foot of…
Santiago
Gleaming piles of fresh fish and crustaceans atop mounds of sparkling ice thrill foodies and photographers alike at the Mercado Central. Look for congrio …
Punta Arenas
A naval and maritime museum with historical exhibits that include a fine account of the Chilean mission that rescued Sir Ernest Shackleton’s crew from…
The Lakes District
Carved out of virgin Valdivian rainforest 15km east of Puelo, Parque Tagua-Tagua is southern Chile's latest park. A private initiative funded by…
Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Maunga Terevaka is the island's highest point (507m) and the youngest of its three volcanoes. This barren hill is only accessible on foot or on horseback…
Valparaíso
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…
Punta Arenas
On display are a collection of antique farm and industrial machinery, a typical pioneer house and shearing shed, and a wooden-wheeled shepherds’ trailer.
Parque Nacional Radal Siete Tazas
Middle Chile
The upper basin of the Río Claro marks the beginning of the ecological transition between drought-tolerant Mediterranean vegetation to the north and moist…
Puerto Montt
A small child's footprint discovered in a marshy field 28km west of Puerto Montt turned the archaeological world on its head in 1975 – evidence of human…
Santiago
This slick, privately operated fashion museum comprises a vast and exquisite permanent collection of Western clothing – 20th-century designers are…
Middle Chile
Exhibiting the impressive private collection of controversial entrepreneur and alleged arms dealer Carlos Cardoen, this is the largest private museum in…
Southern Patagonia
In the 1890s, German pioneer Hermann Eberhard discovered the partial remains of an enormous ground sloth in a cave 24km northwest of Puerto Natales. The…
Santiago
During Chile’s last dictatorship some 4500 political prisoners were tortured and 241 were executed at Villa Grimaldi by the now-disbanded National…
The Lakes District
This amazing 12-years-in-the-making, US$25-million world-class performing-arts center opened in 2010, and has single-handedly put Frutillar on the global…
Northern Patagonia
Relatively unknown and not often accessed, Parque Nacional Hornopirén protects a lush wilderness of alpine terrain. It remains obscure mainly because…
The Lakes District
Territorio Mapa Lahual protects some 60,000 hectares of mature forest and indigenous territories south of San Juan de la Costa and into Río Negro province…
Valparaíso
Plaza Sotomayor is dominated by the palatial blue-colored Edificio Armada de Chile. In the middle of the square lies the Monumento a los Héroes de Iquique…
Northern Patagonia
The 1540-sq-km Parque Nacional Queulat is a wild realm of rivers winding through forests thick with ferns and southern beech. When the sun is out it’s…
Reserva Nacional Altos de Lircay
Middle Chile
The great range of challenging hikes at this well-organized, easily accessible national park will leave you as short of breath as the fabulous views. Its…
Coyhaique
Draped in lenga, ñire and coigue, the 21.5-sq-km Reserva Nacional Coyhaique has small lakes and Cerro Cinchao (1361m). The park is 5km from Coyhaique …
Northern Patagonia
Verdant and pristine, this 2889-sq-km park encompasses vast extensions of temperate rainforest, clear rivers and seascapes. A remarkable forest…
Viña Del Mar
Nowhere is Viña's nickname of the 'Garden City' better justified than at the magnificently landscaped Parque Quinta Vergara, which you enter from…
Museo Histórico Casa Gabriel González Videla
La Serena
Although richly stocked with general historical artifacts, this two-story museum in an 18th-century mansion concentrates on one of La Serena's best-known …
Arica
This imposing coffee-colored shoulder of rock looms 110m over the city. It makes a great place to get your bearings, with vulture-eye views of the city,…
Santiago
Exposed concrete, stripped wood and glass are the materials local architect Cristián Undurraga chose for the stunningly simple Museo de Artes Visuales…
Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Gracia de Nercón
Chiloé
Just 4km south of Castro is another of Chiloe's Unesco-recognized churches, restored in 2012. Built from cypress and larch wood between 1887 and 1888, its…
Northern Patagonia
Boasting Chile’s largest population of endangered huemul deer, Reserva Nacional Tamango protects a 70-sq-km transition zone to the Patagonian steppe…
Middle Chile
Between Angol and the Pacific, the coast range rises to 1550m within the 68-sq-km Parque Nacional Nahuelbuta, one of the last non-Andean refuges of…
