Must-see attractions in Middle Chile

  • Casa de Isla Negra

    Middle Chile

    The spectacular setting on a windswept ocean headland makes it easy to understand why Isla Negra was Pablo Neruda’s favorite house. Built by the poet when…

  • La Sebastiana? Pablo Neruda House Museum

    La Sebastiana

    Valparaíso

    Bellavista's most famous resident writer was Pablo Neruda, who made a point of watching Valparaíso's annual New Year's fireworks from his house at the top…

  • An interior view from the old jail building in Valparaiso Cultural Park.

    Parque Cultural de Valparaíso

    Valparaíso

    This cultural center built from the bones of a prison has a little bit of everything the thinking traveler could ask for. There are excellent murals in…

  • View of the laguna and tourist boats on summer day in Cahuil, Pichilemu, Chile.

    Cahuil

    Middle Chile

    This little village has good ocean views and a few restaurants and cabins. Head to the bridge for a 30-minute boat tour of the Laguna de Cahuil (CH$5000…

  • The Botanical gardens of Viña del Mar, Chile.

    Jardín Botánico Nacional

    Viña Del Mar

    There are over 3000 plant species in the nearly 400 hectares of parkland that comprise Chile's Jardín Botánico Nacional. It's 8km southeast of the city…

  • 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…

  • Museo de Colchagua

    Middle Chile

    Exhibiting the impressive private collection of controversial entrepreneur and alleged arms dealer Carlos Cardoen, this is the largest private museum in…

  • 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…

  • Parque Nacional Nahuelbuta

    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…

  • Parque Nacional La Campana

    Middle Chile

    Looming large within this national park are two of the highest mountains in the coastal range, Cerro El Roble (2200m) and Cerro La Campana (1890m), which…

  • Parque Nacional Laguna del Laja

    Middle Chile

    Some 93km east of Los Angeles you'll find the 116-sq-km Parque Nacional Laguna del Laja. Within the park is the symmetrical cone of Volcán Antuco (2985m)…

  • Palm tree at Valparaiso Naval and Maritime Museum

    Museo Marítimo Nacional

    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…

  • Vendors and buyers at Mercado Cardonal, ValparaIso, Chile

    Mercado Cardonal

    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…

  • Plaza Sotomayor

    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…

  • Parque Quinta Vergara

    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…

  • La Casa del Arte

    Concepción

    The massive, fiercely political mural La Presencia de América Latina is the highlight of the university art museum La Casa del Arte. It's by Mexican…

  • Cementerios 1 & 2

    Valparaíso

    The city's most illustrious, influential and infamous residents rest in peace in Cementerios 1 and 2, where the tombs look like ornate mini alaces. Nearby…

  • Parque Botánico Isidora Cousiño

    Middle Chile

    This stunning 14-hectare park is down the road from Mina Chiflón del Diablo, an undersea mine that's now a popular tourist attraction. Paths wind through…

  • Catedral de Chillán

    Middle Chile

    On the northeast corner of Chillán's main square stands the stark, modernist Catedral de Chillán. Built in 1941, its soaring semi-oval form is made of a…

  • Cerro Castillo

    Viña Del Mar

    A fantastic barrio for an afternoon stroll, with lovingly restored mansions, great city lookouts, a small 'castle' and the summer palace of the President…

  • Museo Ex Ballenera

    Middle Chile

    The Quintay Whaling Station (1943–1964) was the largest on Chile's long Pacific Coast, employing up to 1000 men at its height. This open-air museum at the…

  • Vega Techada

    Middle Chile

    Los Angeles is at the heart of Chile's agricultural region and its market is one of the country's biggest and best. Expect towering pyramids of both…

  • Cuevas de los Patriotas

    Middle Chile

    Up a short footpath from Baron de Rodt and illuminated at night, these damp caverns sheltered Juan Egaña, Manuel de Salas and 300 other patriots exiled…

  • Parque Ecuador

    Concepción

    Parque Ecuador is a narrow stretch of well-maintained urban parkland that runs along the foot of Cerro Caracol – walk up one of the two access roads …

  • Castillo Wulff

    Viña Del Mar

    Pretty Castillo Wulff, built by a prominent Valparaíso businessman in the early 20th century, hangs out over the sea: pass through the art exhibitions to…

  • Artequin

    Viña Del Mar

    This children's museum has plenty of play areas and a big workshop for art classes. There are a few reproductions of masterpieces from the 15th to 20th…

  • Ascensor El Peral

    Valparaíso

    The recently revamped Ascensor El Peral starts from near the Tribunales (Law Courts) just off Plaza Sotomayor and continues to Cerro Alegre, home to the…

  • Reloj Turri

    Valparaíso

    Where Prat and Cochrane converge to become Esmeralda, the Edificio Turri narrows to the width of its namesake clock tower, the Reloj Turri. This is one of…

  • Ascensor Concepción

    Valparaíso

    The city's oldest funicular, Ascensor Concepción takes you to Paseo Gervasoni, at the lower end of Cerro Concepción. Built in 1883, it originally ran on…

  • Museo Mapuche de Cañete

    Middle Chile

    Pottery, textiles, silver jewelry, woven objects and ceremonial trumpets are just some of the items on display at this intriguing museum, which takes its…

  • Museo Artesanía Chilena

    Middle Chile

    This smart folk-art museum shows thousands of pieces of Chilean rural artwork, from ceramics to textiles to cowboy spurs; many were collecting dust in the…

  • Ruta del Vino de Casablanca

    Middle Chile

    Make this info center on Casablanca's main plaza your first stop to pick up free valley winery maps or to book tours. There's also a showroom with local…

  • Mercado de Chillán

    Middle Chile

    The city's main market is split into two sections on either side of Maipón between Isabel Riquelme and 5 de Abril. Come to buy Chillán's famous longaniza…

  • Monumento Nacional Isla de Cachagua

    Middle Chile

    Closed to the general public, this guano-stained rocky outcrop is home to roughly 2000 Humboldt penguins, as well as a colony of sea lions.

  • Museo del Automóvil

    Middle Chile

    At the entrance to Viña Santa Cruz, this car museum showcases older models from the 1890s through to the 1980s in a big showroom.

  • Museo de Historia Natural

    Valparaíso

    Explore the natural history of central Chile in nine rooms that focus on biology and ecosystems. Signage is in Spanish only.