Must-see attractions in Santiago

  • Vitral en el techo del Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral (GAM)

    Centro Gabriela Mistral

    Santiago

    This striking cultural and performing-arts center – named for Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American woman to win the Nobel Prize in…

  • birdeye view of Andes and Santiago, Chile

    Cerro San Cristóbal

    Santiago

    The best views over Santiago are from the peaks and viewpoints of the Parque Metropolitano, better known as Cerro San Cristóbal. At 722 hectares, the park…

  • Sign outside La Chascona, one of Pablo Neruda's homes.

    La Chascona

    Santiago

    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')…

  • Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino

    Santiago

    Exquisite pottery from most major pre-Columbian cultures is the backbone of Santiago's best museum, the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. As well as…

  • Museo Ralli

    Santiago

    This little-visited museum on a quiet residential street in Vitacura boasts a stunning collection of contemporary Latin American art mixed in with…

  • Palacio de la Moneda, Presidential Palace.

    Palacio de la Moneda

    Santiago

    Chile's presidential offices are in the Palacio de la Moneda. The ornate neoclassical building was designed by Italian architect Joaquín Toesca in the…

  • Bahai House of Worship Temple in Santiago, Chile.

    Templo Baha'i

    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…

  • Cementerio General

    Santiago

    More than just a graveyard, Santiago’s Cemen­terio General is a veritable city of tombs, many adorned with works by famous local sculptors. The names…

  • Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda

    Santiago

    Underground art takes on a new meaning in one of Santiago's newer cultural spaces: the Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda beneath Plaza de la Ciudadanía. A…

  • La Vega Central

    Santiago

    Raspberries, quinces, figs, peaches, persimmons, custard apples…if it grows in Chile you’ll find it at La Vega Central, which is bordered by Dávila Baeza…

  • Museo Interactivo Mirador

    Santiago

    The stimulus is intellectual – but so much fun – at the Museo Interactivo Mirador, one of Santiago's best museums. Forget ‘do not touch’: you can…

  • Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende

    Santiago

    Picasso, Miró, Tápies and Matta are some of the artistic heavyweights who gave works to the Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende. Begun as a populist…

  • Palacio Cousino, Santiago, Metropolitan Region, Chile (Photo by: Insights/UIG via Getty Images)

    Palacio Cousiño

    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…

  • Chile, Santiago. The Mercado Central houses a picturesque fruit, vegetable and fish market together with a large number of small sea-food restaurants. The metal structure was prefabricated in England and erected in Santiago in 1868AD.

    Mercado Central

    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 …

  • Museo de la Moda

    Santiago

    This slick, privately operated fashion museum comprises a vast and exquisite permanent collection of Western clothing – 20th-century designers are…

  • Parque por la Paz

    Santiago

    During Chile’s last dictatorship some 4500 political prisoners were tortured and 241 were exe­cuted at Villa Grimaldi by the now-disbanded National…

  • Museo de Artes Visuales

    Santiago

    Exposed concrete, stripped wood and glass are the materials local architect Cristián Undurraga chose for the stunningly simple Museo de Artes Visuales…

  • Plaza de Armas

    Santiago

    Since the city's founding in 1541, the Plaza de Armas has been its symbolic heart. In colonial times a gallows was the square's grisly centerpiece; today…

  • Cerro Santa Lucía

    Santiago

    Take a break from the chaos of the Centro with an afternoon stroll through this lovingly manicured park. It was just a rocky hill until 19th-century mayor…

  • Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

    Santiago

    This fine art museum is housed in the stately neoclassical Palacio de Bellas Artes, built as part of Chile's centenary celebrations in 1910. The museum…

  • Parque Bicentenario

    Santiago

    This gorgeous urban oasis was created, as the name suggests, in celebration of the Chilean bicentennial. In addition to more than 4000 trees, a peaceful…

  • Museo Histórico Nacional

    Santiago

    Colonial furniture, weapons, paintings, historical objects and models chart Chile's colonial and republican history at the Museo Histórico Nacional. After…

  • Barrio París-Londres

    Santiago

    This pocket-sized neighborhood developed on the grounds of the Franciscan convent of Iglesia de San Francisco is made up of two intersecting cobblestone…

  • Museo de Arte Contemporáneo

    Santiago

    Temporary exhibitions showcasing contemporary photography, design, sculpture, installations and web art are often held at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo,…

  • NAVE

    Santiago

    When NAVE opened to the public in 2015 it was a grand symbol of Barrio Yungay’s emergence as an artistic hub of Santiago. This experimental cultural…

  • Museo Violeta Parra

    Santiago

    One of the most influential folk musicians on the continent, Violeta Parra was also a prolific artist and the first South American woman to have a solo…

  • Costanera Center

    Santiago

    The four skyscrapers that make up Costanera Center include Gran Torre Santiago, the tallest building in Latin America (300m). The complex also contains…

  • Edificio Radicales

    Santiago

    Nowhere else in Santiago can you stop by an art gallery, check out an independent film, do a bit of coworking, grab a pisco sour and purchase a sex toy…

  • Biblioteca Nacional de Chile

    Santiago

    Chile’s national library is a sight to behold, with soaring ceilings, stained-glass domes, checkered floors and creaky antique furnishings. One of the…

  • Iglesia de San Francisco

    Santiago

    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…

  • Sky Costanera

    Santiago

    Head to the top of the tallest building in Latin America for a 360-degree view of Santiago and the mountains that tower above it on both sides for as far…

  • Patio Bellavista

    Santiago

    Upmarket eateries and posh souvenir shops ranged around a huge courtyard make up Patio Bellavista, a clear attempt by developers to spruce up Barrio…

  • Catedral Metropolitana

    Santiago

    Towering above the Plaza de Armas is the neoclassical Catedral Metropolitana, built between 1748 and 1800. Bishops celebrating Mass on the lavish main…

  • Parque de las Esculturas

    Santiago

    On the north side of the Río Mapocho lies a rare triumph in urban landscaping: the Parque de las Esculturas, a green stretch along the river decorated…

  • Parque Forestal

    Santiago

    On weekend afternoons, the temperature rises in Parque Forestal, a narrow green space wedged between Río Mapocho and Merced. The rest of the week it's…

  • Virgen de la Inmaculada Concepción

    Santiago

    A snowy white 14m-high statue of the Virgen de la Inmaculada Concepción towers atop the cumbre (summit) at the Bellavista end of Cerro San Cristóbal.

  • Galería Isabel Aninat

    Santiago

    Since 1983, this well-known gallery has exhibited the works of major Chilean and international artists, including Joan Miró and Antoni Gaudí.

  • Galería Animal

    Santiago

    Edgy contemporary works in a stunning multilevel space, with the odd Picasso, Miró or Matta thrown in for good measure.

  • La Sala Galería de Arte

    Santiago

    This newly inaugurated space features the photography, sculpture and painting of rising Chilean artists.