Towering above the Plaza de Armas is the neoclassical Catedral Metropolitana, built between 1748 and 1800. Bishops celebrating Mass on the lavish main altar may feel uneasy: beneath them is the crypt where their predecessors are buried.
Catedral Metropolitana
Santiago
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.67 MILES
This striking cultural and performing-arts center – named for Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American woman to win the Nobel Prize in…
1.05 MILES
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…
1.08 MILES
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')…
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Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos
1.65 MILES
Opened in 2010, this striking museum isn't for the faint of heart: the exhibits expose the terrifying human rights violations and large-scale …
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Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
0.11 MILES
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…
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4.43 MILES
This little-visited museum on a quiet residential street in Vitacura boasts a stunning collection of contemporary Latin American art mixed in with…
21.41 MILES
A mix of Andean forest and scrubland make up this hilly, 100-sq-km nature reserve in a scenic tributary canyon of the Cajón del Maipo, 18km southeast of…
0.38 MILES
Chile's presidential offices are in the Palacio de la Moneda. The ornate neoclassical building was designed by Italian architect Joaquín Toesca in the…
Nearby Santiago attractions
0.04 MILES
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…
0.05 MILES
Colonial furniture, weapons, paintings, historical objects and models chart Chile's colonial and republican history at the Museo Histórico Nacional. After…
3. Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
0.11 MILES
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…
0.26 MILES
Gleaming piles of fresh fish and crustaceans atop mounds of sparkling ice thrill foodies and photographers alike at the Mercado Central. Look for congrio …
0.34 MILES
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…
0.38 MILES
Chile's presidential offices are in the Palacio de la Moneda. The ornate neoclassical building was designed by Italian architect Joaquín Toesca in the…
7. Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda
0.46 MILES
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…
0.46 MILES
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…