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. There is an attached colonial-art museum (CH$1000).
Iglesia de San Francisco
Santiago
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.53 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…
1.19 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…
1.15 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
1.87 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
0.42 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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4.55 MILES
This little-visited museum on a quiet residential street in Vitacura boasts a stunning collection of contemporary Latin American art mixed in with…
20.95 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…
0.36 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
0.03 MILES
This pocket-sized neighborhood developed on the grounds of the Franciscan convent of Iglesia de San Francisco is made up of two intersecting cobblestone…
0.06 MILES
Explore the dark history of the early days of the Pinochet regime at this former detention center. There are both guided and unguided tours.
3. Biblioteca Nacional de Chile
0.14 MILES
Chile’s national library is a sight to behold, with soaring ceilings, stained-glass domes, checkered floors and creaky antique furnishings. One of the…
0.34 MILES
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…
0.36 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…
6. Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda
0.38 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…
7. Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
0.42 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…
0.43 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…