Things to do · Santiago · Chile
17 best things to do in Santiago
17 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Apincheira, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Santiago are Cerro San Cristóbal and Parque Metropolitano, Plaza de Armas and Metropolitan Cathedral and La Moneda Palace. Of the 17 picks below, 10 are free, 7 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Cerro San Cristóbal and Parque Metropolitano
- Free sights
- 10
- Good on a rainy day
- Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerro San Cristóbal and Parque Metropolitano | Bellavista | Half a day | Low cost |
| Plaza de Armas and Metropolitan Cathedral | Centro Histórico | 1 hour | Free |
| La Moneda Palace | Centro Histórico | 1 hour | Free |
| Mercado Central | Centro Histórico | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino | Centro Histórico | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Museum of Memory and Human Rights | Quinta Normal | 2 hours | Free |
| La Chascona | Bellavista | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Cerro Santa Lucía | Lastarria | 1 hour | Free |
| La Vega Central | Recoleta | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Sky Costanera | Providencia | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes | Parque Forestal | 1.5 hours | Free |
| Barrio Lastarria and GAM | Lastarria | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Cementerio General | Recoleta | 1.5 hours | Free |
| Museo Nacional de Historia Natural | Quinta Normal | 1.5 hours | Free |
| Museo Interactivo Mirador (MIM) | La Granja | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Parque Bicentenario | Vitacura | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Pueblito Los Dominicos | Las Condes | 1–2 hours | Free |
The 17 best things to do
Park · Bellavista
1.Cerro San Cristóbal and Parque Metropolitano
Santiago's largest park covers Cerro San Cristóbal, a hill rising about 300 metres above the city and topped by a white statue of the Virgin Mary. A funicular climbs from Pío Nono street in Bellavista and a cable car crosses to the Providencia side; on a clear morning the summit terrace looks across the whole city to the Andes. Walking and cycling roads wind up the slopes, and summer brings two public swimming pools.
Go up in the morning after rain or wind, when the smog has cleared and the Andes are sharpest; walk down through the woodland to Pedro de Valdivia.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Views
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Couples
- Active
Landmark · Centro Histórico
2.Plaza de Armas and Metropolitan Cathedral
Laid out when Pedro de Valdivia founded the city in 1541, the palm-shaded main square is framed by the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Central Post Office and the Museo Histórico Nacional in the old Royal Audience building. Chess players, street performers and painters gather under the trees, and the cathedral's interior is free to visit outside services.
Start a walking tour of the centre here, then continue to the Mercado Central four blocks north and La Moneda five blocks south.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
Palace · Centro Histórico
3.La Moneda Palace
The neoclassical seat of the Chilean presidency was designed by Joaquín Toesca as a colonial mint and completed in 1805. It was bombed during the 1973 coup and later restored. A changing-of-the-guard ceremony is usually held in front of the palace on alternate days, and the Centro Cultural La Moneda beneath the Plaza de la Ciudadanía hosts exhibitions and a crafts shop.
Combine the façade and plaza with an exhibition at the underground cultural centre, entered from the south side of the palace.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Book ahead
- Guided visits inside the palace are limited and must be requested in advance through the presidency's official channels.
- History
- Architecture
- Free
- Iconic
Market · Centro Histórico
4.Mercado Central
A wrought-iron hall prefabricated in Britain and opened in 1872 houses fishmongers and seafood restaurants serving caldillo de congrio, paila marina and machas a la parmesana. The large central restaurants are aimed at visitors; the small counters around the edges are cheaper and more local.
Ignore the waiters who wave menus at the entrance and eat at a smaller counter on the outer aisles at lunchtime.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Architecture
- Iconic
Museum · Centro Histórico
5.Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
One block from the Plaza de Armas in the former Royal Customs House, this museum displays pottery, textiles, gold and stone sculpture from cultures between Mexico and southern Chile. The basement gallery devoted to Chilean peoples, including Mapuche wooden figures and Andean textiles, is particularly strong, and labels are in English.
Allow time for the basement Chile gallery, which many visitors miss after the main floors.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Quinta Normal
6.Museum of Memory and Human Rights
Opened in 2010, this museum documents the human rights violations committed during the military regime of 1973–1990 through testimonies, photographs, letters and broadcast footage. The modern glass-and-copper building faces the Quinta Normal Metro station. Entry is free, and an audio guide in English helps non-Spanish speakers.
Plan at least two hours and something gentle afterwards, such as a walk in the Quinta Normal park opposite.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Rainy day
Historic site · Bellavista
7.La Chascona
Pablo Neruda built this house on a steep slope of San Cristóbal for Matilde Urrutia from 1953, naming it after her unruly hair. Its rooms are designed like a ship and filled with his collections of glass, paintings and curiosities. Visits are guided or by audio guide in several languages and run by the Fundación Pablo Neruda.
Pair it with Neruda's seaside house at Isla Negra or La Sebastiana in Valparaíso if you plan a coast day trip.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Visitor numbers are limited at busy times; arrive early or check the foundation's site for reservations.
- History
- Art
- Couples
- Rainy day
Park · Lastarria
8.Cerro Santa Lucía
The rocky hill where Santiago was founded was turned into an ornamental park in the 1870s, with the Neptune Fountain terraces, stone stairways and the small Castillo Hidalgo. The climb to the summit lookout takes about 15 minutes, and the views over the centre and towards San Cristóbal are good at sunset.
Enter by the grand stairway on the Alameda and leave by the Lastarria side for coffee afterwards.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- History
- Couples
Market · Recoleta
1.La Vega Central
Across the Mapocho River from the Mercado Central, La Vega is the city's great working produce market: avocados, Andean potatoes, dried fruit, cheeses and seasonal fruit such as chirimoya and lúcuma. Simple cocinerías inside serve cheap set lunches of cazuela and pastel de choclo to market workers.
Go in the morning, carry small notes and keep your phone in a front pocket in the crowded aisles.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Photo spot
- Shopping
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Viewpoint · Providencia
2.Sky Costanera
The observation deck at the top of the 300-metre Gran Torre Santiago, above the Costanera Center mall, gives a 360-degree view of the city, the Andes and the coastal range. It is the highest public viewpoint in Santiago and is reached by fast lift from the mall.
Time your visit for late afternoon so you see the city by day and the lights after sunset.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Kids
- After dark
- Rainy day
Gallery · Parque Forestal
3.Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Chile's national fine arts museum occupies a 1910 Beaux-Arts palace with a glass-domed central hall at the edge of Parque Forestal. Its collection traces Chilean painting and sculpture from the colonial era to the 20th century, and the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo shares the rear of the same building.
Walk through Parque Forestal along the Mapocho afterwards towards Lastarria.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Architecture
- Free
- Rainy day
Neighbourhood · Lastarria
4.Barrio Lastarria and GAM
Lastarria's short cobbled streets hold bookshops, wine bars, the Museo de Artes Visuales and weekend book and antique stalls. On the Alameda beside it, the Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral (GAM) is a large arts centre with free exhibitions, theatre and dance, and a plaza used by street dancers.
Visit on a weekend afternoon, when the stalls are out and the café terraces are full.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Food
- Shopping
- After dark
Historic site · Recoleta
5.Cementerio General
Founded in 1821, Santiago's main cemetery is a city of mausoleums in Gothic, Egyptian and neoclassical styles. It holds the tombs of most Chilean presidents, including Salvador Allende, and the singer Víctor Jara, and a memorial wall lists those who disappeared under the military regime.
Ask for a map at the main gate on Avenida La Paz; the grounds are large and tombs hard to find.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Quinta Normal
6.Museo Nacional de Historia Natural
Inside the Quinta Normal park, Chile's natural history museum is known for its large whale skeleton hanging in the central hall, plus displays on Chilean fauna, the Atacama and Easter Island. It is free and a manageable size for children, and the park outside has a lagoon with rowing boats.
Combine it with the Museum of Memory, across the road from the park's north side.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Free
- Rainy day
- Nature
Museum · La Granja
7.Museo Interactivo Mirador (MIM)
Santiago's hands-on science museum has hundreds of interactive exhibits on physics, the human body, earthquakes and technology, set in a large park in the south of the city. It is designed for school-age children and easily fills half a day.
Take Metro Line 5 to Mirador station, then walk or take a short taxi ride; weekday mornings are busy with school groups.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Active
Park · Vitacura
8.Parque Bicentenario
A modern riverside park in Vitacura with lagoons where flamingos and black-necked swans live, wide lawns and Andes views. It is a favourite for weekend picnics, and the restaurants along Avenida Alonso de Córdova and Nueva Costanera are close by.
Bring bread for the playground rather than the birds; feeding the flamingos is not allowed.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
Market · Las Condes
9.Pueblito Los Dominicos
Beside the white colonial-style church of San Vicente Ferrer, this craft village of adobe workshops sells Chilean lapis lazuli, copper, ceramics, woven goods and leather. It sits at the eastern end of Metro Line 1 and is a calmer place to buy souvenirs than the centre.
Take Line 1 to the last stop, Los Dominicos, and have lunch at one of the patio cafés inside the village.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Shopping
- Free
- Off the beaten path
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, Museum of Memory and Human Rights, La Chascona and Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes |
| History | Plaza de Armas and Metropolitan Cathedral, La Moneda Palace, Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino and Museum of Memory and Human Rights |
| Views | Cerro San Cristóbal and Parque Metropolitano, Cerro Santa Lucía and Sky Costanera |
| Outdoors and nature | Cerro San Cristóbal and Parque Metropolitano, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural and Parque Bicentenario |
| Food and markets | Mercado Central, La Vega Central, Barrio Lastarria and GAM and Pueblito Los Dominicos |
| After dark | Sky Costanera and Barrio Lastarria and GAM |
| With children | Cerro San Cristóbal and Parque Metropolitano, Sky Costanera, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural and Museo Interactivo Mirador (MIM) |
| On a rainy day | Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, Museum of Memory and Human Rights, La Chascona and Sky Costanera |
What to book ahead
- La Moneda Palace: Guided visits inside the palace are limited and must be requested in advance through the presidency's official channels.
- La Chascona: Visitor numbers are limited at busy times; arrive early or check the foundation's site for reservations.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Santiago?
Cerro San Cristóbal and Parque Metropolitano. Santiago's largest park covers Cerro San Cristóbal, a hill rising about 300 metres above the city and topped by a white statue of the Virgin Mary.
+What can you do for free in Santiago?
Plaza de Armas and Metropolitan Cathedral, La Moneda Palace, Museum of Memory and Human Rights, Cerro Santa Lucía and Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Santiago when it rains?
Head indoors to Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, Museum of Memory and Human Rights, La Chascona and Sky Costanera.
+What is there to do in Santiago at night?
Sky Costanera and Barrio Lastarria and GAM are best after dark.