Chile attractions

An easy day trip from San Pedro de Atacama, the Rainbow Valley (Valle del Arcoiris stands out for the vibrant colors of its reddish, beige, green, and white earth, the result of mineral deposits left over thousands of years and the wind that has carved interesting shapes, rocky spires, and small canyons into the valley.

In the heart of Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, Lago Nordenskjold (Nordenskjold Lake) is famed for its unique milky turquoise color and magnificent waterfall, Salto Grande. Walking along the lake’s shore affords spectacular views of Valle Frances (French Valley) and the Paine Massif and the chance to spot wildlife such as condors and guanacos.

Dating back to 1925, the Chilean National Library (Biblioteca Nacional de Chile) is notable both for its massive collection of books and its gorgeous French neoclassical design. It's spread out over two floors and features beautiful marble interiors and elegant sculptures among the seemingly endless collection of tomes.

Located in Vicente Perez Rosales National Park, Lake Todos los Santos is often referred to as Lago Esmerelda due to the vivid emerald color of its waters. Formed by both glacial and volcanic activity, the 69-square-mile (111-square-kilometer lake is ideal for kayaking, swimming, and fishing, and promises unobstructed views of the Osorno Volcano.

The roaring waters of Chile’s Petrohué Waterfalls (Saltos del Petrohué) tumble through the lush, volcanic landscape of Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park in Patagonia. The falls’ steps are made up of dramatic basalt formations, brought to the surface eons ago by the snow-capped Osorno Volcano, which rises photogenically above the cascade.

Former home and final resting place of Pablo Neruda, Isla Negra is one of three house museums dedicated to the beloved Chilean poet’s life and work. Poetry lovers from around the world make the pilgrimage to this museum built to look like a boat and filled with Neruda’s nautical-related knickknacks.

Ahumada Boulevard is a popular pedestrian thoroughfare that draws in shoppers, street vendors, and plenty of street performers. The four-block long street runs from north to south between the Plaza de Armas de Santiago and the Alameda (Avenida Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins) and bustles from dawn to dusk—and sometimes beyond.

The second-largest lake in Chile, Llanquihue sits at the base of the near-perfect conically shaped Osorno Volcano, creating a defining image of the country’s Lake District. This is the starting point of Chilean Patagonia and—with its beautiful scenery and bounty of activities on offer—a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts.

Boasting the title of the city’s oldest elevator, Ascensor Concepcion (sometimes referred to as the Turri Elevator) serves as the gateway to one of Valparaíso’s most charming enclaves—Paseo Gervasoni at the summit of Cerro Concepcion. Formerly run using steam, the elevator is now electric and takes you on a steep and rickety ride up the side of the hill.

Part of Los Flamencos National Reserve, the high-altitude Altiplanic Lagoons are nestled between the Andean peaks of Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. The Miscanti and Miñique lakes are managed by an indigenous community located in Socaire, a town often visited for its handmade crafts and historic church.

Casas del Bosque Vineyard is a well-known spot among Chilean enophiles in the Casablanca Valley wine region. They specialize in cool-climate varietals such as sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, riesling, and pinot noir and produce around 1.3 million bottles annually.

A small, extinct volcano, Puna Pau is home to a quarry that provided all of the soft red scoria stone used to carve the ceremonial topknot (pukao) found atop of certain moai statues on Easter Island at the most important ceremonial sites (ahu). More than two dozen mostly finished pukao can still be found at the

Situated at Plaza de Armas in central Santiago, the Central Post Office is as beautiful as it is functional. This 19th-century Renaissance-style building features ornate exteriors and elegant interiors crowned by a glass-covered roof that fills the space with natural light.

Believed to be the oldest building in Santiago, the San Francisco Church (Iglesia de San Francisco) dates back to when the city was first settled by Spaniards. Its construction began in the late 16th century, and unlike most buildings of its era, parts of the structure were able to withstand numerous earthquakes over the centuries.

Amid the arid plains and salt flats of the Atacama Desert, the small village of Toconao has a history dating back more than 12,000 years. The remote outpost is now best known as the gateway to the vast Atacama Salt Flats and makes a popular stop en route to the flamingo-filled Chaxa Lagoon.

Just south of the city center, Quinta Vergara Park (Parque Quinta Vergara) is a great place to go for a stroll on a pleasant day. Here you'll find the Palacio Vergara, an elegant old home built in the Venetian Gothic style, which is now a museum, along with a large amphitheater that plays host to summer events.

In Santiago’s ritzy Las Condes neighborhood, Parque Arauco is one of Chile’s biggest and best-known shopping malls. Whether you need to pick up some essentials or want to shop till you drop, you’ll find a range of stylish options, from high-end global brands such as Louis Vuitton and Versace, to department stores including South America’s biggest, Falabella.

The Chilean poet and politician Pablo Neruda helped design this quirky, nautical-themed home for himself and his third wife, Matilde Urrutia, for whom La Chascona—which translates from Spanish as tangle-haired woman—is named. Home to an eclectic collection of Neruda’s possessions, the house offers insight into one of the most important figures in Chile’s recent history.

Situated on the Mapocho River in the Providencia neighborhood, Sculpture Park Museum is a grassy parkland featuring a variety of sculptures, many of which are quite large. It's a great spot to come for a picnic or a stroll, and its location at the base of San Cristobal Hill makes it a natural stop after taking in city views.

The small Chilean village of Pomaire is best-known for its skilled artisans, who make the clay dishes used all over Chile to serve soup, olives, and sauces. An easy day trip from the capital, a visit to Pomaire offers a combination of sightseeing, shopping, and traditional Chilean food.

Tumbling into Grey Lake (Lago Grey) in the heart of Torres del Paine National Park, massive Grey Glacier is almost 100 feet (30 meters) high at its peak. An arresting backdrop of snowcapped mountains adds to the glacier’s frozen enchantment.

Established in 1926, Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park is Chile’s oldest national park. Natural highlights include the Osorno, Puntiagudo, and Tronador volcanoes, and Lago Todos los Santos, hailed as one of the most beautiful lakes in Chile.

Among Santiago's swankiest suburbs, Vitacura is home to luxury homes, high-end hotels and restaurants, and plenty of great shops. It’s across San Cristobal Hill (Cerro San Cristobal) from central Santiago and is home to Parque Bicentenario, which features walking paths, benches, and a dog park.

Atacama Salt Flats (Salar de Atacama), a salt deposit–coated lake, lies amid the Atacama Desert plains, framed by distant Andes peaks. Stretching more than 40,000 square miles (100,000 square kilometers), it’s one of the largest salt flats and the largest lithium reserve in the world.

Only reachable via one of Patagonia’s most iconic treks, Laguna de los Tres is an ultra-marine lake with a backdrop of jagged mountains. The glacier lake sits in the shadow of Mt. Fitz Roy, a mountain that threatens one of the planet’s most-challenging ascents. The trek to the lake is 1 miles (25 kilometers long.

Inspired by the French resort of Les Arcs, Valle Nevado Ski Resort contains almost 7,000 acres (2,832 hectares) of skiable domain, making it the largest accessible ski spread in South America. The resort offers opportunities for skiers and snowboarders of all levels, as well as gourmet dining, nightlife, and accommodation options to suit all budgets.

The Museum of Memory and Human Rights honors the victims of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship by chronicling his despotic rule from 1973 to 1990. This museum is not for the faint of heart, offering accounts of human rights abuses with exhibits featuring torture devices, video footage of political rallies, and photographs of the victims, called the "disappeared."

Hailed as the most important museum in Chile, the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino (the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art) has a collection of artifacts that spans 4,500 years of history. The gallery is housed in the former Royal Customs Palace, a neoclassical space chosen by the museum’s private collector, Sergio Larraín García-Moreno.

Chile is celebrated for its wine. Many winery visits require long car rides from Santiago, but Cousino Macul makes it easy to immerse yourself in the winery experience without leaving the city. Founded in 1856, this family-run winery produces merlot, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon from estate-grown grapes.

These interconnected villages of Farellones and El Colorado—located only one hour from Santiago—comprise one of the most popular ski resorts in the country, both because of their proximity to the capital and their location among the snow-capped peaks of the Andes. As opposed to Valle Nevado, El Colorado is recommended for beginner and non-skiers.