Chile, South America (Point of interest)

A typical 18th-century colonial house, the Casa Colorada was home to the Governor prior to independence and later to Chile's first president, Mateo de Toro. Today it houses a museum charting the history of the city of Santiago de Chile. The collec... Continue reading →

Not only was the first Catedral Metropolitana burnt down by Mapuche Indians, it has also been damaged several times by the region's periodic earthquakes. It now stands in a composite of baroque and classical styles with its magnificent interior. ... Continue reading →

The leafy Cerro Santa Lucía hill in central Santiago provides some green respite from the city. Besides the fantastic views and walks, there is also a statue of the mapuche Caupolicán who fought the Conquistadors, and the Fuente Mágica fountain.... Continue reading →

Santiago's Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art houses a goldmine of a collection of fine ceramics, paintings, sculpture and textiles created before the 15th century European colonisers arrived in Latin America. Exhibits originate from Mexico all th... Continue reading →

The Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda built La Chascona in Santiago's bohemian barrio of Bellavista for his third wife Matilde Urrutia. The architecture is as fascinating as the tales of Neruda's life relayed by the tour guides. Tours are compu... Continue reading →

One of the few remaining examples of 16th-century architecture in Chile, the Museum of San Francisco in Santiago was declared a national monument in 1951. Find a spectacular array of religious paintings and sacred objects crafted in silver and gold... Continue reading →

The impressive neo-classical construction of Chile's National Library sits on the site of an old convent. One of Santiago's more extravagant public buildings, the massive literary collection includes over three million works, with documents dating ... Continue reading →

Built between 1870 and 1878 for the wealthy coal widow Isidora Goyenechea, Palacio Cousiño is a Chilean National Monument. It now serves as a monument to turn-of-the-century European craftsmanship. Gawp at the opulent chandelier-decked tea room an... Continue reading →

Inspired by Neopolitan palaces, the Palacio La Moneda is the seat of the Chilean President. Converted into the seat of power in 1845, the building and its imposing Neoclassical facade were originally designed to be a colonial mint. Its place in hi... Continue reading →

An artificial lagoon, a children's playground, a running track and a skatepark are all encompassed inside Santiago de Chile's Parque de los Reyes. It is a popular meeting place and green sanctuary in the city centre for the santiaguinos.... Continue reading →

Four of Santiago de Chile's museums, Natural History Museum, Artequín Museum, Science and Technology Museum and Railway Museum, live in the sprawling Parque Quinta Normal. Head there for the boating lake, sporting facilities and plenty of trees.... Continue reading →

The Salvador Allende Museum of Solidarity in Santiago houses one of the most important international collections of modern art in South America. Ranging from the 1950s to the 1980s, there are works by Matta, Miró, Oldenburg and Vassarely. The mus... Continue reading →