La Moneda: The Presidential Palace, housing the offices of the President and Home office, or State Department. While not used as an official residence of the President, it remains the most important building in Santiago and ceremonial centre. The building itself is considered as one of the finest examples of neo-classical architecture in Latin America. Every two days, there is an impressive changing of the guard ceremony in the Plaza de la Constitucion square. This square is surrounded by other important buildings, including several ministries and the Central Bank.

Plaza de Armas: Santiago's main square is located just three blocks from the Government Palace. Recently remodelled, this now smart square is home to street artists, and also has an impressive statue of Pedro de Valdivia - who founded Santiago in 1541 - and is flanked by the Central Office on one side, and the Cathedral on another.

San Francisco Church: Built under the direction of Franciscan monk Fray Antonio between 1586 and 1628, this is reputed to be Santiago's oldest building, having survived numerous earthquakes that toppled lesser constructions.

Museo de Bellas Artes: Inaugurated in 1910, as a way of celebrating 100 years of Chilean independence, this splendid museum was originally a School of Fine Arts, and its architectural style is best described as "neo-classical French", very similar to the Petit Palais in Paris. The museum lies in the heart of Santiago's Parque Forestal, one of the city's few true green areas. The main hall of the building was designed to allow a maximum luminosity, and it is in this section where the museum's extensive permanent collection of national and foreign 19^th and 20^th century sculpture. In terms of painting, the permanent collection includes major works by Roberto Matta, Pedro Lira, Gonzalo Cienfuegos, Mario Toral and Nemesio Antunez. It was the latter artist's job to supervise the remodelling of the halls and select the initial exhibits between 1970 and 1971, in his capacity as Director. The museum also houses outstanding temporary exhibitions of world famous painters, sculptors and photographers.

Pre-Columbian Museum: With over 700 exhibits, this is one of the world's most important collections of pre-Colombian artwork. The permanent collection has been set up to allow two complementary visits; one through the various rooms, with an emphasis on the aesthetic, and another through the galleries, which offer more contextual information. The museum goes a step further than a simple exhibition of cultures within a chronological and spatial framework, by exhibiting in each window works that represent the diversity of cultures within the same general area. This allows the development of common aesthetic and anthropological themes (i.e. masks, music, medicine) putting in context each artistic manifestation on display. Works in stone, ceramic, textiles and metal span the many cultures of pre-Colombian America; from the famous Maya, Moche and Chavin cultures to the lesser-known Diquis, Tafi and Pitren. There is also an impressive collection of Mapuche Indian relics, from the South of Chile.

Natural History Museum: Although lacking solid information in English, this museum presents a good introduction to Chile's flora and fauna. Interesting exhibits include the body of the 12-year-old boy found in an Inca shrine near the summit of Cerro El Plomo, and remains of a Milodon (a huge, sloth-like beast) from Southern Patagonia.

Casa Colorada: Santiago's best-preserved colonial house; erected in 1769, it now houses the Museo de Santiago, which depicts the history of the city from aboriginal times.

La Chascona: The former Santiago residence of Chilean Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. This quirky house is wonderfully representative of Neruda's playful nature and eccentricity. There is an extensive library, many of Neruda's original transcripts, and a dazzling array of bric-a-brac shipped back to Chile (sometimes at great cost) by the eccentric genius during his many voyages abroad.

Museo Ralli: This private gallery houses an impressive, permanent display of contemporary Latin American art. Among the hundreds of exhibits you will find works by Chilean artists Mario Toral and Luis Zárate, along with some fine examples of Mexican sculptor Mario Aguirre Roa's work. There is also a section of major European artists including Francis Bacon, Marc Chagall, Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Joan Miró and some wonderfully surrealist, bronze sculptures by Salvador Dalí. This unique museum forms part of a group of four throughout the world, the others being in Punta del Este (Uruguay), Caesarea (Israel) and Marbella (Spain). The Ralli Museums are purpose-built in very attractive surroundings, and house important collections. No donations or subsidies of any kind, or by anyone, are accepted. One of the Organisation's principal being that no commercial activities ought to exist in the Ralli Museums, no bookshops or bars, are to be found on their premises. However, visitors may use their photographic cameras freely. The art exhibited is mostly in the surrealist vein, which does not exclude exhibitions of works by artists of different tendencies or origins. The choice of the works has been determined solely by their quality, irrespective of the reputation of the artists or their market value.

Cerro San Cristobal: At  600 metres, this hill with its impressive, 30-foot-tall figure of the Virgin Mary, is the city's highest point. When illuminated at night, it can be seen from almost every part of the city. The view from the top is superb, the sprawling capital below, and the snow-capped Andes mountain range providing the most breathtaking of backdrops.

Estacion Mapocho: The remodelled former railway station for travellers bound to Valparaiso and the North, has become Santiago's prime cultural centre, hosting exhibits, book fairs and shows. Designed and built by Chilean Emilio Jequier, who studied in Paris under Gustav Eiffel's watchful eye, the station has a beautiful, steel structure, but is perhaps best known for its fine façade and main hall.  

Bellavista: Santiago's "bohemian" quarter, has evolved in the past decade or so from a sleepy, conservative part of town into one of the liveliest nightlife areas in town. Tucked between the River Mapocho and San Cristobal hill, it harbours scores of restaurants in all categories, cafés, bars, cultural centres, theatres and blossoms on Friday and Saturday nights.

Santa Lucia Hill: Known to the native inhabitants as Huelén, Cerro Santa Lucia gives shape to the otherwise homogenous centre of town. It was here that Pedro de Valdivia and his troops founded Santiago in 1541. This delightful hill, apart from offering splendid views over the city, is adorned with elaborate gateways and staircases.

Shopping is easy in this modern city, and as well as shopping malls, (such as Parque Arauco, and Alto Las Condes), there are many Artesenal Markets offering a wide range of products. Chile is one of only two countries in the world where lapis lazuli is mined, and it is therefore in plentiful supply. In addition there are many restaurants with different types of international, and local cuisine, especially on the cosmopolitan avenues of El Bosque Norte, Vitacura, and Providencia.