5 Best Sights in Santiago, Chile

Chile's stock exchange is housed in a 1917 French neoclassical structure with an elegant clock tower surmounted by an arched slate cupola. Business is now done electronically, but you can visit the old trading floor with its buying and selling circle called rueda. You must leave your ID at the door.

Inaugurated in 1897, Central Station is the city's last remaining train station, serving the south as far as Chillán. The greenish iron canopy of the station that once shielded the engines from the weather is flanked by two lovely beaux arts edifices. A lively market keeps this terminal buzzing with activity. The grand entrance has a colorful, illuminated carousel and a couple of cafés. As in any busy place, keep a close watch on valuables.

Once the meeting place for the National Congress (the legislature moved to Valparaíso in 1990), this palatial neoclassical building became the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a time but was returned to the Senate for meetings after the Ministry moved to the former Hotel Carrera in Plaza de la Constitución in December 2005. The original structure on the site, the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, was destroyed by a fire in 1863 in which 2,000 people perished. Two bells from that church now grace the elaborate gardens. To coordinate a tour, email [email protected] with at least two days' notice. More formal attire is appreciated, and neither shorts nor baseball caps are permitted. The tour is free and lasts approximately 30 minutes. 

This lovely facade on Calle Londres holds dark secrets: Londres 38 was a clandestine torture center for 98 people for three years during Chile's 27-year dictatorship, beginning in 1973. Rooms include a tiny bathroom, where multiple DNA was recovered that helped to identify victims; a video shows the work forensic scientists undertook. Simple signs add to the sad and dignified ambience that holds a torrid past and now plays its part as a space for memory.

Today's city hall for central Santiago can be found on the site of the colonial city hall and jail. The original structure, built in 1552, survived until a devastating earthquake in 1730. Joaquín Toesca, the architect who also designed the presidential palace and completed the cathedral, reconstructed the building in 1785, but it was destroyed by fire a century later. In 1891, Eugenio Joannon, who favored an Italian Renaissance style, erected the structure standing today. On the facade hangs an elaborate coat of arms presented by Spain. The interior now houses a tourist office as well as a small gallery and souvenir shop. The tourism office runs free tours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10 am with no previous registration required.