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🇨🇱Things to Do in Chile
From the Atacama Desert to the granite towers of Torres del Paine - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Chile stretches over 4,300km along South America's Pacific coast, which means a trip covers extremes rather than a single region - the driest desert on Earth in the north, Patagonian glaciers and granite peaks in the deep south, and Easter Island's moai statues far out in the Pacific. Domestic flights are essentially required to connect these; driving between them isn't realistic. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Atacama Desert
The driest non-polar desert on Earth, around the town of San Pedro de Atacama - geysers, salt flats and some of the clearest night skies in the world for stargazing tours.
📍 San Pedro de Atacama
🚉 Calama has the airport and the bus terminal; shuttles and coaches run the 100km to San Pedro de Atacama in about 90 minutes, and the village itself is walkable, with tours covering the geysers and salt flats.
Torres del Paine National Park
Chilean Patagonia's signature park, centered on three granite towers, with multi-day treks (the W and O circuits) as the classic way to see it, though shorter day hikes reach several of the same viewpoints.
📍 Torres del Paine, Chilean Patagonia
🚉 Puerto Natales is the base, reached by coach from Punta Arenas or El Calafate; buses run from there to Laguna Amarga and Pudeto inside the park twice daily in season.
Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
A remote Polynesian island over 3,500km from mainland Chile, home to nearly 900 moai statues carved by the Rapa Nui people between roughly 1250 and 1500 AD.
📍 Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
🚉 The island is reached only by the LATAM flight from Santiago, five and a half hours; Hanga Roa has no public transport, so hire a car, a scooter or a bicycle to reach the moai sites.
Santiago
Chile's capital, ringed by the Andes close enough to see snow-capped peaks from the city center on a clear day, with a funicular up San Cristóbal Hill for the best overview.
📍 Santiago
🚉 The metro is extensive and cheap: Plaza de Armas on lines 3 and 5 for the historic centre, Baquedano for Bellavista and the Sky Costanera, and Universidad de Chile for La Moneda.
Valparaíso
A UNESCO-listed port city built across steep hills, connected by historic funiculars and covered in street art and murals - a common day trip or overnight from Santiago.
📍 Valparaíso
🚉 Nearest station: Puerto on the Valparaiso metro from Vina del Mar, an hour and a half from Santiago by coach - the city's 16 working funiculars, the ascensores, then carry you up the hills.
Colchagua Valley Wine Country
Chile's best-known wine region for Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère, a couple of hours from Santiago, with several wineries offering tours and tastings without needing an advance booking.
📍 Colchagua Valley
🚉 Santa Cruz is the hub, about three hours by coach from Santiago; the vineyards are spread along the valley and need a hire car or the Ruta del Vino tours booked in the town.
Marble Caves, General Carrera Lake
Swirled marble rock formations carved by wave action over thousands of years, accessible by boat tour from the town of Puerto Río Tranquilo along the remote Carretera Austral highway.
📍 Puerto Río Tranquilo, General Carrera Lake
🚉 This is deep Patagonia: fly to Balmaceda, then drive the Carretera Austral to Puerto Rio Tranquilo, about five hours, where small boats run out to the marble caverns.
Chiloé Island
Known for distinctive stilt houses (palafitos), UNESCO-listed wooden churches, and a mythology of its own separate from mainland Chilean folklore - a common stop en route to Patagonia.
📍 Chiloé Island
🚉 Buses from Puerto Montt cross on the Pargua ferry to Ancud and Castro, taking about three hours in total; local buses then link the wooden churches and Cucao on the west coast.
Mark Chile, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Chile?
10 days suits Santiago plus one region well - the Atacama Desert or Torres del Paine. Given the distances involved, adding Easter Island or both desert and Patagonia regions usually needs two weeks or more.
What's the best time to visit Chile?
Chile's seasons are reversed from the Northern Hemisphere - December-February (summer) is best for Patagonia trekking, while the Atacama Desert and Easter Island are pleasant nearly year-round given their more stable climates.
Is Chile good for a first-time visit?
Yes - Santiago and San Pedro de Atacama are both well set up for tourism, though Patagonia requires more logistics given the remote distances and weather that can change quickly even in summer.
Do I need a visa to visit Chile?
Many nationalities, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most of the EU, can visit visa-free for short tourist stays (typically up to 90 days); other nationalities need a visa arranged in advance. Check the official visa information for your nationality: chile.gob.cl.
What are some things to do in Chile on a tight budget?
Valparaíso's street art and funiculars, and Santiago's Cerro Santa Lucía viewpoint, cost little or nothing, day hikes in Torres del Paine (rather than a multi-day paid circuit with refugio stays) can be done on a shoestring with a tent, and Chile's long-distance buses are far cheaper than domestic flights.
Can I rent a car in Chile, and what licence do I need?
Yes, and the Carretera Austral and the Atacama really need one. A foreign licence is valid for visits, and rental firms expect an International Driving Permit alongside it. Minimum age is generally 22 to 25 with a credit card. Crossing into Argentina, which the Patagonian routes often require, needs written authorisation from the rental company and extra insurance, arranged several days ahead. Fuel and services are sparse in the far south, so plan the tank rather than the map. Official rules come from the Ministry of Transport at mtt.gob.cl; cars come from Hertz, Avis and Europcar.