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Historic Santiago walking tour

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Trace the history of the Chilean capital on a wander through its most significant sights and neighbourhoods.

The current capital of Chile was born where a Spanish conquistador founded the settlement of Santiago de Nueva Extremadura in 1541 – laying the foundations for its eventual evolution into the present-day metropolis of 5 million people.

Explore the main square and the cathedral, neatly juxtaposed with the glass frontages of skyscrapers and visit the government palace La Moneda.  Alongside its earlier history, you’ll become aware of the violent coup that emanated from here in 1973, installing the brutal military regime of General Pinochet.

The National Historic Museum is worth a look as are two of Santiago’s oldest and most stately neighbourhoods, Republica and Concha y Toro.

Holidays Historic Santiago walking tour

From expertly designed Private Journeys to trail-blazing Group Tours, browse our range of carefully crafted holidays.

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Gaucho: Vintage Argentina

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Signature Brazil, Argentina and Chile: Coast to coast

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Charito: Pure Patagonia

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Glacier in Torres Del Paine National Park

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Lapwing: Patagonian Odyssey

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Views of mountains in Torres Del Paine National Park.

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Luxury Chile and Argentina: Simply Patagonia

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Mountain views in Patagonia.

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Luxury Chile: Exclusive lodges and untamed landscapes

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Blue skies over mountains in Torres Del Paine.

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Luxury Chile: Patagonia, Chiloe and Maipo valley vineyards

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Mount Fitz Roy in Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia

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Nandu: Peaks and plains of Patagonia

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Rainbow over the Tierra del Fuego

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Patagonia cruise: Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn

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Flamingoes in the Atacama Desert, Chile

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Penguin: Extremes of Chile

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Waters in the Atacama Desert, Chile

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Signature Chile: Atacama Desert to Patagonian glaciers

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Turismo Chile ©

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Glacier in Argentina

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Signature Patagonia: Highlights of Patagonia

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Sun setting over Osorno Lake

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Tangara: Blue lakes and emerald coasts

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Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

Get in touch Meet our experts
  • Sophie
    Sophie Barber - Travel Expert

    Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia and beyond to Antarctica.

  • Maggie
    Maggie Wilson - Travel Expert

    Maggie visited Latin America on her first backpacking trip when she was 19. Since then, she has taken every opportunity to travel, and has managed to explore a lot of the region in subsequent trips.

  • Chris
    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

  • Kathryn
    Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Expert

    Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.

  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

  • Heloise
    Heloise Buxton - Travel Expert

    Heloise started her Latin American journey as an exchange student in Santiago, Chile. With extended summer holidays this was the perfect opportunity to backpack through Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Brazil.

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