Santiago in 3 days
The palace opens only on weekdays, and the museum and Neruda's house close on Mondays — so the one day for both is Tuesday to Friday.
- How long
- 3: the centre
- La Moneda
- Mon–Fri 9–4.30
- Monday
- Memory Museum and La Chascona closed
Three days in Santiago are arranged by the opening calendar, not by distance: La Moneda can be toured only Monday to Friday, and the Memory Museum and La Chascona are closed on Mondays. So the palace-and-museums day falls Tuesday to Friday, the centre works on any day, and Monday is the day for a trip out.
The centre, any day
Plaza de Armas and the cathedral.
The Mercado Central, a hall built between 1868 and 1872 on an iron frame cast in England. Lunch here: from Sunday to Thursday the hall closes at 5, on Fridays at 8, on Saturdays at 7.
Cerro Santa Lucía, then down the east side into Lastarria.
La Moneda, the Memory Museum, Bellavista
La Moneda, a tour of 50 to 60 minutes. The first leaves at 9, the last at 4.30; it is free, but you register at visitaspatrimonio.presidencia.cl, up to two months ahead, and show a passport at the door.
The metro to Quinta Normal, line 5: the Museum of Memory and Human Rights is right by the station. Free, no registration; last entry is at 5.30.
La Chascona, in Bellavista: €9.95, with an audio guide in English and five other languages included. No booking — you go in as you arrive, until 6.
The funicular up Cerro San Cristóbal from Pío Nono station, a few streets away: €1.86–2.03 return. It runs until 6.45, which gives you an hour and a half at the top.
A trip out — best on a Monday
The sea or the wine; driving times and transport are on the day-trips page. If it is Valparaíso, Neruda's house there, La Sebastiana, is also closed on Mondays.
What breaks this plan
- La Moneda without registering. There is no sign-up at the gate; slots are requested online, up to two months ahead.
- The first Monday of the month. The funicular is shut all day for maintenance; on other Mondays it starts only at 1.
- The Memory Museum after 5.30. No one is let in after that and it closes at 6 — which is why it goes in the morning, straight after the palace.
- The market for dinner on a Sunday. From Sunday to Thursday the Mercado Central closes at 5.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Which days can you tour La Moneda?
Monday to Friday, from 9 to 4.30, free. Register at visitaspatrimonio.presidencia.cl, at most two months ahead; anyone 16 or over shows an ID card or passport.
Is the Memory Museum open on Mondays?
No. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10 to 6, with last entry at 5.30. Entry is free and needs no registration, by Quinta Normal metro station.
How much are La Chascona and the funicular?
La Chascona is €9.95, with the audio guide; a funicular return is €1.86–2.03, cheaper at weekends than on weekdays.
Ready for Santiago?
Where to next
Day trips from Santiago
→From Santiago, both a beach and a ski area are ninety minutes away — opposite directions, same day if you…
Valparaíso · 103 km
→A port on forty-two hills, with nineteenth-century lifts instead of stairs and a mural on every second wall
How well does Santiago suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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