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City in Magallanes y Antártica Chilena, Chile
Photo: Andreas Faessler, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Punta Arenas is the regional capital of the Magallanes y Antártica Region, in Chilean Patagonia, one of the southernmost cities in the world. It's the largest city in Chilean Patagonia, and has developed into a tourist center in far southern America rivaling Ushuaia in Argentina. It's an important starting point for trips to Antarctica and the Falkland Islands.
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A 10-minute walk from the Plaza de Armas, the Hill of the Cross viewpoint (Cerro de la Cruz) gives a panoramic view of the city.
Cerveceria Austral
Learn about and enjoy the traditional production process and a beer-tasting session at the southernmost brewery in the world. Call ahead for tour times and availability (minimum 2 people). Lasts 60-90 minutes and tastings are generous with their measures.
Regional museum, with historical artifacts and part of the Braun-Menéndez Mansion.
Houses an outstanding collection of old steam engines, horse carts, cars, historic houses furnished in the 1870s and farm implements.
Maggiorino Borgatello Museum
A Salesian Society museum of natural history and pre-Colombian ethnic groups.
Famous for its magnificent mausoleums, architecture, and shaped pine trees, the municipal cemetery dates back to the 1840s and is blessed with the remains of many local aristocratic families, as well as English and Croatian immigrants.
Museo Nao Victoria
A nautically-themed museum that hosts replicas of the Nao Victoria, James Caird, Schooner Ancud and is building the first replica of the HMS Beagle. To arrive take the bus with destination Río Seco from the corner of Chiloé and Ignacio Carrera Pinto in town for $400.
Here you can learn about the city's history and the sailors and explorers passing through.
One of the main green areas of the city with picnic facilities, and a lake with canoes and kayaks in the summer, and a skating rink during the winter (when frozen over).
Monument to the leader of the first European expedition to this part of the world, standing in the middle of Plaza de Armas.
The city's cathedral.
Regional museum housed in the 19th-century manor, that a rich sheep breeder named Braun Menéndez had built. The building also has furniture and Chinese vases from that time.
Plaza de Armas
A green space right in the middle of the city with a statue of Magellan in the middle. Legend has that people who kiss the foot of the statue will return to the city. The park is lined with shops, restaurants and other businesses.
Grand neoclassical building on the northern side of Plaza de Armas, built between 1895 and 1905. It was the home of the owner of Sociedad Explotadora de Tierra del Fuego, José Nogueira and his wife Sara Braun. Today it's a national monument, one of the city's most famous buildings and houses a hotel and the Club de la Unión.
Next to Plaza de Armas.
The shepherd monument is a bronze sculpture showcasing a typical traditional profession on the Magellanican pampa. Considered a symbol of the city, there isn't much to do here than to take a couple of pictures.
Museum in the military facilities showcasing the military history of the region.
From the coastal road there are good views the strait and you can see cormorants and other birds.
Río Seco Natural History Museum
Has an extraordinary collaboration between science and art, to bring natural and cultural heritages together. In 2013, brothers Benjamín Cáceres (a marine biologist) and Miguel Cáceres (a visual artist) assembled animal remnants such as skeletons in an artistic manner. It is housed in industrial buildings of the seaweed firm Algina.
One of the top natural attractions of the region is the penguin rookery at Isla Magdalena, part of Monumento Natural Los Pingüinos. The island is a breeding site for hundreds of thousands of magellanic penguins. You can also see cormorants, seagulls and sea lions. The lighthouse has a small exhibition of the local fauna. A 5-hour trip. Two hours each way by boat and one hour on the island. Humans must stay on the path, but the penguins ignore it and will practically step on your feet as they waddle by. October - April. To get there, take the ferry from in the northern end of the city The ferry runs between November and April. The sailing takes two hours in each direction, with one hour on the island. As strong winds are common in this part of the world, seasickness can be a real risk on the ship.
Each spring before 2015, Seno Otway, 70 km north of the city, hosted hundreds of Magellanic Penguins returning to their birthplace to breed. They stopped returning after the construction of a coal mine there. Check with locals before planning a visit. Many travel agencies offered day trips from Punta Arenas that allowed very limited time at the colony, so it's best to visit with your own car.
Carnaval de Invierno
Carnival is celebrated here during the Austral winter (in July), with parades, music, and colorful costumes.
A very small place near the Plaza de Armas. Here you can eat "choripan", grilled sausage on French bread, and "leche con plátano" a milk beverage with the addition of bananas. The food is so good that the place is full almost all day.
Locally famous pizza and sandwich restaurant. Try the delicious rhubarb juice or a "Barros Luco" (a beef and cheese sandwich).
The market has some food stalls offering freshly prepared traditional dishes at affordable prices.
Special cuisine made with fresh regional products. Its specialties are seafood and lamb.
La Marmita has trendy decor, awesome food, and an all-around great atmosphere. An excellent place to relax with friends or family after a day of activity. A good choice for vegetarians.
Pizzeria where pizzas made with regional products. Good prices and excellent service.
A restaurant/pub with good service and creatively decorated inside with beautiful wood carvings. Good selection of wines and beers. Unfortunately the food is boring with soup from packets not quite dissolved and basic meat and potatoes entrees. Offers excellent salmon ceviche.
One of the city's most famous restaurants specializing in seafood, in particularly dishes with southern king crab. A pretty expensive place, but the food quality and the service makes the prices worthwhile.
A grandma-style café, very cozy and usually full, that serves a large variety of home-made chocolates, ice cream, tea, and coffee.
A small place in the Tierra Del Fuego Hotel in the center of the city.
Nice environment, with great drinks and food. It has a small dance hall and karaoke all night.
With karaoke and live music.
A casino with gambling, and an entertainment center with national and international artists regularly performing, and several bars.
Pub with live music.
Pub with karaoke.
Bar and restaurant with good cocktails and a modern look.
A very friendly, well-heated place a 10-minute walk from the bus station includes breakfast, kitchen access, free internet, a lot of hot water, and laundry service. English is spoken.
Quiet, clean, seven minutes from the main square. Free internet and kitchen access.
Very friendly owner, but the hostel is cramped and the kitchen is simple (wood-fired stove). Wi-Fi and laptops available. Eduardo is very helpful with tour planning.
A quiet, clean, comfortable mid-range place. Within walking distance of the Strait of Magellan and the Buses Pacheco terminal. Free internet and abundant hot water.
Small but comfortable hotel with affordable rates, four blocks from Plaza de Armas.
Modern rooms and private parking, good for visitors who want to travel at their own pace.
This hostal overlooks the Magellan Strait. There are more than 10 rooms and apartments to choose among, depending on your needs. Guests have total independence with their respective keys. The staff can provide information about the area and around Patagonia and are able to book trips for you. Rooms are equipped with their own private bathroom with shower, free WiFI, satellite TV with LCD TVs, a central heating system, a safety box and private secure parking plot free of charge for guests. Daily cleaning of your apartment. Breakfast is included in the price between 08:00-10:00. You can also prepare your own food. Some of the apartments have a small fridge and a kitchenette. Foreigners do not pay Chilean tax when booking with this hostel (21%).
Quiet family-style accommodation. It has five rooms all with private bath. Close to transportation, supermarkets (For example Unimarc, which is about 2 blocks away.), restaurants, the Zona Franca, and the hospital. The manager is very friendly and helpful, and will answer questions about the city. Manager's son has been known to take people around town to practice his English.
Dorms and doubles at a central location, kitchen access, free internet, lots of warm water. A friendly, well-heated place.
One of the most luxurious hotels in the city, next to the casino.
The grand old hotel of Punta Arenas, housed in Palacio Sara Braun.
Four-star hotel downtown in a traditional building.
Modern four-star hotel downtown with an excellent restaurant-bar.
Located in a quiet and safe residential area of Punta Arenas, the hotel is blessed by its proximity to downtown and to Cerro de la Cruz, the main high point in town with an exclusive panoramic view of the city and the Strait of Magellan. This boutique hotel offers comfort and privacy in an authentic and magnificent European-style house, a relic of the pioneer era in the early 20th century.
Public market and artisanal center.
Zonaustral
There is a large outlet mall on the outskirts of the city, called "Zona Franca", a duty-free zone, with supermarkets, perfume, clothing, and outdoor stores, all with very reasonable prices.
Also on the outskirts of the city, the Mall Espacio Urbano Pionero (Pioneer Urban Space Mall) offers three department stores (Falabella, Ripley and La Polar), a food court, various smaller stores, and a "Lider" supermarket.
By plane
By car
Punta Arenas doesn't have a road connection to Chile north of Patagonia (road construction is impossible due to the icefields), so you need to cross through Argentina.
By bus
Despite its designation as a regional capital, there is no centralized bus station in Punta Arenas. Bookings should be made at the offices of the bus companies.
By boat
There's a ferry a few times a week from Porvenir in Tierra del Fuego across the strait (sailing time 2 hr 20 min), operated by Transbordadora Austral Broom.
By bus
There's a public bus system, Movigas with 4 lines.
By taxi
Taxis are readily available and fares are affordable. There are also colectivos (route taxis).
By car
To get to attractions outside the city, consider renting a car. Popular tourist attractions outside the city can also be accessed by tour.
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Punta Arenas · International · PUQ
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