5 Best Sights in Santiago, Chile

This museum is a powerful testimony to the coup that established the Chilean dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet; the resulting detention, torture, and murder of Chilean citizens; and the country's historic vote to return to democracy. There is a heavy audio-visual component, with moving letters by children about the events of the times. Some images and artifacts here might be challenging for children to process, but it's an important part of Chilean history and arguably the country's best museum. It is just across the street from the Parque Quinta Normal, and there is also an entrance in Quinta Normal metro station. Daily tours in English begin at 11 am, noon, and 3:30 pm; audio guides in several languages are available for 2,000 pesos.

This well-endowed collection of artifacts of the region's indigenous peoples, much of it donated by the collector Sergio Larraín García-Moreno, is displayed in the beautifully restored Royal Customs House that dates from 1807. The permanent collection, on the upper floor, showcases ceramics and textiles from Mexico to Patagonia. Unlike many of the city's museums, the displays here are well labeled in Spanish and English. Guided tours in English are available at no extra cost, but must be booked in advance. There is a shop with a good selection of on-topic books and an airy café as well.

The colonial-era Palacio de la Real Audiencia served as the meeting place for Chile's first Congress in July 1811. The building then functioned as a telegraph office before the museum moved here in 1911. It's worth the small admission charge to see the interior of the 200-year-old structure, where exhibits tracing Chile's history from the preconquest period to the 20th century are arranged chronologically in rooms centered on a courtyard. Keep an eye out for Allende's eyeglasses. Ask for the English brochure and free audio guide, and if you are not heights-averse, take a tour up the tower for a bird's-eye view of the Plaza de Armas, cathedral, and downtown Santiago.

The National Natural History Museum is the centerpiece of Parque Quinta Normal. French architect Paul Lathoud designed the building for Chile's first international exposition in 1875. Damaged by successive earthquakes, the neoclassical structure was rebuilt and enlarged. There are large dioramas of stuffed animals against painted backdrops, descriptions of wrongs committed against indigenous people, and occasionally, paleontologists working in glass-walled exhibits. The skeleton of an enormous blue whale hangs in the central hall, delighting children of all ages. Exhibits are labeled only in Spanish, but audio guides in English are available.

This archaeological museum is devoted specifically to the indigenous peoples of Chile and more than makes up for its small size with the quality of the exhibits, labeled in English and Spanish. Artifacts include an outstanding collection of the Andean headwear used to distinguish different ethnic groups, pottery, jewelry, and a collection of the woven bags used by Andean peoples to carry the coca leaves that sustained them during their long treks at high altitudes. It is located inside the Museo de Artes Visuales, and one entry fee pays for both visits.