Best things to do in Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas Essentials

Punta Arenas serves as the historic gateway to the Antarctic and the Strait of Magellan. This collection features the 19th-century Sara Braun Palace and the Maggiorino Borgatello Museum, which documents indigenous Kawésqar and Selk'nam cultures. Key maritime landmarks include the reconstructed 1843 Fuerte Bulnes, the Lord Lonsdale shipwreck, and the San Isidro lighthouse. Panoramic viewpoints like Cerro de la Cruz offer perspectives of the city’s colorful architecture and the bustling maritime traffic at Muelle Arturo Prat.

Punta Arenas Essentials — Map

A

Mount of the Cross

Panoramic viewpoint offering sights of the city's red-roofed houses, the Strait of Magellan, and Tierra del Fuego in the distance.

Juanmatassi / CC BY-SA 3.0

B

Nao Victoria Museum

The Nao Victoria Museum is a private maritime museum located in Punta Arenas, Chile. It has been open to the public since 1 October 2011.

C

Sara Braun Palace

A 19th-century French-style mansion built for businesswoman Sara Braun. This National Monument showcases European architecture and period-appropriate interior design.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

D

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Punta Arenas

The Sacred Heart Cathedral Cathedral also called Punta Arenas Cathedral and Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, is a religious building of the…

E

Fuerte Bulnes

A reconstructed 1843 fort marking the first Chilean settlement on the Strait of Magellan. It includes wooden barracks, a chapel, and defensive batteries.

Mauro Marín / CC-BY-SA

F

Antiguo muelle de pasajeros

The skeletal remains of a historic wooden passenger pier, now a landmark for photography and a habitat for local seabirds.

G

Museo Regional Salesiano Maggiorino Borgatello

Established in 1893, this museum covers the ethnography of Patagonia’s indigenous peoples, regional flora and fauna, and the history of the Salesian missions.

H

Lord Lonsdale Shipwreck

The rusted remains of an 1899 British steel sailing ship, located on the shoreline as a monument to the region's maritime heritage.

Manxuc / CC BY-SA 4.0

I

Faro San Isidro

Inaugurated in 1904, this is the southernmost lighthouse on the American mainland, located at the end of a coastal trail on the Brunswick Peninsula.

J

Cape Froward

Cape Froward is the southernmost point of mainland South America. It is located in the Magallanes Region of Chile, along the north shore of…

K

Muelle Arturo Prat

A major pier serving as a hub for scientific expeditions to Antarctica and international cruise ships navigating the Strait of Magellan.

Other Lists

Campsites Panoramic Viewpoints & Peaks Museums and Monuments Lakes, Glaciers & Nature Lighthouses and piers