Things to see in Santiago

Just off Santiago's hectic main thoroughfare, the thick walls of the Iglesia de San Francisco, with the adjacent Franciscan Monastery, provide a peaceful haven from the downtown traffic. The church was originally built in the late 16th century by Chile's conquistador, Pedro de Valdivia, and it has survived regular earthquakes (although its tower has gone through several incarnations). It is one of Santiago's oldest buildings and the adjacent former monastery houses the Museo Colonial San Francisco (Colonial Museum of St Francis), which contains a collection of ecclesiastical art dating from the colonial era.

Once the official mint, la Moneda became the presidential residence in 1846. While Chile's head of state no longer lives on site, the building's presidential offices are still used. The bombing of Moneda Palace by air force jets during General Augusto Pinochet's coup against Salvador Allende's Marxist government in 1973 remains an enduring image of the 20th century. Allende took his own life in this building with a gun given to him, according to local legend, by Fidel Castro. Visitors can stroll along the courtyard that runs through the middle of the building, and can arrange to visit the interior with an advance booking. On the south side of the Moneda Palace, on (or rather under) Plaza de la Ciudadanía, is the modern Centro Cultural Palacio de la Moneda, which has a series of exhibition spaces and some first-rate exhibitions. There is also an excellent shop selling traditional Chilean handicrafts.

Since colonial times, Santiago's focus has been its spacious main square, the Plaza de Armas. Surrounded by grand colonial public buildings, most notably the Metropolitan Cathedral and the ornate Correos Central (central post office), it acts as a haven from Santiago's often oppressive traffic. A central corral of Chilean palm trees shades courting couples, vendors and tourists. Local artists display their latest canvasses and on weekday evenings the square is the scene of a thriving Santiago institution when locals set up trestle tables and pit their wits against each other in fiercely contested chess matches.

This museum, which has changed locations several times in recent years, houses works of art donated by artists from around the world. The collection began in 1971 when a group of artists and thinkers decided to bring together contemporary works of art to show their sympathy with the socialist policies of the Salvador Allende government. During Pinochet's military dictatorship, exiled artists continued the project and the collection now includes donations by artists from over 39 countries such as Joan Miró, Roberto Matta, Antonio Saura and Yoko Ono. From the 500 works gathered by 1973, there are now more than 2,650. There’s also a brilliant programme of temporary exhibitions across all media.