Best Tourist Places to Visit in Punta Arenas, Chile, America

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Punta Arenas, Chile, America

Punta Arenas is one of the major cities of Chile as well as the capital of Magallanes and Antartica Chilena region. It belongs to the Magallanes province covering a total area of 17,846.3 sq. km. at an elevation of 34 meters.

The major landmarks of Punta Arenas are:

Ferdinand Magellan Memorial
University of Magallanes
Nao Victoria Museum

Geography of Punta Arenas:

Punta Arenas is positioned on the Brunswick Peninsula at the coordinates of 53°10′ S 70°56′ W, about 3400 km south of Santiago, the capital of Chile.

History of Punta Arenas:

The literal meaning of the name Punta Arenas in English language is ‘Sandy Point’. Punta Arenas was founded on 18 December 1848 and was renamed to Magallanes in the year 1927, but it regained in 1938.

Connectivity to Punta Arenas:

Presidente Carlos Ibanez del Campo International Airport serves Punta Arenas, is situated around 20 km north of the city centre with regular air services to El Calafate, Porvenir, Puerto Natales, Puerto Williams, Ushuaia (served by Aerovías DAP) and Balmaceda, Concepcion, Puerto Montt, Santiago de Chile (by Sky Airline) and Mount Pleasant and Rio Gallegos (by LAN Airlines).

There are regular buses running between Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales in Chile, Rio Gallegos and Ushuaia Argentina.

Punta Arenas is catered by cruise ships highly between December and March (summer season).

Food and Shopping in Punta Arenas:

Zona Franca Outlet Mall and Espacio Urbano Pionero Mall are major shopping centres of Punta Arenas and tourists can also visit Open Market to purchase traditional handicrafts.

The famous food corners in Punta Arenas are listed below:

Puerto Viejo Seafood and Grill
El Remezón Restaurant
Cyrano Café
Dino’s Pizza

Things to do in Punta Arenas:

Isla Magdalena Pinguinera -5 hour trip
Hiking
Shopping

Places of interest in Punta Arenas:

Nao Victoria Museum:

The Nao Victoria Museum is the major identity of Punta Arenas holding the 3 replicas of the ships such as Ferdinand Magellan’s ship, Nao Victoria, Ernest Shackleton’s James Caird and the replica of the Schooner Ancud boat. It was inaugurated in 2011.

Museo del Recuerdo:

Museo del Recuerdo exhibits well preserved old steam engines, cars, horse carts and models of historic houses.

Punta Arenas Cemetery:

Dating back to 1840, Punta Arenas Cemetery is a typical site known for its shaped pine trees, special construction and splendid mausoleums of many native upper-class people and English immigrants.

Other places of interest near Punta Arenas include:

La Cruz Hill
Austral Brewery
Regional Museum
Patagonian faros
The Sheperd’s monument
Maggiorino Borgatello Museum
Rey Jorge Island Natural Sea Park
Fuerte Bulnes
Torres del Paine National Park
Puerto del Hambre
Pali Aike National Park
Punta Arenas Port
Cathedral of Punta Arenas

Best time to visit Punta Arenas:

From December till March will be the best time to enjoy holidays in Punta Arenas while weather remains dry, supportive for outdoor activities.

Accommodation options in Punta Arenas:

Punta Arenas is home to all the sorts of accommodation centres ranging from luxury hotels to inexpensive backpackers. Advance booking will be better to get hotel rooms as per the requirement and budget condition of visitors. Christmas is peak season in Punta Arenas. The prominent hotels in Punta Arenas are listed below: