Chile’s top places to visit are Torres del Paine National Park, the Atacama Desert, Easter Island, Valparaíso, and the Chiloé Archipelago. Chile logged just over 6 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, its best year since 2017, according to Sernatur, the national tourism service.
- Torres del Paine National Park — Patagonia’s signature park, 550,000 acres around three granite towers; the multi-day W Trek and full O Circuit are the two standard routes.
- Atacama Desert — The driest non-polar desert on Earth; San Pedro de Atacama is the base for Valle de la Luna and the El Tatio geysers, the largest geyser field in the Southern Hemisphere at 4,200m.
- Easter Island (Rapa Nui) — A roughly 5.5-hour flight from Santiago, home to the moai and Rapa Nui National Park, UNESCO-listed since 1995.
- Valparaíso — The historic port city’s hillside quarter, UNESCO-listed in 2003 for its 19th-century urban layout and funicular elevators.
- Chiloé Archipelago — Sixteen wooden churches built by Jesuit missionaries, UNESCO-listed in 2000, alongside stilt houses and coastal fjords.
Planning note: Atacama and Patagonia sit at opposite ends of the country — pair each with Santiago rather than trying to connect them directly.
Sources
- Marca Chile — Chile surpasses 6 million foreign tourists in 2025, the highest figure since 2017
- PlanetWare — Chile’s Most Amazing Tourist Attractions
- UNESCO World Heritage List — Rapa Nui National Park
- UNESCO World Heritage List — Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso
- UNESCO World Heritage List — Churches of Chiloé
Read the Top 10 Countries to Visit in 2026 roundup for how Chile compares globally.
