The 12 Best History Tours in Chile

1.Guided Walking Tour of the Historical Old Town

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 459 reviews · 3 hours · from $25Our pick

Spend three hours walking Santiago with Eugenio, also called Eugene, or another English, Spanish, or Portuguese-speaking guide. See La Moneda, Plaza de Armas, the 1748 cathedral, Bellas Artes, Santa Lucia Hill, Lastarria, Forest Park, and Bellavista. The small group ends at Patio Bellavista, a handy spot for lunch or dinner.

“Eugenio was a brilliant guide. Very friendly in the start gathering us all together. His historical knowledge of Chlie together with his commercial knowledge made the tour really interesting and special. The pace was perfect we saw so much of the city and Eugenio kept it really interesting. He also made suggestions of other places we could visit in addition and recommended museums and restaurants. A fantastic day. What a great guide!”

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2.Walking Tour Valparaiso, History & Art – Private Optional

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 59 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $42

Walk through Valparaíso’s historic hills and art-filled neighborhoods, hear stories about Juan de Saavedra, Arturo Prat, and local figures, visit Plaza Aníbal Pinto and Plaza Sotomayor, and finish at Muelle Prat. Guides including John, Gonzalo, Geans, and Amari have led lively, personal tours, with a funicular ride and mural stops sometimes included.

“We were the only 3 on the tour & John made it very personalized. We saw SO much in a short window!!!”

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3.Essence of Santiago : History, Flavors and Panoramic Views

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 45 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $240Top rated

Start at 9:30 a.m. for a private Santiago tour covering Paseo Bulnes, La Moneda, Cerro San Cristóbal, Plaza de Armas, Lastarria, and Bellavista. Guides such as Esteban, Daniel, Pedro, Claudio, and Leonardo tailor the route to your interests. Expect major sights, panoramic views, a typical food tasting, and transport with cable-car and funicular tickets included Tuesday through Sunday.

“Estoben was a great guide. Very knowledgable and good company. He could not have been more helpful, even trying to book our dinner in a local restaurant that evening. It is the perfect tour if you only have one day to get a taste of Santiago. Highly recommend. Thank you Estoben.”

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4.Fort Bulnes Historical Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 32 reviews · 4h 30m · from $46

Travel 55 km south of Punta Arenas with an English- or Spanish-speaking driver-guide to reconstructed Fort Bulnes. You’ll visit the visitor center, Strait viewpoint, lighthouse, church, post office, jail, and stables, with a photo stop at Chile’s geographical midpoint. The 270-minute tour costs $46, excluding entrance tickets.

“The tour was ok, but could have been improved by the guide giving us the option of looking around the fort buildings or doing the boundary lookout walk, as their was not time for both.”

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5.Private tour, historic center, high altitude viewpoint, cable car

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 27 reviews · 4h 30m

Explore Santiago with a private English or Spanish-speaking guide, hotel pickup, and an air-conditioned car. Walk Plaza de Armas, the cathedral, La Moneda, and the former Congress before riding the cable car or funicular up San Cristóbal Hill. Mariana is among the guides praised for her friendly, flexible approach. Bottled water and entry tickets are included.

“Marianne was a great guide. Relaxed and knowledgable and she went at our pace . Fabulous tour”

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6.Private tour: where the history of the Moai was born

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 13 reviews · 7 hours · from $150

Spend up to seven hours visiting Vaihu, Akahanga, Rano Raraku, Tongariki, Te Pito Kura, and Anakena with a native English- or Spanish-speaking guide. Transportation, hotel pickup, and drop-off are included. Groups are limited to four, with guides such as Tete, Sophia, and Hella noted for friendly, flexible service.

“Es wäre ein Tagesausflug gewesen von 7h. Es gab keinen wirklichen Zeitplan oder Ablauf. Ich wurde sehr schnell überall durch geschleust. Konnte den Ausflug nicht wirklich genießen. 13:10 war er zu Ende Start war 10 Uhr!”

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7.Discover Santiago, where modernity merges with history

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · 4 hours · from $60

Explore Santiago in a small group with a local guide in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. You’ll see Bicentenario Park, Santa Lucia Hill, Plaza de Armas, La Moneda, Bellavista, and more, with hotel pickup in an air-conditioned minivan. Guides such as Carlos, Daniel, Juan, and Rodrigo are praised for adapting the tour to guests’ interests.

“Our guide Juan was very friendly, professional and knowledge. Our tour was just our family (3) so felt like a private tour, we were able to take our time exploring the city. 5/5, highly recommend! Muchas gracias Juan”

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8.Private Full Day History Of The Moai

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 12 reviews · 7 hours · from $219

Spend seven hours tracing the story of Rapa Nui’s Moai with a private guide in English, Spanish, or French. Visit Rano Raraku, Ahu Tongariki, Akahanga, Ovahe, Te Pito Kura, and Anakena, with time for walks, photos, and a beach break. Guides such as Simon and Flora have led this route, though the exact guide may vary.

“la culture et la connaissance passionante du guide , sa gentillesse et son professionalisme .... a notre ecoute , un vrai bonheur , ce fut un reve de vour 8 sites dans la journée”

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9.Guided Walking Tour through the Historic Center

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 7 reviews · from $29

Spend four hours walking Santiago’s historic center with a Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking guide. Visit Santa Lucia Hill, Plaza de Armas, Santiago Cathedral, La Moneda Palace, Paris London, and other central sights. The tour begins at San Francisco Church and returns there, with plenty of walking and no admission fees included.

“Excelente recorrido. El guía muy amable y con amplio conocimiento de la historia”

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10.Historic Valparaíso: Private tour by vehicle

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 6 reviews · from $50

See Valparaíso by private vehicle with hotel pickup, bilingual guiding in English or Spanish, hilltop viewpoints, murals, heritage streets, artisan shops, and the Cultural Park of Valparaíso. Guides such as driver Lisette and guide Loreto provide a personal, flexible visit for private groups, with walking kept optional.

“Lisette the driver and Loreto the guide were excellent. It was so convenient to have our private tour of Valparaiso. We really enjoyed ourselves. Would highly recommend!”

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11.Santa Rita Vineyard Tour: History, Wine, and Outdoor Picnic

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 4 reviews · 9 hours · from $123

Travel from Santiago to Santa Rita Vineyard for a guided cellar visit, a 45-minute bike ride, three tastings, and a generous outdoor picnic with cheese, cold cuts, ciabatta, and wine. You will also visit the Andean Museum, home to more than 3,000 pre-Columbian artifacts. Guides Jeannette and Matías have received special praise for their warm, welcoming service.

“Amazing tour. Our guides Jeannette and Matías were truly fantastic and made us feel very welcome. Super day out. Totally recommended. Thank you again.”

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12.Guided City Tour through the historic center of Santiago

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 3 reviews · 2 hours · from $25

Start at La Moneda and walk through Santiago’s historic center with a small group of up to 10 people. Guides Marco and Andre Luiz have led this route in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, covering Plaza de Armas, the cathedral, Bolsa de Comercio, Cerro Santa Lucía, and more. Expect architecture, local history, photo stops, and a few hills.

“Andre Luiz is a really great guy and took us around the historic center and some other nice attractions. However, his English could use some improvement and we feel like the historic knowledge was not always on point.”

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