Chilean National Museum of Natural History

The Chilean National Museum of Natural History is the country's oldest scientific museum, founded in 1830 and housed in a Neoclassical palace within the Quinta Normal park in central Santiago. Its collections document the extraordinary range of Chile's geography, from the Atacama Desert to Antarctica and the Pacific islands.

Its significance lies in its scientific heritage. Established shortly after independence by the French naturalist Claudio Gay, the museum helped map and describe the young nation's flora, fauna and peoples. Its galleries display minerals, fossils, taxidermy and ethnographic material, and its most famous exhibit is a complete skeleton of a fin whale suspended in the central hall, one of the largest such specimens on display anywhere.

The building stands in the Quinta Normal, a large nineteenth-century park laid out as a botanical and experimental garden, now dotted with lakes, tree-lined walks and several other museums. The setting, west of the centre and served by the metro, makes it an easy and pleasant excursion combining greenery and culture.

For visitors, the museum offers a broad introduction to Chile's natural world. Displays cover the country's diverse ecosystems, Indigenous cultures and pre-Columbian mummies, presented in a grand historic interior. Admission is inexpensive or free, and the surrounding park adds boating, playgrounds and the science and railway museums nearby. It closes on Mondays. Well suited to families and to anyone curious about the biology and geology of one of the planet's most varied countries, this venerable institution pairs a handsome building with genuinely engaging collections, and gives travellers context for the deserts, forests and coasts they may explore elsewhere in Chile. Interactive displays, a children's gallery and school programmes make the museum one of the most popular educational excursions in the capital.