Experience the best of Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas is the main city of Chilean Patagonia, a windswept port on the Strait of Magellan with wool-era mansions and penguin colonies nearby.
Read moreShow less
Punta Arenas stands on the Strait of Magellan, the sea route between the Atlantic and the Pacific, one of the southernmost cities in the world. Plaza Muñoz Gamero, with its monument to Magellan, is ringed by grand houses built by sheep-farming and shipping families in the late nineteenth century, and the municipal cemetery a few blocks away has avenues of clipped cypresses and ornate tombs.
Boats cross to Magdalena Island, where a large colony of Magellanic penguins nests, and a second colony lies on the Otway Sound, north-west of the city. Fuerte Bulnes recalls the first Chilean settlement on the strait, in the 1840s, and Cabo Froward, the southernmost point of mainland South America, lies to the south. Torres del Paine National Park is several hours north by road, and ferries cross to Porvenir on Tierra del Fuego.
Centolla, king crab from the cold southern waters, is the signature dish, served in soups, gratins or simply boiled, and lamb roasted over an open fire is the classic of the plains. Calafate berry liqueur is popular, and legend says that whoever eats a calafate berry will return to Patagonia. The summers are cool, long and windy, and the winters are cold.
- Free cancellation on 75% of experiences
- 4.5 across the top 9
Top 8 attractions in Punta Arenas
Number 1Strait of Magellan
![]()
Number 2Magdalena Island (Isla Magdalena)
![]()
Number 3Fort Bulnes (Fuerte Bulnes)
![]()
Number 4Punta Arenas Municipal Cemetery
![]()
Number 5Plaza Muñoz Gamero
![]()
Number 6Nao Victoria Museum (Museo Nao Victoria)
![]()
Number 7Magallanes Regional Museum (Braun-Menendez Palace)
![]()
Number 8Maggiorino Borgatello Salesian Museum (Museo Salesian)
Go beyond Punta Arenas
![]()
Puerto Natales · 191 kmNordenskjold Lake
![]()
Puerto Natales · 191 kmMilodon Cave (Cueva del Milodon)
![]()
Ushuaia · 253 kmTierra del Fuego National Park
![]()
Ushuaia · 253 kmLapataia Bay
![]()
El Calafate · 329 kmLos Glaciares National Park (Parque Nacional Los Glaciares)
![]()
El Calafate · 329 kmPerito Moreno Glacier
![]()
El Chaltén · 447 kmMirador de los Cóndores
![]()
El Chaltén · 447 kmLaguna Capri
![]()
Puerto Chacabuco · 866 kmLaguna San Rafael National Park
![]()
Puerto Chacabuco · 866 kmParque Aiken del Sur
![]()
Castro · 1,206 kmChurch of San Francisco (Iglesia San Francisco de Castro)
![]()
Puerto Madryn · 1,234 kmPunta Tombo
Questions about Punta Arenas
- What is there to do in Punta Arenas?
- We list 118 experiences in Punta Arenas. The largest groups are day trips (16), city tours (13).
- What are the top attractions in Punta Arenas?
- Ranked by the experiences that visit them, the top attractions in Punta Arenas are Strait of Magellan, Magdalena Island (Isla Magdalena), Fort Bulnes (Fuerte Bulnes), Punta Arenas Municipal Cemetery.
- What is the most popular experience in Punta Arenas?
- By number of traveller reviews it is "Whale and Glacier Watching from Punta Arenas Francisco Coloane Park", rated 4.8 out of 5 from 287 reviews.
- How long do tours and tickets in Punta Arenas take?
- The typical experience in Punta Arenas lasts about 4.5 hours; the middle half run between 3 hours and 12 hours.
- Can I cancel a booking in Punta Arenas?
- The operator lists free cancellation on 75% of the 118 experiences we hold for Punta Arenas. The cut-off differs by experience and is shown on each product page before you choose a date.
Why book here
Compare before you buy
Every ticket, tour and pass we carry for a city, side by side on one page.
Free cancellation on most experiences
Where the operator offers it, the card says so before you click.
Real reviews, real photos
Ratings and reviews are collected from travellers by our booking partner and Tripadvisor; nobody pays for placement.
Secure checkout on our partner’s site
Card details are entered on our booking partner’s site, never on ours.