Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino Admission Ticket
4.5
Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino Admission Ticket
By Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
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About
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-99, max of 15 per group
Duration: 2h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
- Museum Ticket
- Entry/Admission - Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
What's not included- Food and drinks
- Transportation to/from attractions
- Wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 67689P1- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Chilean nationals, foreign residents in Chile and students can buy discounted tickets directly at the Museum's entrance by showing an ID
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 67689P1
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Itinerary
- 1The Museum is housed in one of Santiago’s most distinguished colonial buildings. It was built in 1805, in neoclassical style, and was originally home to the colonial government’s Royal Customs House. Permanent Exhibition: Chile before Chile More than 14,000 years ago, humans first stepped foot in the territory that is now Chile. Since then, different people have inhabited this diverse geography. In this exhibition, we invite you to learn about some of those ancient inhabitants and their descendants, the present-day indigenous people of Chile, whose genes, artistic expressions and epic histories are all part of our Chilean identity.
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- chait17880 contributionsMusuemMuseum in town central of Chile. Entry is 10000 chilean pesos. If you want to take tours - its additional costs. Good place to visit to spend some timeWritten June 19, 2024
- donlisaeve0 contributionsTop Notch Museum ExperienceThis museum was an experience we will not forget. The displays were beautifully organized and were well lit. The textiles on display were outstanding. Lots of stone, pottery, jewelry, hats, even infant mummies. One entire floor of art starting geographically in Meso America and ending in southern Chile. The downstairs was another beautiful surprise because the displays there were so unique. There was English information, translated from the Spanish, at each display and on each artifact title card. I’m not sure why previous reviews say there was no English information. We visited on a weekday and the entire museum was open to view. Highly recommended! If you have been to the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City, you will find this one to be as stunning, just smaller and more manageable.Written April 25, 2024
- GrandTour7948920 contributionsBeautiful artefacts and friendly staffThis was an amazing museum and we are so glad we visited. The visit was made even more memorable by the exceptional kindness of the staff at the ticket desk. We arrived in the museum having just been accosted, right outside the museum, and the staff made sure we were safe and still had all our possessions, which we did. A big shout out to the member of staff who made sure we got a taxi back to our hotel as well.Written April 2, 2024
- 631BarbaraM0 contributionsWorth a visitEven though this is not one of the free museums of the city and costs about 10 dollars for tourists, it is well worth the cost. Has an excellent display of artifacts including two or three mummified infants. Sadly, no explanations in English but you will find this in many South American city museums. Just looking at the pottery, tools and jewelry is worth a visit. This museum is around the corner from the Cathedral of the city.Written March 9, 2024
- F9269YPmariar0 contributionsMake to sure to check out all the floors 😃Amazing museum, but we only went to see things in one floor, because we didn’t know there were more until after we left! So be ware! 😀 But it was amazing.Written January 30, 2024
- CTorruella0 contributionsAmazing collection of pre-Columbian artifactsGreat museum with a remarkable collection of pre-Columbian artifacts from all of Latin America. The displayed collection is not huge but jaw dropping. Their textile room is mind blowing. A must see in Santiago!Written January 20, 2024
- Chillyourbeans0 contributionsYou won’t regret a visitBeautiful and well curated museum of pre-Columbian art. There are three floors divided into materials like ceramics and fabrics. The pieces they have chosen to feature are really incredible. Most of the information is available in Spanish and English so English speakers (like me) will also benefit from the contextual information provided in the form of beautiful maps and visual installations. The basement level is specifically Chilean, featuring artefacts of the indigenous Mapuche people and a stunning quipu. Entry to the exhibitions are included in the museum entry price, which is nice (and a change from places like London). The museum was not very crowded, and the facilities were good. The gift shop doesn’t give postcards so take a lot of photos!Written January 20, 2024
- Mobile631525491810 contributionsA must see museum.The collection of artifacts is extensive and organized byway of a sensible timeline. The curators did a worthy job of providing meaningful interpretations of the works. English and Spanish. Do not miss the dimly lite but stunning textile exhibit in a side room. In the subterranean level you will find the Chile before Chile exhibit. Extensive band worth the time. It can be accessed by elevator.Written January 13, 2024
- ArthurM5420 contributionsFantastic figures, pottery and weavingA must visit museum in Santiago - only a couple of minutes from the nearest metro. Lots of pre-Colombian works from across south America, but the highlight for us was the basement with some fantastic larger than life figures and great pottery. There is also some incredibly preserved weaving on the 2nd floor. The museum would get 5*, but the descriptions in the basement are too small to read and too far away to read with reading glasses and the lighting on the signs was really dim, making soe of it impossible to read. A lot of the signs were in English, but due to the colour they were even harder to read than the SpanishWritten January 5, 2024
- wodigro0 contributionsForeigners pay 10 times more than locals - without any justification!When we arrived there, we were immediately put off by the fact that we as foreigners were expected to pay 10 times more than the Chileans. We thought about leaving. We had seen a lot of Pre-Columbian Art elsewhere in the world already. The atmosphere in the entrance area of the museum was dull and absolutely not welcoming. We did not expect much. But since we had nothing better to do, we finally paid the ridiculous entrance fee and went for the visit. We are glad we did. The museum has exceptionally beautiful objects, very well arranged and lit. At least, the visitor can enjoy art. Of course, not even in this flagship of Chilean museums, the staff speak English. For us, there is no justification in charging foreigners higher entrance fees than locals - when not the slightest service is provided for foreigners: no websites in English, no explanatory films in English, no flyers in English, no explanation of exhibits in English, no English speaking staff. Nowadays in the age of Google Translate, every Chilean who masters to read and write could contribute in providing information in English. (We are Germans - English for us is a foreign language as well ...)Written December 27, 2023
- mxshaver0 contributionsThe World’s Coolest MuseumThis might be the coolest museum I’ve ever been to. Not only is it filled with dozens of “tiny little fellas” (see my pics), but the way it’s set up and arranged is so cool. Descending downstairs into a black basement filled with some of the oldest art and artifacts ever found in South America is incredible. There are countless artifacts that you’d normally only see in a large coffee table book, but mere inches from your face. Mummies, pots, jewelry, massive Mapuche statues. This place has it all, and then some. I spent 3 hours here reading and looking at everything. This is a one-of-a-kind exhibit, do not miss it. A must-do in Santiago!Written November 10, 2023
- WanakaWitch0 contributionsHighly recommendedThis the best attraction in Santiago by a long way. Even if your not that interested in pre-columbian art, you will find this museum fascinating. Don’t miss the small room showing fabrics and textiles. Really enjoyed visiting.Written November 5, 2023
- bridget t0 contributionsWell worth a visit!Fascinating museum, lots of gorgeous and interesting exhibits, well presented, with all descriptions in Spanish and English. I thoroughly enjoyed it and spent c 2 hours. NB not open on Mondays.Written October 23, 2023
- OscarR32900 contributionsNot worth the costToo expensive for its value! 10,000 CLP for foreign tourists. Pretty small museum. Many signs lack English translation altogether (all small objects and some large objects), and those larger objects that have English translation miss a lot of information compared to Spanish original text (English text 1:4 to at best 1:2 of text content vs Spanish texts). Some translations are a bit off where they took the exact corresponding word from Spanish. In the -1 level, the English text is in a darker font which is very hard to read at several spots because of the low brightness in the room. Expect no info on Gran Colombia as this covers only Pre-Colombia per the museum’s name: do expect Inca and pre-Inca, Maya, Aztecs, and other prehistoric peoples. Not many objects from each culture. Museum split in two floors. Not very much info on everyday life or specific cultures/mythology since they cover so many indigenous peoples. I had too high expectations and was not content.Written October 15, 2023
- CJBlaylock7070 contributionsWide variety of cultures displayed.This is well worth a visit. Really well laid out, displays have great descriptions, and the “flow” of the displays works very well. Some really exceptional items here, for example their is a textile displayed that is almost 2,500 years old. Have plenty of time to explore as there is so much to see.Written October 12, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
91 reviews
Excellent
59
Very good
15
Average
10
Poor
0
Terrible
7
juliannatravelstyle
Toronto, Canada16 contributions
Mar 2020 • Friends
Their website clearly states that they offer free entry on the first Sunday of the month so we decided to visit on Sunday March 1st. I arrived with a Chilean friend and they asked me to pay the entrance fee of 8000 pesos but they let my friend enter without even asking her to show ID or prove her citizenship. I showed them the website and explained that it clearly states it’s free and does not discriminate based on nationality. The price is 8x more expensive for international visitors and they were not willing to allow me to enter for free with my friend. Very disappointing because we could have planned a different activity for the day. My friend enjoyed the museum but I feel it’s a waste of money and disagree with the discrimination practice.
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mks1122
Atlanta, GA33 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
The majority of the museum is closed at this time. The lighting in the displays was dim and it was often hard to see the artworks, Perhaps the lack of light was to preserve the artworks and that is understandable. That being said, the English narratives accompanying each piece were also often also poorly illuminated. In fact, I could read only a few in the Chile before Chile exhibit. The English narratives that I could read were excellent. It would have been a more rewarding experience to have toured the museum either with an audio guide or docent. Given the high quality of the collection, I would still highly recommend the museum, but with the expectation that most rooms will be closed and that at least some narrative signage will be unreadable due to poor lighting.
Written April 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lauren T
Auckland, New Zealand6 contributions
Nov 2022
The museum normally costs 8000 soles. We went on 11 November 2022, and didn't get an explanation in English, and found the cost was 5000 soles. It turned out only the level one was open, not level 2, which houses most of the exhibits. So, our anticipated afternoon there took maybe 10 minutes. Also, the captions in Spanish were in bold writing, and were sympathetically lit. The captions in English were in a faint typeface, and lit poorly, so were impossible to read. Save you money (can't say save your time, we were there 10 minutes) and go anywhere else.
Written November 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pat P
Boston, MA272 contributions
Three of us went to the Museum and really enjoyed our visit. We had to show our vaccine passes on entry and then after buying our tickets we had to put any backpacks or bags we had in a locker which is coin operated -!100 pesos coin. The museum collection is relatively small and that said fascinating and eye opening. The exhibits are well kept, accessible and have Spanish and English signs. It was all amazing and very much worth the visit. You are allowed to take photos with no flash. We spent about one and a half hours there. Very much enjoyed our look into ancient Chile and the people who lived there.
Written April 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert D
Brooklyn, New York4,257 contributions
Mar 2023 • Solo
This excellent museum focuses on Pre-Columbian Art. The top floor is a survey of pre-Columbian art from all over Latin American. But you have to go to the basement to see the best exhibition. "Chile Before Chile" shows art from all over the country. They also had a temporary exhibit on Shamanism. This is a fascinating museum, where you can easily spend a few hours.
Written May 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
midway42
Georgia3,423 contributions
May 2024 • Solo
When you ask the average person (including this reviewer before visiting this museum) to list the significant civilizations of pre-Colombian Central and South America you will likely get a short list that includes the Mayans, the Aztecs, and the Incas. The Chilean Museum of Pre-Colombian Art dispels this notion in decisive fashion. Inaugurated in 1981 and extensively renovated in 2014, the institution’s collection contains over 3,000 items categorized into almost 100 different groups spanning 10,000 years. It is a virtual treasure trove of irreplaceable artistic objects.
I visited twice here on consecutive days at the end of my week in the country. The building consists of three main sections: a lower floor exhibit covering the history of Chile Before Chile,” a larger second floor experience covering the rest of the Americas (minus upper North America), and a smaller rotating exhibit on the ground floor displaying “daily wear and tear” and its effects on indigenous artifacts. “Chile Before Chile” is divided geographically; artifacts from the Far North, Near North, Central, and Southern zones are grouped and include items as diverse as neonatal mummies and wooden flutes. The second-floor collection is more extensive, covering a larger geographic area, and included an even more varied set of objects: Mayan ceramic vases, Shaman wooden “purging spatulas,” Vicus ceramic house models, etc. The rotating exhibit was in a single room and fairly brief, while a small gift shop rounded out the experience.
In summary, this was an equally memorable and exhausting experience. First and most importantly, as stated in the introduction it truly opened my eyes to the variegated groups of people that inhabited this part of the Americas in the past. Most of the items on display were simply beautiful to look at and English translations were thankfully the norm and not the exception. Second, the museum does an above average job of organization, with the groups displayed geographically in eight rooms with timelines shown for temporal context. My only suggestion to the staff would be to have a phone app or audio guide to make the place easier to navigate for those with limited time. In any case, this museum should be included on even the most cursory visit to Santiago.
I visited twice here on consecutive days at the end of my week in the country. The building consists of three main sections: a lower floor exhibit covering the history of Chile Before Chile,” a larger second floor experience covering the rest of the Americas (minus upper North America), and a smaller rotating exhibit on the ground floor displaying “daily wear and tear” and its effects on indigenous artifacts. “Chile Before Chile” is divided geographically; artifacts from the Far North, Near North, Central, and Southern zones are grouped and include items as diverse as neonatal mummies and wooden flutes. The second-floor collection is more extensive, covering a larger geographic area, and included an even more varied set of objects: Mayan ceramic vases, Shaman wooden “purging spatulas,” Vicus ceramic house models, etc. The rotating exhibit was in a single room and fairly brief, while a small gift shop rounded out the experience.
In summary, this was an equally memorable and exhausting experience. First and most importantly, as stated in the introduction it truly opened my eyes to the variegated groups of people that inhabited this part of the Americas in the past. Most of the items on display were simply beautiful to look at and English translations were thankfully the norm and not the exception. Second, the museum does an above average job of organization, with the groups displayed geographically in eight rooms with timelines shown for temporal context. My only suggestion to the staff would be to have a phone app or audio guide to make the place easier to navigate for those with limited time. In any case, this museum should be included on even the most cursory visit to Santiago.
Written June 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beverly B
Fort Lauderdale, FL39 contributions
Apr 2022 • Friends
Nearly all of the museums in Santiago are free admission except this one. About $6 per person to enter. The displays are very darkly lit with not much continuity. Some of the exhibits were were closed. I would recommend going to one of the other museythat are free. All are closed on Mondays
Written April 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CFEIII
Center, TX5,774 contributions
Really nice museum, it is a shame that the upper floor is closed at this time. The downstairs is pretty good, dark and somewhat difficult to take flash less photos. Pretty impressive wooden totems or stellae, several Chinchurro mummies, the displays are not as extensive as other museums, but the quality is above average for the specimens displayed
Written September 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mj2837
Oakville, Canada178 contributions
Interesting chilean history on display in this small museum. Most are familiar with the Inca empire but this museum highlights the depth of chilean history which goes back more than 10,000 years.
Unfortunately the second floor was closed when I visited. And I found the lighting to be strangely dim and inadequate for thus type of museum. Otherwise a great experience.
Unfortunately the second floor was closed when I visited. And I found the lighting to be strangely dim and inadequate for thus type of museum. Otherwise a great experience.
Written December 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeremy B
92 contributions
Jan 2023
We were not able to visit the second floor, which the guidebooks rate very highly. We saw an exhibition of shamanism and the lower floor which has precolumbian material from Chile itself. The Shamanism exhibition was very good, but as we don't understand Spanish I had to use Google translate to understand the exhibition texts. Also, what text existed was in a very small font. The material on the lower floor was also excellent, now with English translation of the text, but still almost illegible. Even despite only being partially open, the exhibits were well worth seeing.
Written January 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are any of the yours in English?
Written September 25, 2019
We took a self guided tour. Many descriptions of artifacts are in English and Spanish. I suggest you call Trip Advisor and inquire.
Written September 26, 2019
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