Casa Museo La Chascona

La Chascona was the Santiago home of Chilean poet and Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda, built for his secret lover (and later wife) Matilde Urrutia, its name, meaning 'tousled hair,' refers to her wild red curls. Tucked on a hillside in the bohemian Bellavista neighbourhood, the house is pure Neruda: whimsical, ship-obsessed, and full of his eclectic collections, with rooms designed like a vessel's cabins, hidden passages, and views toward the Andes.

The self-guided audio tour leads through the quirky interiors and gardens, revealing the poet's playful imagination and his turbulent life, the house was ransacked after the 1973 coup and lovingly restored by Matilde. It's an intimate, atmospheric counterpoint to grander museums, and the perfect pairing with a wander through Bellavista.

Don't miss

• Neruda's whimsical, ship-themed interiors
• His eclectic collections of art and objects
• The hillside gardens and Andes views
• The story of Neruda and Matilde Urrutia
• Its setting in bohemian Bellavista

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Casa Museo La Chascona

Cheapest way inMuseo Chileno de Arte Precolombino Admission Ticket4.4★ · 130 travelers~2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$17 per personSee dates →Best full dayCajon del Maipo/Embalse del Yeso, Tradition Folk Picnic included4.5★ · 2,982 travelers9-10 hoursFree cancellationFrom$42 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleHorse Riding Tour in the Andes Santiago Chile4.9★ · 39 travelers~3 hoursFrom$185 per personSee dates →

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Getting there

Know before you go

• The audio guide is included and essential, it brings the poet's life and the quirky rooms to life.
• Closed Mondays; check current hours before visiting.
• It's in Bellavista, pair it with the neighbourhood and the San Cristóbal hill funicular.
• The house is multi-level with steps, so wear comfortable shoes.

A bit of history

Pablo Neruda built La Chascona from 1953, one of his three distinctive Chilean homes. After the 1973 military coup and Neruda's death days later, the house was vandalised; Matilde Urrutia restored it and lived there, and it's now run by the Pablo Neruda Foundation as a museum.