Municipal Theatre of Santiago

The Municipal Theatre of Santiago is the most important stage theatre and opera house in Santiago, Chile. It is a French Neoclassical building in downtown Santiago, inaugurated in 1857 with a performance of Verdi's Ernani. The main hall seats 1,500 spectators and features an opulent interior.

Don't miss

• French Neoclassical exterior designed by Claudio Brunet des Baines
• Teardrop crystal chandelier in the interior
• Main hall seating 1,500 spectators
• Stage curtain installed in 1926, replaced in 1995 (donors received pieces of the old one)
• Claudio Arrau Salon, a 250-seat space inaugurated in 1984

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Municipal Theatre of Santiago

Cheapest way inOfficial Tour of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago5★ · 589 travelers~1 hourFree cancellationFrom$11 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 & flexibleAndean Tour5★ · 44 travelers~5 hoursFree cancellationFrom$200 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• The theatre hosts opera, ballet, and orchestral performances, including the Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra and Santiago Ballet.
• It is located in downtown Santiago on land ceded by the government in 1848.

A bit of history

The Chilean government ceded land in 1848, and President Manuel Montt Torres decreed construction in 1853. French Chilean architect Claudio Brunet des Baines designed the exterior, but died in 1855; Lucien Hénault and Manuel Aldunate completed the work with input from Charles Garnier. A fire in 1870 destroyed the building, but it was rebuilt and reopened in 1873. A 1906 earthquake and a 1927 fire caused further damage, each time leading to reconstruction that made the interior more opulent. The theatre was declared a National Monument in 1974.