Chile has an extraordinarily long coastline. The country is very long and very narrow, and runs along over half of the eastern coastline of South America.
All that coastline, from the tropics to its wintry southern tip, means a staggering variety of seafood is part of Chile’s cuisine. And not just fish, but a huge variety of shellfish. Oysters, scallops, mussels, razor clams, and a bunch of other types that only have local names.
Many of them are for sale in Santiago’s Mercado Central, a mecca for fresh, local seafood. And if you’re not in a position to cook up your own meal, a series of bustling restaurants in the center of the market will cook up delicious market-fresh meals for very reasonable prices.
And it’s all housed in a charming old wrought-iron building within an easy walk of the Plaza de Armas. It’s well worth a visit.
Photos of Mercado Central
Map
Where to Next?
Guidebooks for Chile
If you're looking for a guidebook to make the most of your visit, these are some of the most popular ones currently for Chile. Some are available in both paper and e-book formats.
- Fodor's Travel Guides (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- McCarthy, Carolyn (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Dyson, Steph (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- DK Eyewitness (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Travel Insurance For Your Trip to Chile
I never travel without travel insurance, and I've run into several situations where I've had to make claims. I consider it essential.
But shopping for travel insurance can be a pain and confusing. Thankfully, there are some travel insurance comparison sites that show you a wide range of plans, make it easy to compare coverage, and can save you money at the same time. And the coverage can be much better tailored to your specific needs than the checkbox offering at travel booking sites or through your credit card.
These are some good places to shop for travel insurance for your next trip to Chile :
Hopefully, you won't need it, but if something goes wrong, you'll sure be glad you have it!