Palacio de la Moneda

What makes it special

Joaquín Toesca designed the palace as the colonial Royal Mint, and it is the main neoclassical work in Chile. Stand back on Plaza de la Constitución to take in the long stone front before you go in.

Three patios run behind the front. The first, the Patio de los Cañones, was the working heart of the mint and is now the ceremonial entrance for state visits, named for its cannons, El Relámpago and El Furioso.

At the back, the Patio de los Naranjos is planted with orange trees around an old fountain that once supplied the city with water. Presidential ceremonies take place here.

One patio is lined with chemamülles, carved Mapuche figures by the sculptor Antonio Paillafil. The Salón Independencia overlooks it, and its balconies are the ones from which visitors such as Pope John Paul II have greeted the crowd.

During the coup of September 1973 the Air Force strafed the palace, and President Salvador Allende died in the Salón Independencia. Architects rebuilt it on Toesca's lines but kept some bullet marks, which you can still see. The door at Morandé 80, through which his body was carried out, was rebuilt in 2003 as a memorial, and you can see it from the street.

Visiting

Arrive 15 minutes before your booked slot for the security check, with a passport, identity card or driving licence for anyone 16 or over. Come without a bag: bags, backpacks and luggage are refused, and there are no lockers. Staff hold your ID and show you to a waiting room.

A guide then leads the group through the patios and salons, often starting in the Patio de los Naranjos. A small room off the Patio de los Canelos shows presidential medals and the presidential flag. You stay on the route, and some rooms can be closed at short notice.

On guard-change days, be on Plaza de la Constitución before 10:00. The ceremony begins on Paseo Bulnes with the Carabineros choir and ends on the square about 30 minutes later. Without a booking, you can still walk round the outside from Plaza de la Constitución to Plaza de la Ciudadanía.

Guided or on your own

The presidency runs the only visit to the interior, so there is no outside guide to hire for it. Book at visitaspatrimonio.presidencia.cl or write to visitas@presidencia.cl, registering everyone in the group, small children included. The palace can move a booking when its schedule changes, so check your confirmation before you set out.

Tips

Keep the camera down until the guide says photographs are allowed, and never use flash. Eating and drinking are not allowed anywhere inside the palace.

If you cannot get a slot, head to the Centro Cultural La Moneda on Plaza de la Ciudadanía. Its exhibitions run Tuesday to Sunday, and its shops and restaurants open daily.