TOURS
OUR ARCHITECTURAL PROGRAMMES ​are tailored according to each group’s specific interests and requirements. We offer in-depth insight into Chilean architectural milestones, reading each site through the multiple layers—historical, social, geographic, and political—that shape contemporary urban life.
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Each route is carefully curated and scheduled, and all necessary support material is provided to ensure a fully professional framework for understanding local architecture.
Our Single-day tours in Santiago operate as ready-to-book building blocks, forming the base from which more comprehensive architectural programmes can be developed.
In addition to single-day tours in Santiago, we have significant experience designing and coordinating Multi-day architectural journeys, working with both private clients and large international institutions. These extended itineraries often go beyond Santiago, including destinations of architectural and cultural significance such as the port city of Valparaíso and its surroundings, the vineyards of Chile’s Central Valley, and the city of Concepción, as well as more remote territories such as the Atacama Desert and Patagonia.
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These programmes include the full coordination of logistics, travel, accommodation, site visits, and institutional access, allowing participants to focus entirely on the architectural and cultural experience.
"Diego was very prompt in replying to our enquiry with keen enthusiasm and he offered several options for tours in Santiago and surrounding regions. He was happy to propose customised itineraries to suit our interests and specific requests, including meeting some of the architects and owners of the projects. As an accomplished architect himself, Diego's knowledge is broad and diverse, whilst being a very good communicator in both Spanish and English. He has a very comfortable demeanor, which makes for pleasant days meandering between amazing places, always including perfectly timed coffee stops and delicious lunches in special environments!"
Lindy Atkin, Queensland, Australia
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"Diego provided us not only with a professional tour, with lots of enthusiastic preparation, but also gave us great fun during our visit to his native town. I already warmly recommend his services to some of my friends."
Viktor T Takacs, Budapest, Hungary
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"Diego did a fantastic job tailoring the tour to fit my needs. He was very knowledgeable and incredibly friendly and professional. His English is Excellent. I would highly recommend him to anyone with an interest in architecture, real estate, and construction visiting Santiago."
Mary Katherine Wormsley, Knoxville, Tennessee, EEUU
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SINGLE-DAY PROGRAMMES
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LAYERS OF A CITY: EXPLORING SANTIAGO'S HISTORIC QUARTER
This tour offers a walk through Santiago’s historic center, exploring its preserved pre-colonial grid and understanding the strategic location of the city within the basin. We will observe how different architectural periods coexist, identifying layers of transformation in public spaces and historic buildings from a contemporary architectural perspective.
The itinerary includes a visit to the GAM Cultural Center (built in 1972 and renovated in 2009 after a national competition), Santa Lucía Hill—the founding site of colonial Santiago—and the Lastarria neighborhood, one of the city’s main cultural hubs. We will explore the cathedral, the main square, and a network of covered pedestrian galleries that cut through city blocks, while discussing the eclecticism of the historic downtown.
We will also visit the Pre-Columbian Arts Museum (designed by Smiljan Radic), La Moneda Cultural Center, and the Yungay neighborhood, a historic residential district with strong local identity. Optionally, the full day tour may end at the UC San Joaquín campus to see works by Alejandro Aravena.
©Pedro Mutis – Lateral Arquitectos
Duration: Half day - 4 hours / Full day - 8 hours
Transport: Private bus and walking
Services: Pick-up and drop-off at the hotel, coordination
for all entrances, reservations for coffee and lunch.
Languages: English, Spanish
Group size: Max. 20 pax. Per guide
Not included: Transport costs and
consumptions at restaurants and coffee breaks.
2. ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN LANDSCAPES OF EAST SANTIAGO
​During this tour, we will gradually approach the impressive Andes mountain range, starting at the UC School of Architecture. From there, we will explore the modern history of Santiago and its connection to recent projects designed by local architects who have shaped the contemporary identity of Chilean architecture.
This area of Santiago began to consolidate in the 1960s under the garden city model and today includes some of the city’s most developed districts. We will visit the Benedictine Monastery, a landmark of modern architecture in Chile, along with other contemporary works that engage with the natural landscape in energy-efficient ways, such as the Tánica building.
The tour also includes a walk through Bicentenario Park, offering panoramic views of the district’s skyline. During the visit, there is the option to enjoy lunch at the renowned El Mestizo restaurant, designed by Smiljan Radic, located within the park and widely recognized as a contemporary architectural reference.
We will end the day at a nearby viewpoint, where we’ll gain a broad perspective on the different sites visited throughout the day.
©Boris Strzelczyk
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©Boris Strzelczyk
©Boris Strzelczyk
©Diego Baloian
Duration: Full day - 8 hours
Transport: Private bus and walking
Services: Pick-up and drop-off at the hotel, coordination
for all entrances, reservations for coffee and lunch.
Languages: English, Spanish
Group size: Max. 20 pax. Per guide
Not included: Transport costs and
consumptions at restaurants and coffee breaks.
3. UC SAN JOAQUÍN CAMPUS
©Diego Baloian
During this half-day tour, we will explore the San Joaquín Campus of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, the largest university campus in Santiago, structured as a large open academic campus organized around pedestrian axes, courtyards, and teaching buildings. Located in the south of Santiago, the campus covers an area of approximately 500,000 m² and brings together 13 faculties and around 15,000 students
The tour focuses on the coexistence of multiple contemporary works by leading Chilean architects. Among them are three key projects by Alejandro Aravena, recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize (2016): the UC Innovation Center, the Siamese Towers, and the School of Mathematics, which together illustrate different approaches to institutional and academic architecture.
We will also visit the campus chapel the Engineering Student Center, both designed by Teodoro Fernández. Additional stops include the School of Secondary Education Pedagogy by Alberto Moletto and Sebastián Paredes, the Aula Building by OMN Arquitectos, and the Andrónico Luksic Mining Center by Enrique Browne and Arquitectos Asociados, among other relevant campus buildings.
©Boris Strzelczyk
©Boris Strzelczyk
©Diego Baloian
Duration: Half day - 4 hours
Transport: Private bus and walking
Services: Pick-up and drop-off at the hotel, coordination
for all entrances, reservations for coffee and lunch.
Languages: English, Spanish
Group size: Max. 30 pax
Not included: Transport costs and
consumptions at restaurants and coffee breaks.
4. BARRIO YUNGAY
Duration: Half day - 4 hours
Transport: Private bus and walking
Services: Pick-up and drop-off at the hotel, coordination
for all entrances, reservations for coffee and lunch.
©Diego Baloian
©Diego Baloian
©Diego Baloian
Duration: Half day - 4 hours
Transport: Private bus and walking
Services: Pick-up and drop-off at the hotel, coordination
for all entrances, reservations for coffee and lunch.
Languages: English, Spanish
Group size: Max. 30 pax
Not included: Transport costs and
consumptions at restaurants and coffee breaks.
During this half-day tour, we will explore Barrio Yungay, the oldest neighborhood in Santiago, focusing on its traditional cités and early residential fabric. These housing typologies are characterized by continuous street façades and shared longitudinal passageways that run through the blocks, shaping everyday community life and the use of semi-public space.
The tour examines Barrio Yungay as a case of strong local organization in defense of architectural and social heritage in the face of real estate pressure. Today, the neighborhood is home to a diverse population, including long-standing residents, a younger generation that has settled in recent years, and a significant migrant community, contributing to its layered social and urban character.
As we walk through the area, we will observe the coexistence of residential, industrial, and cultural layers within a compact urban fabric. These include large-scale cultural infrastructures such as the Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos, alongside more localized cultural initiatives embedded within the neighborhood.
Within this context, we encounter Centro NAVE, a performing arts residency designed by Smiljan Radić, which has introduced new spaces for cultural exchange and community gathering within the neighborhood. There is also the option to stop at La Peluquería Francesa, an iconic local landmark that operates both as a restaurant and as the oldest barbershop in Chile.
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Languages: English, Spanish
Group size: Max. 30 pax
Not included: Transport costs and
consumptions at restaurants and coffe breaks.