Concepción

Where should I stay?

Where should I eat?

• Caleta Lenga · Hualpén · Seafood: A fishing cove at the mouth of the Biobío lined with simple seafood restaurants serving empanadas de mariscos and fresh fish.
• Caleta Tumbes · Talcahuano · Seafood: A working fishing village on the Tumbes peninsula where small eateries serve caldillos, machas and fried fish by the boats.
• Mercado de Talcahuano · Talcahuano · Seafood market: The port's seafood market, with stalls of fresh shellfish and cheap cocinerías upstairs for paila marina and mariscal.
• Vega Monumental · Concepción · Food market: The city's big wholesale and retail produce market, good for fruit, cheese, cochayuyo and cheap lunch counters.

What should I do?

• Campus Universidad de Concepción · Barrio Universitario: A leafy campus with the landmark Arco de Medicina, a bell tower and modernist buildings, pleasant for a walk.
• Cerro Caracol · Parque Ecuador: A forested hill right above downtown with trails and viewpoints over the city and the Biobío River.
• Galería de la Historia de Concepción · Parque Ecuador: Small museum telling the region's history through detailed dioramas, from Mapuche times to the earthquakes.
• Plaza de la Independencia · Centro: The main square, where Chile's independence was proclaimed in 1818, next to the cathedral and the pedestrian streets.
• Monitor Huáscar · Talcahuano: The preserved 19th-century ironclad from the War of the Pacific, moored at the Talcahuano naval base and open to visitors.
• Parque Museo Pedro del Río Zañartu · Hualpén: A historic estate and museum on the Hualpén peninsula with views over the mouth of the Biobío River.
• Chiflón del Diablo · Lota: A former undersea coal mine in Lota where ex-miners guide visitors underground, best combined with Parque Isidora Cousiño.