Take the Heritage Circuit tour of the traditional buildings, churches and parks of this pretty town near Chile’s second-largest lake.
Puerto Varas is a quaint town in the Chilean Andes with a charming church and views of the iconic Osorno Volcano. Its Western European feel stems from its colonization by the Germans in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Discover the intriguing blend of German traditions with South American life in this lakeside town.
Visit the Church of the Sacred Heart to appreciate its typical German architecture of oak frames and red spires. Capture photos of the church with a backdrop of the lake and the volcano. Built in the early 20th century, it was based on a similar church in Germany’s Black Forest.
The church is part of the Heritage Circuit. It includes various traditional houses near the Puerto Varas Plaza de Armas, which is a pretty central square with patches of grass and benches. Visit the white and black Kuschel House and the wooden Maldonado House, which possesses a rural charm. The redbrick Raddatz House is also part of the circuit.
The town’s crowning glory is the Osorno Volcano, which has a ski centre with restaurant, café and shops. Zipline or mountain bike down the volcano’s scenic sections. Enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding towns and landscape, including Calbuco Volcano, which is very active, having erupted twice in 2015.
The region endures heavy rainfall. Winters are wet and mild. To visit during the driest and warmest months, come in summer from December to February.
The town is in the Los Lagos Region in southern Chile. Its neighbour Puerto Montt, which shares a view of the snow-capped volcano, is a 12-mile (19-kilometre) drive south, which should take about 30 minutes by car. Fly to El Tepual Airport from Santiago. Use public buses or get around the small town easily on foot on its quiet roads.
Puerto Varas’ location on the western shore of Lake Llanquihue near national parks, forests and mountains provides a picturesque vacation.
