Puerto-Montt Travel Guide
COMPARE PRICES on all Puerto Montt Hotels
Compare prices and availability on major travel sites with one click
COMPARE PRICES on all Flights to Puerto Montt
Compare prices and availability on major travel sites with one click
20km (12 miles) S of Puerto Varas; 1,016km (630 miles) S of Santiago
This port town of roughly 110,000 residents is the central hub for travelers headed to Lagos Llanquihue and Todos los Santos, Chiloé, and the national parks Alerce Andino and Pumalín. It is also a major docking zone for dozens of large cruise companies circumnavigating the southern cone of South America and several ferry companies with southern destinations to Laguna San Rafael National Park and Puerto Natales in Patagonia.
The town presents a convenient stopover point for travelers, but is not a particularly attractive destination in itself. However, Puerto Montt's small downtown can be a pleasant place to take a stroll on a sunny day, and the city offers great restaurants and an extensive outdoor market that sells Chilean handicrafts.
Puerto Montt was founded in 1853 by German immigrants and their stalwart promoter Vicente Pérez Rosales, who named the town after another promoter of immigration, President Manual Montt. The waterfront here was rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1960, which had destroyed the city's port, church, and neighborhood of Angelmó. Today, it is the capital of Chile's Región X, a thriving city that invests heavily in salmon farming, shipping, and tourism.
