Over the years, I’ve picked up a lot of amazing souvenirs from Chile, from copper pans to lapis lazuli. So I wanted to write on the best Chilean souvenirs, and tell you exactly where to find them.
And you don’t even have to go all the way to Santiago to buy them! Luckily, can buy many of these souvenirs from Chile online.
Table of Contents
The 7 best Chile souvenirs:
1. Lapis Lazuli Jewelry
Lapis lazuli is a beautiful, azure stone that can only be found in Afghanistan and Chile. In Chile, it’s relatively inexpensive — this pendant cost around $30 USD.
Where to buy it: You can buy Chilean lapis lazuli jewelry at the Lapis Lazuli House in Santiago (where I bought this pendant).
2. Greda (Handmade Chilean Clay Pottery)
Greda is a Chilean clay that works well for cooking. Like cast-iron, it retains flavor over time. Many traditional Chilean dishes, such as pastel de choclo (Chilean beef and corn casserole), should only be cooked in greda.
Where to buy it: You can buy greda at Pueblito Los Dominicos, an artisanal market in Santiago. If you want to buy greda at cheaper prices, you can visit Pomaire, a tiny town about an hour and a half from the center of Santiago. The town has one dirt road and shops with stacks and stacks of greda. It’s very breakable, so be careful on the ride home!
3. Pablo Zabal Ceramics
Pablo Zabal has been making these handmade ceramic figurines since 1970. You will see these animal figurines including birds, frogs, and elephants, all over Chile.
Where to buy it: You can buy Palo Zabal ceramics at 945 Madrid in San Isidro, Santiago.
4. Copper Cookware
Did you know Chile is the world’s largest producer and exporter of copper? It’s one of the reasons Chile has the strongest economy in South America. What does this mean for tourists like me and you? Inexpensive copper pots and pans! I bought this pan in Puerto Varas, Chile for only $40 USD.
Where to buy it: You can buy copper cookware at the Feria Artesanal Santa Lucía, a handicraft market in Santiago. It’s located in the San Isidro neighborhood.
5. Merkén
Merkén (or Merquén) is smoked chili pepper seasoning that is native to Chile. It yields a spicy, smoky flavor and is used in many traditional Chilean dishes such as curanto, a Chilean meat, seafood, and potato stew.
Where to find it: Merkén hard to find outside of Chile, but it is now available on Amazon.
6. Chilean Wine
Chilean wine has a worldwide reputation for excellence and is especially well-known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère and Franc varietals. I especially recommend Carmenère, a medium-bodied red wine similar to Merlot.
Note: Chilean beer is also delicious due to a large influx of Germans after WWII. My favorites are Austral and Kuntzmann Miel.
Where to buy it: You can pick up a bottle of Chilean wine from any wine shop or grocery store in Chile! Internationally, most popular Chilean wine is Casillero del Diablo.
7. Neruda Poetry Books and Paraphernalia
You can’t visit Chile without stopping by one of Pablo Neruda’s homes, Chile’s most famous poet. Eccentric and brilliant, Neruda used the fish emblem on this box because he loved the sea more than anything else.
Where to buy it: You can buy Neruda books and trinkets at any of his three homes: La Chascona in Santiago, La Sebastiana in Valparaiso and Isla Negra. I highly recommend visiting all three, and especially loved Isla Negra (it has a room exclusively designated for antique mermaid figureheads!).
You can also buy Neruda’s poetry books on Amazon: you can find a bilingual edition of his love sonnets here.
What are your favorite Chilean souvenirs?
P.S. Remembering My First Love: South America and Cool Souvenirs to Pick Up Around the World.
Need to buy small hummingbird figurine (quartz) with bronze beek in lapis stone. I bought one im Santiago Chile in a bazaar and wanted to purchase another. Any thoughts or websites that u can suggest??
That tiny horse is adorable! The copper pans sound like a great souvenir too, although I need to hear your packing secrets if you got that into a backpack! ;)
Haha I wish! I was always down in Chile for a couple weeks at at time to visit my then-boyfriend, so I would just pack things in my suitcase and fly home. But I admit, I have backpacked with pottery- my obsession knows few bounds.
Pick up a jersey from the Chilean national team or one of several Chilean teams like Colo-Colo or La Universidad de Chile.
Hi Ashley, soon it will be my first time in Chile and I found your souvenir suggestion list very interesting, professional and cute… on my way back home I will be able to tell also how useful it was! Many wishes for your professional and personal life…
Thanks so much! Glad you found it useful :)
Hi Ashley, I am back to Italy after a short stay in Santiago. As I had supposed, Your souvenir list turned out to be a real beacon, as I bought a Neruda box (identical to the one you pictured, although I bought it at “La Chascona”) for my daughter, merken for my son, a copper bell for my wife and a sackful of rough lapislazuli for myself. I thank you SO much and hope to read more from you – I am a geologist and love travelling, so please send me reprints of your articles I might be interested to! Cheers, Dario
So glad to hear you found this helpful! I LOVED La Chascona, as well as all of Neruda’s homes. Ah, I miss Chile!
Thanks Ashley for the info,
As a Chilean living in Australia I was struggling to get some sovenirs for my friends, thanks, now I have got clear what to take with me .
I’m glad to hear it! :)