Compass del Sur

Puerto Varas


This charming colonial house with Scandinavian touches and very friendly staff sits above the main area of town, accessed by a staired pedestrian street. It has comfortable beds and some rain-style showers that please the flashpacker crowd who dominate the scene here.

New ecofriendly pellet-boiler heating, renovated bathrooms and common kitchen and planned terrace means it's doing its part to keep up with the Joneses.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Puerto Varas attractions

1. Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón

0.46 MILES

The imposing and colorful 1915 Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón, overlooking downtown from a promontory, is based on the Marienkirche of the Black Forest,…

2. Catedral de Puerto Montt

11.12 MILES

Built entirely of alerce in 1856, this church, located on the Plaza de Armas, is the town's oldest building and one of its few attractive ones.

3. Casa del Arte Diego Rivera

11.16 MILES

A joint Mexican-Chilean project finished in 1964, the upstairs Sala Hardy Wistuba specializes in works by local artists, sculptors and photographers. Also…

4. Av Angelmó Street Stalls

11.77 MILES

Along busy, diesel-fume-laden Av Angelmó is a dizzying mix of streetside stalls (selling artifacts, smoked mussels, cochayuyo – an edible sea plant – and…

5. Teatro del Lago

12.22 MILES

This amazing 12-years-in-the-making, US$25-million world-class performing-arts center opened in 2010, and has single-handedly put Frutillar on the global…

6. Museo Histórico Alemán

12.71 MILES

The Museo Histórico Colonial Alemán was built with assistance from Germany and is managed by the Universidad Austral. It features nearly perfect…

7. Monte Verde

17.28 MILES

A small child's footprint discovered in a marshy field 28km west of Puerto Montt turned the archaeological world on its head in 1975 – evidence of human…

8. Museo de Puerto Octay

24 MILES

A small but well-done museum inside the historic 1920 Casa Niklitschek telling the story of Puerto Octay via antiques.