Once in a lifetime experience. Great tour by enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. Our family group of four really enjoyed the whole visit. Points to note; you must book in advance even though it's free. Book Spanish or English tour. You can do this through the ESO website. As of November 2018 the public tours are only available on Saturdays. One at 10:00 and one at 14:00. We took a private hire taxi from Antofagasta. Journey time approx two hours each way. The VLT is at 2300m above sea level. Expect bright sunshine but take warm coat as well as sunglasses. No food or water supplied there, no shops etc. Take everything you might need.

Fui a paranal el año 2000-2001 no recuerdo bien pero era muy lindo y muy bien cuidado,la gente que vivía allí era gente muy comprometida por cuidar cada espacio del lugar,me imagino que a más de 20 años de haber estado ahí tendrá muchas más mejoras y más telescopios que en ese entonces,la verdad fue una experiencia única e increíble,fuimos con la academia de astronomía del colegio adventista de Calama,saludos!!! ❤️

I was pleasantly surprised by the tour. It was well organized, informative, and free. The guide was very knowledgeable and it was available in english and Spanish. You do need a car as you drive yourself between different points of interest. The tour visits a welcome center, the control room, one of the telescopes, and the residence area. I would recommend it to someone visiting antofagasta.

Para el ingreso se debe realizar el llenado por la pagina web posterior de un formulario de salud y posterior llega al correo del solicitante un código QR que debe mostrar en el lugar. El lugar es para conocer las INSTALACIONES del observatorio. Hay bastante viento por lo que se debe llevar una chaqueta. Las personas que realizan el tour es amable.

Maravillosa experiencia. El lugar es único, cerca de la costa tienes altura suficiente y cielos limpios para la observación. El complejo abre sus puertas a turistas que deseen conocer las instalaciones, pueden entrar y ver desde el interior los enormes espejos de los telescopios, conocer su hotel subterráneo y uno que otro secreto del universo.

Only open to visitors on Saturdays (booking with good anticipation required as spots are limited). The tour includes a short introductory video, a visit to the amazing residence and the hill on which the huge telescopes sit. Also a quick glimpse of the offices and inside one of the telescopes. Well organized and the guides are knowledgeable.

Must go if you are European and/or like science and organized enough to book a free tour in advance. Make sure to bring water and sunblock. The guidance are very well informed and can answer any questions. Mind that you will need to come in your own vehicle which you will drive all the way to the top.

Must see for every astronomy nerd. The tour last around 2½ hours. Spent around 15 min inside one observatory, little bit too short for me buuuut it was amazing! You have to book a tour or go by yourself with car. We rent a car at the airport of Antofagasta it was ~$45 for 1 day.

It's an excellent place to visit, the tour was very informative, more about the construction than the research but still very good. Unfortunately, despite having time before the official tour end time, they did not allow us to read about the research in the visitors centre.

A must-see in Chile! We booked our free tickets online and went for the Saturday morning tour. The staff is super friendly (speak both English and Spanish) and they're passionate about astronomy. The view over the ocean when on top of Cerro Paranal is mind-blowing.

Vale la pena ir y conocer un lugar único en el mundo donde muchos países se unen para el estudio de nuestro universo. Muy buena toda la explicación de nuestro guía, a pesar de nuestra ignorancia logró que entendiéramos funcionamientos tan complejos.

Have to book tour online before hand. Tours available in English and Spanish only on Saturdays as per booking. Unforgettable!!
Se visitó en
Fin de semana
Tiempo de espera
Sin espera
Reserva recomendada
Sí

The tour is awesome. But you need a car to get around the place. You can't do a tour without a car, something you have to know. The guide is very professional, he knows a lot about science and about the place as well.

Fantástico observatorio para inspeccionar el universo. Muy recomendable visitarlo. Se puede realizar visitas gratuitas los sábados inscribiéndose en la página web de la ESO.
Se visitó en
Fin de semana

Free tours every Saturday! Book online in advance! Or turn up early in the morning, maybe you still get a chance to enter (if somebody else doesn’t show up). And they’ve got really fast wifi …

Muy interesante, si te gusta la tecnología y el universo, no te lo puedes perder
Se visitó en
Día laborable
Tiempo de espera
Hasta 10 min
Reserva recomendada
Sí

Un lugar muy bonito para visitar en familia. Se debe agendar hora antes de ir.
Se visitó en
Fin de semana
Reserva recomendada
Sí

Long way drive but totally worth it. They did not ask our forms in the end and fortunately, they do propose the tour in English.

Lo vi desde el avión impresionante, lo tengo que conocer algún día
Reserva recomendada
No lo sé

If was my first duty cycle at the VLT. I'm looking forward to more in the new year.