The Universidad de Concepción campus is itself one of the city's main attractions. Concepción is a university town in a way few South American cities are, and the leafy grounds spreading southeast from the centre are open to anyone — to walk, to picnic, to sit on a bench with a coffee. The main axis runs from the Foro at the Casa del Arte up past the law and engineering faculties to the campanil, the freestanding bell tower that has become the university's symbol.
The arboretum at the southern end of the campus is a quiet collection of native Chilean and exotic trees, with a small lake. Concerts, art exhibitions and student demonstrations all play out on the campus's public spaces — the easiest way to feel Concepción's pulse is to spend an afternoon on a bench here.