The Palacio Errázuriz is one of the finest 19th-century mansions in Santiago, built in the 1870s for the Errázuriz family — one of the great oligarchic families of Chilean history. The building now houses the Museo de Artes Decorativas (Museum of Decorative Arts), which has a strong collection of European and Chilean applied arts from the 18th and 19th centuries: furniture, porcelain, silverware, and textiles.
The collection is interesting, but the building is the real attraction — the formal rooms with their original wallpapers, parquet floors, and ornate ceilings are an intact snapshot of how the Chilean upper class lived in the belle époque. The building is just off the Plaza de Armas and is often overlooked in favour of the better-known museums, which means it is usually uncrowded. Open Tuesday to Sunday; free admission.